I think that a) yes it is appropriation, but only to a point, and b) some causes, while global, are not so immediate as to be championed by those without considerable privilege.
Global warming affects everyone. It MOST affects those who live in areas most affected by the consequences - arid areas, flood plains and coastlines. With notable exceptions, the majority of these areas are populated by those without the benefit of privilege. Without privilege, it is difficult to champion a global cause - it is only possible to be an example of the suffering that symptoms and consequences of a global issue bring onto unprivileged populations.
If there is such a thing as enlightened, or benevolent appropriation, I think the battle against global warming, even with the use of the oppressed as poster children, qualifies.
The images of people in other countries are those typically found in a colonialist column of National Geographic, as oppose to say, the head of that particular country's telecom giant. It is typical of western thought, that to emphasize the "diversity" of people, they use recognizable images of the modern-day noble savage in places like India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, etc.
Exactly. Especially since one of the leading campaigners for earth democracy is the Indian scientist, Dr. Vandana Shiva; but it's much easier to just throw up a couple travel-show-style shots of poor Indian women.
ETA: If memory serves, futurebird has written some great posts on environmental justice, urban planning, and race. I think some are in this very community.
where's the picture?maria_sputnikNovember 4 2008, 22:04:25 UTC
I'm not sure precisely what you're trying to say when you say these things are products of white privilege.
On the one hand, I mean, yeah, you do have to have a privilege to be able to do activism against things which aren't immediate (i.e. stuff besides being starved, beaten up by the police, etc).
On the other hand, everyone is going to be hurt if the weather changes and coastal regions get flooded and farming gets fucked up. Everyone will be hurt, but the people who are poor and/or can't move to a new place and/or afford new more complicated food sources are going to be hurt first.
I really don't know. I think the posters-of-POC-faces is horrid. I also think POC in general are affected more severely by global warming and environmental disaster - and I know that a lot of people in the particular village I lived in felt powerless and disenfranchised and yet faced famine due to desertification. I don't think it's appropriation to champion their cause - I think it's condescending and shitty to use their images, though.
My mother used my picture on a protest sign once. I was pissed. Multiply that by billions.
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Global warming affects everyone. It MOST affects those who live in areas most affected by the consequences - arid areas, flood plains and coastlines. With notable exceptions, the majority of these areas are populated by those without the benefit of privilege. Without privilege, it is difficult to champion a global cause - it is only possible to be an example of the suffering that symptoms and consequences of a global issue bring onto unprivileged populations.
If there is such a thing as enlightened, or benevolent appropriation, I think the battle against global warming, even with the use of the oppressed as poster children, qualifies.
Animal rights, OTOH IMHO, is ALL ABOUT privilege.
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I think some people would disagree with you there.
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That said I am biased on this question, since i grew up in a country where the animal rights movement is tighy linked with the neo-fascists.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Brigitte-Bardot-On-Trial-For-Inciting-Racial-Hatred-83741.shtml
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Indians in general? Eh. Lamb, chicken and shrimp curry is darn yummy.
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Wilderness, Race, and African Americans: An Environmental History from Slavery to Jim Crow - M.A. thesis by Michael Starkey (pdf file)
ETA: If memory serves, futurebird has written some great posts on environmental justice, urban planning, and race. I think some are in this very community.
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On the one hand, I mean, yeah, you do have to have a privilege to be able to do activism against things which aren't immediate (i.e. stuff besides being starved, beaten up by the police, etc).
On the other hand, everyone is going to be hurt if the weather changes and coastal regions get flooded and farming gets fucked up. Everyone will be hurt, but the people who are poor and/or can't move to a new place and/or afford new more complicated food sources are going to be hurt first.
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My mother used my picture on a protest sign once. I was pissed. Multiply that by billions.
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