#trying to bring durkheim back around is hard

[centrifuge-politics]

Brick Club 4.11.5, 4.11.6

Adding a minor tw this chapter for discussion of suicide, in more of an academic, sociological tone, but still there, starting in the third paragraph.

The Child Wonders At The Old Man and now we meet The Old Man. “We must tell what happened.” Please, do. Hugo says Mabeuf is an octogenarian, but he also said Gillenormand was an octogenarian after telling us he was ninety-one. But, yes, do continue.

Mabeuf, in the company of this revolutionary cadre, gains an unusual steadiness, “having at once the motion of a man who is walking, and the countenance of a man who is asleep. ‘What a desperate goodman!’ murmured the students.” Now, I said a good while ago, that Marius might be the poster child for anomie, a feeling of being helplessly adrift in a time of severe social upheaval, with no established set of social norms to cling to, often leading to anomic suicide. In this case, Mabeuf represents the opposite problem, he becomes overly integrated and bound to the social group he’s found himself in. He begins fatalistic, having sold his last book and having no other means by which to continue paying for the privilege of living. Hearing the encroaching conflict, he wanders out, surrendering his life to the whim of fate. However, it’s this encounter in this chapter that turns him to what Durkheim call altruistic suicide. Academically speaking, this phenomenon arises from a state of high social integration, when the group overwhelms the individual (the spiritual opposite of egoistic suicide, which Marius also dabbles in). This type of suicide is most commonly seen in elderly members of the community who sacrifice themselves for the greater good of their community. Like fatalistic suicide, this happens most often in times of hardship for a particular community.

Mabeuf, seeing this eclectic collection of young, bright-eyes revolutionaries is inspired with a sort of grim conviction. We also see a similar mindset in Valjean when he makes the decision to go to the barricade, and it’s even starker in the musical—“He is young, he’s afraid…and I am old, and will be gone.” The difference is Mabeuf is fully integrated into the group mindset, in which that the individual is not as important as the group, whereas Valjean is only focused on Cosette’s wellbeing and everything else is just a means to that end.

It’s interesting that Marius and Mabeuf, despite the parallels of their story lines, are really at opposite ends of this particular spectrum. Marius is really only concerned with himself throughout his time on the barricade while Mabeuf gets swept into the collective. Actually, the women Gavroche passed in the street earlier might do well to take Mabeuf as an example. It’s all well and good to try and stay out of conflict, take refuge in a garden, books, political ignorance, complaining at how noisy the revolution is, until one day you realize you’ve reached the end of your line. Suddenly all the noisy politics seem very relevant and you don’t have a choice but to take a side. First they came for the poor and I said nothing, etc. For Mabeuf, this comes rather too late and he finds himself between the potential suicide mission of the barricade or slowly starving on the streets. Given the option between a fatalistic or altruistic fate, he chooses the later. It’s no joy, just an inevitability.

(Is that Enjolras in a cap?? Love it).

Hugo insists on maintaining the charade that we can’t immediately recognize any of his characters on description. “A man of tall stature, who was turning grey” with “rough and bold mien” joins the procession and Courfeyrac swings by his rooms (to pick up a hat, very important) to find a “young working-man…who had rather the appearance of a girl in boy’s clothes” asking for Marius.

Everyone is heading for the namesake of this volume, “without really knowing how.” It’s hardly the determined, directed march of “One Day More” but you take it where you can get when the émeute is in motion.

[ecopoeticsuchicago]

Week 9 Writing Assignment

Working Notes:

             This week I started working on my final project in actuality, instead of just planning it in my head. It will take the form of a facebook page about climate change, and the posts will appear to be from the community that follows it, even though I’ll be writing all of them. I’ll begin by editing writing responses from class that are applicable to my theme, and posting those. I am also planning on writing a longer prose that is very research heavy. I first adapted my 8th week writing response (where we had to track food intake), and tried to make it focus more on global warming. I am still mid-progress in changing this response. I am struggling because I received polarizing feedback—people who liked the shortness and abruptness because it added to the mood, and others who wanted it longer, or who wanted more research and URLs added. I think I will make it a little longer before adding it to the facebook page. I am also currently working on finding striking graphics, which I will try to alternate with more writing-heavy posts. Hopefully these graphics will also serve to make it look like a real facebook page. I have graphics that show global temperatures, global CO2 levels, and the effects of greenhouse gases. Lastly, I am also adapting my response from week 6 (walk, observe, write, research, correct). I am attempting to add graphics and even more research to the final product, but I am not yet satisfied with the result.

