Ode to being unaware

I have decided that I watch too many documentaries. I recently saw this one. The recap of the film is that Monsanto is taking over the world’s food supply, genetically modified seeds are wiping out indigenous varieties of plants and ruining small farmers, and cotton farmers in India are committing suicide. Through their incestuous relationship with the Dept. of Agriculture, Monsanto has gamed the legal and political system to suppress the real truth about the effects of their seeds and biotechnology, punish whistleblowers, and patent food. So much of the food in the U.S. is genetically modified that it’s practically impossible to avoid in any grocery store. The end.

I saw this with my friend Jen, and rather than inspiring us to action, it mostly inspired us to want to drink heavily.

For a religious – and shorter – video that has the same effect, there’s this video about eight dollar hot dogs.

I’ve been trying to figure out what bugs me about this kind of thing, and it’s that lefties and right-wing fundies frequently have WAY too much in common. Here’s a little rhetoric compare and contrast:

Lefties: THERE ARE POOR PEOPLE and GOD IS PROBABLY MAD AT YOU because you haven’t fixed that yet. YOU ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH, and you should feel bad because you bought a new pair of shoes. Evil corporations are taking over the world! Bush is bad, bad, bad! Also, what with global warming, WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. You are part of an unjust system, and you should feel very very badly. Also, did we mention George Bush? Yes? Well, we think it bears repeating.

Right-wingers: This country is going to hell in a handbasket, what with the feminists and homosexuals and no prayer in schools. And did we mention HELL? Because gazillions of people are going to burn in hell for all eternity if you don’t tell them about Jesus and IT WILL BE YOUR FAULT. Also, don’t forget that Jesus died for you, so you should feel very very badly. Also, did we mention the GAYS? Yes? Well, we think it bears repeating.

Stop me when you see the parallels.

I’ve grown weary of feeling bad, and I want to shoot for being a little bit LESS aware of the evils of the world. I know the statistics. There are a couple billion people living in horrific poverty, and a lot of corporations do very bad things. I don’t want to minimize that, but I think a lot of the scare tactics and polemic – whether from the right or the left – come from the same misguided search for purity. We (and by we, I mean me) want to kid ourselves that we are somehow not a part of the system: “I am not one of those materialistic morons in an SUV! I drink fair-trade coffee and am concerned about Zimbabwe! ”

I drink fair-trade coffee myself, but over the past couple of years, I have gradually let go of the notion that I am some kind of radical. Instead, I’ve decided to embrace the fact that the fucking bourgeoisie is me.
I write grants for an organization that sends people to live in urban slums and squatter settlements, and does a variety of things in the community organizing, micro-finance, Jesus loves you arena. This is admirable, but I am not going to do this. Even if I wanted to, I’m pretty sure that my PTSD, major depression and little blue pills would keep me home. (Well, that and not signing on to any of the major creeds.) Tonight, I am attending to a going-away party for a friend who is going back to the West Bank with Christian Peacemaker Teams. This is also admirable, and while I may do something like that someday, I’m certainly not going to do it now.

I live in a cute little house. I do write grants for non-profits, but I do it for relatively decent money – at least by my standards. I volunteer in the community, give about 5% of my income to various quality organizations, try to be a good friend, and bring canvas bags to the grocery store. None of these things is particularly earth-shattering, but it’s what I’m willing and able to do at the moment, and feeling bad about what I’m NOT doing probably has more to do with my ego than it does a concern for poverty and violence.
I’m not untainted by the workings of the world, and couldn’t extricate myself from all the unjust systems if I tried. Too much “awareness” doesn’t do anything but ruin my day, and feeling bad, guilty, or horrified does not actually constitute action. I want to focus more on things I actually can and will do something about, and leave the rest.

So, today I’m going to see Hancock, which is definitely not a documentary, and bring beer to the party while simultaneously NOT trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in my head. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Comments

[Mike]

I hear you Christy, but as you might expect I've got something of a different take on this whole thing.

