Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Another Heart of Darkness
I completely agree that the west side of Chicago and the Middle East can be seen as our “heart of darkness.” Americans, or specifically Oak Park citizens, look at these places as a scary and foreign “other,” completely separating them from ourselves. However, I think there are other ways to think of our heart of darkness. Americans and Oak Parkers think of themselves as more civilized and superior to people in Austin or in the Middle East.
Another major heart of darkness for humanity involves the environment. Industrialized countries aim to better their own economies and their technologies while ignoring major issues at hand. Just as in heart of darkness, the villains appear to have humanity’s best interest at hand while committing evil. Capitalism and consumerism are quickly destroying the earth and countries and even individuals refuse to take greater responsibility. People convince themselves that environmental issues are far away, while reaping the earth of all its resources in order to obtain their temporary, selfish desires.
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This is a really interesting idea. Consumerism and industrialization are considered "civilized" in our society, but the effect they have on our environment is brutal. We don't recognize our actions as "savage" when we spend an hour in the shower or purchase more packaging than product, because no one is directly hurt by these actions. In reality, the comforts that we think we deserve add stress to a major issue.
ReplyDeleteI really like your second idea. I agree with Julia too. Consumerism and industrialization are considered "civilized" today, but I think their effects on society are incomprehensible. I think we, as Americans, are blinded by it because our entire country are based on those principles. We can never look from the outside in, but if we could, I am sure we would see the savagery in America.
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