More ideas for final project:

·       What you can do at home- multiple mini posts

o   Almost like those DIY cooking videos in a sense

·       longer prose (with research mixed in)

·       Definition based piece

·       Lots of graphs/ images

·       Research edited piece

·       Some form of drawing/art?

·       Sound file of poetry reading?

·       Sound compilation of global warming

·       Picture compilation of global warming- students sitting outside with stickers over face, mixed with scary research

Snippets of Final Project:

Week 8 Adaptation:

Tl;dr: Palm Oil is a very useful substance, but it is incredibly dangerous for the environment, and its production is mostly unregulated.

Palm oil is a very problematic food because it is cheap and a good butter substitute, putting it in high demand. It is used in Nutella, lipstick, shampoo/conditioner, girl scout cookies, ice cream, sliced bread, salad dressing, pizza dough, and dark chocolate. This leads to widespread deforestation to make room for palm tree monoculture, which contributes to climate change and greenhouse gases yearly even more than transportation emissions. These trees are often burnt to clear them, releasing tons of carbon dioxide, and also more potent greenhouse gases like nitrogen dioxide and methane. Unfortunately, due to the ease of harvest, high levels of saturated fat, and even higher demand, capitalism will not allow this market to die off anytime soon. After going through the week, I realized how essential palm oil is to modern products and cooking. I realized that this will not be an easy material to transition out of my life, so I looked up alternatives. According to activist groups, it is not necessary to stop using palm oil, it is necessary only to begin producing it in a sustainable way. This includes reseeding areas that have had their soil drained of nutrients, and using the wood from the forest that is cleared in productive ways, instead of burning it or allowing it to decompose. This may have a large overhead cost (harvesting wood is more expensive than burning it or clearing it in less expensive ways), but eventually selling the wood will make up for this cost. In my opinion, this wood resale and sustainability focus must be mandated by law, or it will never happen (information from The Telegraph and National Geographic).

 Palm Oil

By the year 2300, the world will be unlivable.

Orangutans will be gone, so that we can have salad dressing.

Over half the earth “will ‘simply become too hot’ for humans”

-> according to treehugger.com

----------> according to the Telegraph

The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation.

->according to National Geographic

Moon dust is incredibly abrasive, {    }(   ) *** ^@~~~{~~~}

(Honestly it’s the best thing since sliced bread)

so that’ll be a fun time for all of us in 2300-2017= 283 years.

But isn’t Nutella sooooo good?          

It’s alright if I eat it, it’s healthy!!!

->according to business insider

At least my lips are pretty.

💄👄

Week 6 Adaptation: Global Warming and apathy

1.     I’m not done editing this piece, but I think that I will eventually break it into 2 different pieces:

a.     Standalone “apathy” prose

b.     Mix of pictures of students (with stickers over their faces) enjoying the february warmth and EPA research—try to mix daily life/enjoyment with fear.

2.     Thoughts on Global warming from walk on the midway and around the quad:

a.     Yesterday, the average temperature was below freezing, and I had to wear my gloves while I was eating my apple so my fingers didn’t hurt from the cold.

b.     Today, the high is 55, the low is 43, and I don’t need my gloves.

c.     Everyone seems happy about how warm it is, even though it should be terrifying.

d.     I walked out of Kent and two girls were walking in front of me in light jackets. “It feels like spring!” one of them said to the other. “I know right!”

e.     Chance of rain around 18:00

f.      I’m wearing a light jacket, but it’s unzipped. I’m considering taking it off.

g.     Looking around, the ground (that should be frozen!!!) is fairly green. If I couldn’t see the lack of foliage on the trees, I could think that it was spring or summer.

h.     Warmth and light lifts everyone’s spirits, psychologists know this. There’s even a condition called SAD, where people are more likely to becomes depressed in the winter.

                                               i.     So shouldn’t the warmth make me happy?

                                             ii.     It does.

                                            iii.     But that scares me more.

                                            iv.     If people are made happier by the warmth, they are going to be even more apathetic about trying to fix it.

                                              v.     It’s hard to crusade “BRING BACK THE COLD” because very few will gather behind that rallying cry

3.     Important points from research from EPA website:

a.     Many extreme temperature conditions are becoming more common.

b.     Record-setting daily high temperatures have become more common than record lows.

c.     This graph shows the dramatic increase in temperature of the earth’s surface and the lower troposphere.

d.     Worldwide, 2015 was the warmest year on record and 2006–2015 was the warmest decade on record since thermometer-based observations began.

e.     The North, the West, and Alaska have seen temperatures increase the most, while some parts of the Southeast have experienced little change.