The problem may be that you're looking at this on a purely individual level. If we do that, it's truly hopeless, and guilt-inducing, as you've rightly pointed out. For crying out loud I can't solve the water issue. However, when we look at the same issues as a community, as the people of God, I think everything changes. It is unacceptable that we, as the Body of Christ, waltz through life while people die for the lack of things we have spilling out of our taps, cupboards, closets, and storage lockers.

I had the great privilege of meeting Annemie Bosch, wife of the late great South African missiologist David Bosch, in Rwanda in May. She told us of a conversation she and David had, where he said to her that their job was to be the "pebble in the shoe of the church." I love that.

As a swarm of people purporting to be the manifestation of Jesus on earth, we can't pretend these things aren't happening. We're dropping the ball and we need to be told. We--the collective we--are the solution. But as individuals, disconnected from each other and a sense of purpose, it's hopeless.

[Christy]

Hi Mike -

Well, first of all, I'm not purporting to be the manifestation of Jesus on earth, so there's that:-)

And in my case, since I've been in the non-profit/urban ministry world since I was 20, I hardly know anyone who ISN'T concerned about poverty. I am fully aware that there are lots of people and churches who don't really give a shit, but we don't run in the same circles. And my experience is that if you want to change people's attitudes, you usually have to give them a different experience of reality. All videos do is guilt people into writing a one time check.

I will never be a big fan of scare tactics and guilt as a motivational tool. Get people moving -sure - but stop sending me e-mail updates IN CAPITAL LETTERS!!! about how we have to act NOW or ALL IS LOST! (Note to self: must unsubscribe from the MoveOn e-mail list.) It doesn't work very well, for one thing, and it's just as likely to paralyze people as it is to motivate them to change their lifestyles. I'd much rather give people something concrete to do or donate to than make them feel bad.

I'm all about collective action, but ultimately, I AM an individual, and all I can do is make choices about how I spend my time, money and mental energy. I can only do so much, and I think I would like to do a better job of embracing my finitude, having more fun, and being less outraged.

[Eileen]

It's funny that I found your blog just after posting something potentially guilt inducing, though it was also about how discouraged we peace activists are these days. I think you do have legitimate concerns about all the hand wringing we do. I also agree with Mike about the importance of acting in community. I also think that part of discernment is knowing ourselves and our purpose in life. I believe I am supposed to do something, but not everything.

[Shelia]

You always have a thoughtful take on things (for lack of a better way to put it.)

I am addicted to documentaries. I use them in my classroom all the time. My students often leave my classroom disturbed, or so they tell me.

This summer we've viewed documentaries about genocide, global warming, and one called, Invisible Children. We write expository essays about the issues, take our carbon footprints online, and we raise money for IC, etc.

I agree that the lefties use fear much like the right wingers do, and I don't like feeling guilty anymore than anyone else.

Your post makes me question my own practice and wonder what better ways there are to educate my students about global issues that impact us all. How can I inform them (without disturbing them) and then give them opportunities to act from a more global awareness/perspective?

Just thinking out loud.

[Mike Todd]

Fair enough Christie, but the church does purport to be exactly that. We are exactly that. I think that's the place from which the video was made.

[Tim]

Hi Christie,

Found the blog through a link from Dave Paisley at Disaster Area. I love the post, and empathize. I live in the Christian and non-profit/social services worlds, and it's all guilt guilt guilt. I grew up evangelical in the midwest, and thought they'd cornered the market on making you feel bad about things you have no control over, but now have learned better in life among the west coast liberals.

Tim

[Ruth]

This is precisely why I unsubscribed from the Guardian Weekly. It was all, "TERRIBLE things are happening in the world!" (Yeah, I know- that's what's 'news'.)

I've just been (finally getting around to) reading Wallis's "God's Politics" and was struck by his point that offering an alternative is better than merely protesting. So also perhaps: offering a *realistic* course of action is better than fear-mongering. As clichéd as it may be, I'm happier just trying to focus on doing the 'next right thing', and trying to let go of the rest.

[Philip]

I personnally think the extremes on both sides have taken way too much control. And based upon my personal experience, I don't react to documentaries at all. They are just a different way to voice someone's opinion using visual aids and not having to provide a reference page. Why couldn't we have done homework that way in high school? We have a saying in my organization - Pointing out a problem without a viable solution is just bitching.