There was a story on a local news station tonight about my community considering banning plastic bags in an effort to prevent waste; a conversation that is happening in a number of cities. One woman contributed the comment, "I know it's good for the environment, but everybody is already wasting," to the affect that we shouldn't ban them. Not only did this make my mercury spike, but reminded me of two lines in the Gotye song "Eyes Wide Open":
But it was like to stop consuming's to stop being human
And why'd I make a change if you won't?
It wasn't until I watched the music video a few weeks ago that I considered "Eyes Wide Open" as a song not about human relationships, but a song about the environment. The post-apocolypt in me thinks Gotye's got it right.
Some people offered up answers (questions)
We made out like we heard
They were only words
They didn't add up
To a change in the way we were living
And the saddest thing
Is all of it could have been avoided
But it was like to stop consuming's to stop being human
And why'd I make a change if you won't?
We're all in the same boat
Staying afloat for the moment
We walk the plank with our eyes wide open...
Let's care enough about each other and the world to be honest about our
negative habits.
Such a great song!
ReplyDeleteMost of the major grocery stores here charge you for bags in an attempt to reduce waste but of course it doesn't really work. The charge is so small that most people don't care and littering is rampant here anyway-- not just plastic bags of course. I think taking away the choice or making the punishment system harsher (name and shame!) would be much more effective overall.