                                               i.     It is easier for some regions to deny than others

f.      Nationwide, unusually hot summer days (highs) have become more common over the last few decades (see Figure 2). The occurrence of unusually hot summer nights (lows) has increased at an even faster rate.

g.     If the climate were completely stable, one might expect to see highs and lows each accounting for about 50 percent of the records set. 

h.     the Endangered Species Act (ESA) helps ensure that actions taken or permitted by the federal government will not jeopardize the continued existence of a listed species or result in adverse modification of designated critical habitat.

i.      Americans generated 33 million tons of plastics in 2014, about 13 percent of the waste stream. Only 9.5 percent of plastics were recycled in 2013.

j.      It can take from 450 to 1000 years for plastic to completely decompose.

4.     Apathy

I don’t see any coats. Almost everyone is wearing long sleeve t-shirts or light jackets. Some people are even wearing short sleeves. It’s an interesting phenomenon—a form of control. We don’t mind it, because we don’t notice it. We also don’t mind it because who doesn’t love the warmth? But the weather controls more than we think—like those bitterly cold days in the past couple weeks. Global warming causes both high and low extremes in temperature.

When it lets us show off our arms, pale and white after the long winter, we’re happy.

We don’t see the species that are endangered and extinct at the north and south poles as the ice melts.

We don’t see the rainforests, horribly deforested.

We do see the extra sunlight, and we’re happy.

 Global warming was a battle we were unwilling to fight before, but after recent political changes it seems more likely than ever that this problem will be purposefully and completely ignored. The Trump administration removed mentions of climate change from the official United States of America energy website.

 According to Emile Durkheim, a noted sociologist: “Some will object that science is often the antagonist of opinion, the errors of which it combats and corrects. But science can succeed in this task only if it has sufficient authority, and it can gain such authority only from opinion itself…” When the people with authority deny scientific truths, the entire foundation of our modern society is eroded. This forces me to ask: At what point will climate change become undeniable? What will these deniers say then?

----> from EPA.gov

But the real question is, what will motivate people?

The warmth scares me, but everyone enjoys it.

The pictures of the animals we’ll never see again on our facebook timeline perhaps evoke a second of sorrow and guilt.

“I recycle!” “I do my part!”

…

 “It doesn’t matter what I do, it doesn’t make a difference”

...

 We do see the extra sunlight, and we’re happy.

 Graphics (to be posted in between longer poems or prose, should make the page more appealing and simplify some of the ideas):

 Global Temperature Over Time (according to https://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate-time-machine) will be posted with the link to see the actual video.

1884        

1942

1990

2016

The top diagram explains the effect of greenhouse gases, I will add a research-based analysis (perhaps in recipe form???) to this with details about specific greenhouse gases and their sources. Im thinking of including the bottom graphic with a short poem (think Styrofoam) in relation to climate change deniers:

 Madeleine Hoke 

[ecopoeticsuchicago]

Week 6 Writing Response

1.     Global Warming and apathy

2.     Notes on Global warming from walk on the midway and around the quad:

a.     Yesterday, the average temperature was below freezing, and I had to wear my gloves while I was eating my apple so my fingers didn’t hurt from the cold.

b.     Today, the high is 55, the low is 43, and I don’t need my gloves.

c.     Everyone seems happy about how warm it is, even though it should be terrifying.

d.     I walked out of Kent and two girls were walking in front of me in light jackets. “It feels like spring!” one of them said to the other. “I know right!”

e.     Chance of rain around 18:00

f.      I’m wearing a light jacket, but it’s unzipped. I’m considering taking it off.

g.     Looking around, the ground (that should be frozen!!!) is fairly green. If I couldn’t see the lack of foliage on the trees, I could think that it was spring or summer.

h.     Warmth and light lifts everyone’s spirits, psychologists know this. There’s even a condition called SAD, where people are more likely to becomes depressed in the winter.

                                               i.     So shouldn’t the warmth make me happy?

                                             ii.     It does.

                                            iii.     But that scares me more.

                                            iv.     If people are made happier by the warmth, they are going to be even more apathetic about trying to fix it.

                                             v.     It’s hard to crusade “BRING BACK THE COLD” because very few will gather behind that rallying cry

i.      I also took pictures of people lounging outside, but decided not to include them for those people’s privacy.

                                               i.     There were lots of people in the quad at benches, laying on the ground, at tables.

                                             ii.     It made me excited for spring, while simultaneously scaring me—its February!!!

3.     Apathy 

I don’t see any coats. Almost everyone is wearing long sleeve t-shirts or light jackets. Some people are even wearing short sleeves. It’s an interesting phenomenon—a form of control. We don’t mind it, because we don’t notice it. We also don’t mind it because who doesn’t love the warmth? But the weather controls more than we think.

When it lets us show off our arms, pale and white after the long winter, we’re happy.

