tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8933855269189267994.post3646186552335427771..comments2024-03-27T10:50:42.607+00:00Comments on A Wordy Woman: Following UpShari Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301342910803447836noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8933855269189267994.post-87127612981654690252019-11-26T14:58:10.610+00:002019-11-26T14:58:10.610+00:00Easy to feel tired and hopeless. I often feel that...Easy to feel tired and hopeless. I often feel that way. While I don't discount individual changes, the meaningful ones must be systemic with laws and regulations to stop businesses, big and small, from being predatory. Wal-Mart gets a lot of hate from progressives, and much of it is well earned. However, in Maine, Hannaford is the biggest employer, and they are not a lot better. When I was volunteering at the food pantry, employees from Hannaford would come to the pantry because they weren't paid enough. What irony! I could go on and on about Hannaford, but I won't. When I get really discouraged I think of the civil rights era in the United States and of the courage and persistence of the women and men who didn't give up, even though many of them did not live long enough to see the changes they helped bring about. Laurie Graveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05325882465476679150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8933855269189267994.post-16769355763864096542019-11-25T15:47:00.139+00:002019-11-25T15:47:00.139+00:00I agree with you about beauty and creativity--we c...I agree with you about beauty and creativity--we cannot help but be creative--it's how we evolved. And while I am not sure whether the article was meant to be sarcastic, I don't completely disagree with it, either, although there are parts of it that I think are overly simplistic. I do agree that what I do isn't going to make a difference. It would take many, many people changing lifestyles and behaviour to make such a difference. Someone once told me that she was not going to stop shopping at WalMart because if she did, it wouldn't make a difference. If enough people were to stop shopping there, she would join them, but otherwise she didn't see why she should. I was at work, so did not really engage in any meaningful way, because she was a customer. But I was thinking about how, on the one hand, she was absolutely right. On the other, if no one takes a stand how will we ever hope to make change--and from a purely personal point of view, that icky feeling when I'm doing something that feels wrong is not pleasant. <br /><br />In terms of the article and the need for bigger changes, that's right, but how does the writer think change will come unless people change lifestyles? Everything is about profits. Take away the profits and things change. If people didn't fly as much, the industry would be forced to change. If people bought better cars or opted not to buy them when that's possible, the industry would change. Public transport is as good as it is here because people use it and value it. It's expanded rural areas since we've been in the country because there's a demand. <br /><br />I've just remembered something. Someone I worked for once trashed artists and got really pissed off about some young musicians that had come into his store, saying they were arrogant to think they could make a living playing the bassoon. Bill and I still laugh about that sometimes. It was my second day on the job, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard myself going off on a vigorous defence of artists and musicians and the value of what they do. I told him that we need more art and music in the world, not less. I wasn't nasty, but I was passionate in my response to him and I would not have been surprised to be told that 2 days on the job was enough--LOL. To his credit, he listened and seemed to concede that maybe he'd gone too far. Thank you for reminding me of that, Laurie. It is worthwhile to remember at times when I feel a bit tired and hopeless. :-)Shari Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14301342910803447836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8933855269189267994.post-22235351882328501352019-11-25T15:03:51.732+00:002019-11-25T15:03:51.732+00:00I sympathize. But surely beauty and creativity can...I sympathize. But surely beauty and creativity can continue to have a place in this world, despite all the various catastrophes that we humans are releasing. And, for a completely different point of view, there is this: https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/quit-obsessing-about-climate-change-what-you-do-or-dont-do-no-longer-matters-2942d12bed8b I expect you won't agree with the premise. I'm not sure I do. But there it is. Laurie Graveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05325882465476679150noreply@blogger.com