Frus·tra·tion
noun
This week’s material reminded me of my frustration growing up. I think I say it every blog, but in case you didn’t know, I am from Oaxaca. Oaxaca is one of the states in Mexico with the lowest GDP per capita. My house is downtown, and I remember asking my parents why couldn’t we give money to people (very often children) on the streets? They told me that giving them money was not the solution, that it only created negative loops and that we didn’t know what they would use the money for and that helping was more complicated, etc… However, nobody was able to tell me what the solution was.
Frustration
La Hija de la Laguna movie reminded me of the nonsense we live in. I knew many resources are being used for gold extraction, but I haven’t reflected on the fact that we are using resources to take gold out of the ground to store it back on the ground. The only difference is that the second time is probably under the security chambers of a fancy bank in Switzerland.
Nonsense
I could keep going, but I am going to stop. Please let me know if you also felt frustrated engaging with this week’s material.
“Indeed, Garret Hardin could not have written his ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ had he studied how Swiss cheese came to his refrigerator (Netting, 1981). ” cited in this week’s reading.
References
Caffentzis, G., & Federici, S. (2014). Commons against and beyond capitalism. Community Development Journal, 49(suppl_1), i92-i105.
Netting, R. (1981) Balancing on an Alp: Ecological Change and Continuity in a Swiss Mountain Village, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
The scene you mention here (they take the gold out of the ground only to store it in bank vaults under the ground) was so impactful. It succinctly made palpable the nonsensical nature of human greed for things–things whose extraction is harmful to the earth and, paradoxically, to us. Thanks for stating that so eloquently here.
On a happier note, I think I speak for all of your LAST303 community when I say you have convinced all of us that we should travel to Oaxaca 🙂
Ohhh, I am so happy to hear!!
I really want people to go visit Oaxaca. Hopefully, our final project about the Zapotecs will encourage all of us to go in the near future (if it is safe)????????