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Greenwashing is not going to save us

The world is at a point of no return from mass extinction thanks to the pollution and mass carbon emissions emitted daily.

However, we are not just there yet, and some things can be done about it, such as recycling, going vegan, buying locally, among others.

The media and industry have taken notice that this is getting far more attention lately, due to use facing mass extinction, so they have resorted to what is called greenwashing.  Greenwashing is just another marketing technique, where a company says they are environmentally friendly, but when it comes down to it, they are far from it. 

For instance, take the H&M conscious line, which is said to be sustainable, but it is not. Hasan Minaj exposed them on his Netflix show "Patriot Act."  He found that what they call sustainable is just recycled materials for the tag, that's it the rest of the clothes continues to be produced the same way, causing the same amount of damage as any other line. Yet, they claim they are sustainable, but it just another marketing technique. 

This marketing technique is only a big part of consumerism culture, trying to get people to buy for companies to increase their economy, and thus the countries economy as well. However, this very thing is what is killing the planet. It has become unsustainable to keep the economy growing at such a fast pace. It is taking way more natural resources and fossil fuels then the earth can take, leading to higher carbon emission and deforestation, which are causing irreparable damage to the planet and, consequently, humans. 

It is then that we have to question if the economy is even worth it when we may not also have a place to grow this economy on if we continue with such consumerism and capitalism. In conclusion, this is what is killing us.

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Business over Human Rights

Indigenous people have been and continue to be the most disadvantaged since colonization. In Brazil, this continues to be the case, with their rights and their land being taken away from them. Their rights allowed them to protect the Amazon forest, which is their home and the lungs of the earth. The Brazilian president deems the rights of indigenous people as an inconvenience for business, as they do not allow for mass deforestation. Illegal loggers and miners agree with Bolsanaro as this has been a significant disadvantage because indigenous people fight back to protect their land and the environment. Due to this, loggers and miners have resorted to killing, and the government has done nothing since they do not support indigenous people, but rather business.

Recently they killed Paulo Paulino Guajajara. He was a forest guardian leader; he was protecting the land of his people. It comes as no surprise as the Brazilian government is no stranger to favouring companies and money over their people. Such was the case with FIFA 2018. They allowed companies to displace their citizens which led to gentrification and then also build in the middle of the forest stadiums that would, later on, serve no purpose, but inconvenience earth and disrupt the land of indigenous people. It is worse when we think about the force that FIFA has and the promises, as it was discussed in class, they make towards human rights. Also, showing how countries are pressured to accept money over human rights to be a player in the world economy, due to the globalized world being ruled by neoliberalism and no regard for human rights or the environment, rather the rich and their money. This is all happening and they have done nothing to protect the forests and communities they took from.  They have done nothing regarding the rights that are being once again being taken from indigenous communities. The absence of their rights has ended in the deaths of strong, resilient leaders such as Paulo Guajajara.

As it was mentioned before, Bolsanaro nor FIFA care about Indigenous rights or land, because this is all happening for business and money. It is alarming the amount of deforestation that continues to happen, and nothing is being done, not even by companies such as FIFA that promise to improve human rights and bring together the entire world. Yes, they might bring it together for a couple of weeks through the celebration of sport and nationality, but at the end of it all, when they leave and have taken from the people, they are nowhere to be found.

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Life imitating art

Chile is mirroring the Gotham portrayed in Todd Phillip's Joker movie. The film shows how the rich keep making the working class feel like clowns. It reflects the situation in Chile. The elite keeping themselves at the top through laws and regulations. It is not only through policy but also through the ideology of the free market and neoliberalism, which has made Chilean people clowns of the system.

The government has driven the economy to grow based on neoliberal ideals. These ideals are the framework of the current globalizing world, as it was talked about in class. A problem with this idea is that it forgets about the humanity of people. It forgets that making the economy grow to only benefit some leads people to suffer, as is the case of Chile. No raise in wages, education worsening and putting bus fair prices to the point of making people pick between work or feeding their families was the tipping point for the working class of Chile (Loofbourow). In other words, this is the best example of what the “race to the bottom” looks like in the real world.

On October 18, they had enough. Chileans brought to reality the movement Arthur fleck had created by killing some Wall Street guys. It is a symbolism of putting an end to the elite. The people of Chile are doing what the citizens of Gotham did in the movie. They decided that it was enough of the rich regulating the system and benefiting from it. Chileans took to the streets to protest dressed as clowns they have been made out to be by the government— life imitating art in the most unsettling of ways.

The solution to this problem, according to the president of Chile- Sebastian Piñera is: wake up earlier, don't be lazy, work harder, stop complaining. Sounding a lot like Thomas Wayne, when he tells Gotham that those who can't be like him, are clowns - yet it is almost impossible not to be a clown when the odds are stacked against the working class. When the elite regulates the laws to make the rich richer and the poor poorer, it is impossible when the living wage makes you choose between feeding your children or having enough money to go to your job. Yes, we are clowns, but that is only because we are forced to be in the circus that the elite has made society to be.  

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Chile 2019 Los Angeles

Credits to @theveredix on twitter

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Santiago, Chile

25.10.2019

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 Mi Gente by J Balvin & Willy William featuring Beyoncé

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Vibras globales/ Global vibes

Music is said to transcend borders, to have no language, colour or race. If you ask me, asides from food, music is what brings us all together. I feel that no matter what language a song is in, everyone is down to dance and enjoy it. To me, this is very important, as it allows me to bring my Latinx culture to Canadian culture. It allows me to feel at home, despite being 4,359 km away. In a way, it is like bringing the local to the global, which is known as glocalization. This is being able to make something local into something global or being able to make something global into something local.

The Artist in the picture above is J Balvin, a Colombian reggaeton artist. He is becoming global in the sense that he is crossing state borders with his music. It is not only a Colombian audience he is performing for or even a Latinx audience, but for a global audience. For instance, his coming to the Scotiabank Arena and playing for a Canadian audience makes his musical act an international one. 

His audience has become more global because of the increased accessibility of streaming services, such as Apple Music or Spotify, which allow music to reach wider audiences. Once again showing an aspect glocalization. I believe another factor as to why artists are now becoming more global is immigration. People migrate to diverse places and bring their culture with them. They eventually share their culture and interests with the people they meet, which in turn exposes other people to different cultures. In my case, I have MAJORLY exposed my friends to J Balvin’s music and the Reggaeton genre. It has resulted in my friends streaming his music and coming to his concerts with me.