We don’t see the species that are endangered and extinct at the north and south poles as the ice melts.

We don’t see the rainforests, horribly deforested.

We don’t see the landfills, full of plastic that will take 100000 times the length of our lifetimes to finally degrade.

We do see the extra sunlight, and we’re happy.

Global warming was a battle we were unwilling to fight before, but after recent political changes it seems more likely than ever that this problem will be purposefully and completely ignored.

According to Emile Durkheim, a noted sociologist: “Some will object that science is often the antagonist of opinion, the errors of which it combats and corrects. But science can succeed in this task only if it has sufficient authority, and it can gain such authority only from opinion itself…” When the people with authority deny scientific truths, the entire foundation of our modern society is eroded. This forces me to ask: At what point will climate change become undeniable? What will these deniers say then?

But the real question is, what will motivate people?

The warmth scares me, but everyone enjoys it.

The pictures of the animals we’ll never see again on our facebook timeline perhaps evoke a second of sorrow and guilt.

“I recycle!” “I do my part!”

…                                                          

“It doesn’t matter what I do, it doesn’t make a difference”

...

4.     Important points from research from EPA website:

a.     Many extreme temperature conditions are becoming more common.

b.     Record-setting daily high temperatures have become more common than record lows.

c.     This graph shows the dramatic increase in temperature of the earth’s surface and the lower troposphere.

d.     Worldwide, 2015 was the warmest year on record and 2006–2015 was the warmest decade on record since thermometer-based observations began.

e.     The North, the West, and Alaska have seen temperatures increase the most, while some parts of the Southeast have experienced little change.

                                               i.     It is easier for some regions to deny than others

f.      Nationwide, unusually hot summer days (highs) have become more common over the last few decades (see Figure 2). The occurrence of unusually hot summer nights (lows) has increased at an even faster rate.

g.     If the climate were completely stable, one might expect to see highs and lows each accounting for about 50 percent of the records set. 

h.     the Endangered Species Act (ESA) helps ensure that actions taken or permitted by the federal government will not jeopardize the continued existence of a listed species or result in adverse modification of designated critical habitat.

i.      Americans generated 33 million tons of plastics in 2014, about 13 percent of the waste stream. Only 9.5 percent of plastics were recycled in 2013.

j.      It can take from 450 to 1000 years for plastic to completely decompose.

 5.     Prose 2

Apathy Corrected

I don’t see any coats. Almost everyone is wearing long sleeve t-shirts or light jackets. Some people are even wearing short sleeves. It’s an interesting phenomenon—a form of control. We don’t mind it, because we don’t notice it. We also don’t mind it because who doesn’t love the warmth? But the weather controls more than we think—like those bitterly cold days in the past couple weeks. Global warming causes both high and low extremes in temperature.

When it lets us show off our arms, pale and white after the long winter, we’re happy.

We don’t see the species that are endangered and extinct at the north and south poles as the ice melts.

We don’t see the rainforests, horribly deforested.

We don’t see the landfills, full of plastic that will take multiple times the length of our lifetimes to finally decompose. To be more exact, it can take 1000 years for some plastics to degrade.

We do see the extra sunlight, and we’re happy. 

Global warming was a battle we were unwilling to fight before, but after recent political changes it seems more likely than ever that this problem will be purposefully and completely ignored. The Trump administration removed mentions of climate change from their energy website.

According to Emile Durkheim, a noted sociologist: “Some will object that science is often the antagonist of opinion, the errors of which it combats and corrects. But science can succeed in this task only if it has sufficient authority, and it can gain such authority only from opinion itself…” When the people with authority deny scientific truths, the entire foundation of our modern society is eroded. This forces me to ask: At what point will climate change become undeniable? What will these deniers say then?

But the real question is, what will motivate people?

The warmth scares me, but everyone enjoys it.

The pictures of the animals we’ll never see again on our facebook timeline perhaps evoke a second of sorrow and guilt.

“I recycle!” “I do my part!”

…

“It doesn’t matter what I do, it doesn’t make a difference”

...

Perhaps that’s true ^^^^^

6.     Process notes  

I chose global warming as my issue because when I chose to go outside and take my walk, it was quite warm. This is also an issue I have been passionate about for a while, especially because it was largely ignored in this past presidential election. This is an issue that will not only affect us, but it will also affect our children, and our children’s children. Additionally, it will make the planet less pleasant to live on, and lead to a less diverse and beautiful life.

I chose to walk on the midway and the quad in order to take my notes. I noticed the general cheerful feelings, and the fact that most of the huge, marshmallow-like coats were nowhere to be seen. That is how I chose climate change as my topic.

  Madeleine Hoke