Comments for Venus Speaks

Comment on Despair by V.

V. — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:47:32 +0000

Thanks for the kind words. I’ll do my best!

Comment on Despair by V.

V. — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:45:58 +0000

Exactly. Like, I don’t really “want” this – I’d much prefer to have a job / career – but I do need it, I recognize that.

The fact that you’ve made it through, so to speak, gives me hope. I’m going to try my best to stick with it, too.

Comment on Despair by V.

V. — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:41:18 +0000

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m going to suck up all that light and love like a little vacuum, because it really does help. :)

Comment on Despair by V.

V. — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:39:29 +0000

Stephanie,

Haha, it is a -little- bit of a consolation. I’m trying to visualize that check!

Comment on Planet Earth: Disability and Environmentalism I by V.

V. — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:37:24 +0000

You know, I think with this comment you’ve managed to simultaneously voice my frustration and provide a useful vantage point I’ve been missing.

Because yeah, now that I think of it, a lot (most) of mainstream dialogue around environmentalism is consumer based – buy these cloth bags instead of using paper, shop at whole foods, buy a prius, etc. – and obviously that limits (even blames) those of us that are lower income.

And I think that’s where a lot of my guilt comes from, especially with the bathing thing. I feel like -I- have to be the one to save the world. As if, by avoiding taking a bath, I can stop feeding into this system where the world’s water and resources are being privatized. And, obviously, things aren’t that clear cut.

Thanks for the input.

Comment on Planet Earth: Disability and Environmentalism I by V.

V. — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:26:14 +0000

Post script: As I delve deeper into the web site, seeing how much water is used in food production is really blowing my mind.

You mentioned you’ve modified your diet because of this (no longer eating beef). I’d love to have a discussion sometime about any other changes you may have made and the thoughts behind them, in order to help myself make changes, too.

Perhaps I could toss you an email sometime, if you don’t object? Thanks again for bringing this information to my attention regardless :D

Comment on Planet Earth: Disability and Environmentalism I by V.

V. — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:17:29 +0000

Thanks for the link! I’m browsing through the site right now and it’s very informative.

(Also, woah, 867 gallons for a third of a pound of beef? That’s unreal. Just… unreal.)

And thanks for reminding me to keep my eyes on the bigger goal! You’re right, making a positive impact is just as important as reducing negative impacts. And that’s just what I’ll strive to do. :)

Comment on Planet Earth: Disability and Environmentalism I by troublet

troublet — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:03:09 +0000

Hey there, I know I’m a bit late on this comment, I was linked to your blog through the feminists with disabilities blog. So anyways…
A lot of the current discussion around “sustainability” and “environmentalism” in the mainstream is entirely consumer-oriented. As in, “hey you individual consumer, buy this thing, don’t buy that thing, *tada* you’ve saved the environment!” It totally misses the mark, and allows for the companies who are actually enacting environmental devastation to exploit and disarm the actual environmental movement. There is no way that individuals buying less toilet paper is going to stop mass deforestation, or that your water consumption could ever compete with that of resource extraction projects. The whole consumer environmentalism thing not only takes actual large scale polluters off the hook, it puts the weight of environmental devastation on the shoulders of people who, though we take part in it, are not wholly responsible for or profiting from it. And, as long as consumption is framed as a way to “enact change”, those of us with less money, resources, and privileges will be framed as either powerless or, worse, part of the problem.
I see the oppression of the earth and of people as very closely linked, and the idea of consumer environmentalism as a type of divide-and-conquer tactic. Wealthy liberals get to shop at whole foods and feel good about themselves, everyone else gets to feel either like we’re failing the earth or, take the opposite stance as a defense mechanism and say “fuck the environment I’m gonna drive my truck.” But it’s so not that simple. And it’s not our fault.

Comment on Despair by Anita

Anita — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:15:04 +0000

Hang in there. I’ve been through a lot of hassle regarding a similar situation, and it is worth persevering.

Comment on Planet Earth: Disability and Environmentalism I by Shaun

Shaun — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:04:47 +0000

I don’t really identify as physically disabled, but I’ve had multiple injuries to my back and my alternative to pain meds is standing under a really hot shower with the stream directed at my shoulders for a long time. I’m also pretty environmentally-aware so I understand your concerns.

It may help you to understand that showers and baths are NOT the main sources of water usage in the West, or anywhere. That would be virtual water, or water used to grow and produce food. You can learn more about it here: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/home For example, iirc it takes 867 gallons of water to produce a third of a pound of beef, which is the main reason I stopped eating beef 2 years ago.

As long as you take steps to make the greatest positive impact possible (I refuse to look at it solely in terms of reducing negative impact–you can do so much more if you don’t look at yourself as a burden) and remain open to learning new ways of doing things, you’ll still be doing better than most of your peers, long baths or not.

Your baths (your access to plentiful water) is a privilege not afforded to people in many countries, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take them, or that you should feel bad about the necessity. You’re simply doing what you have to to adapt and survive.