In the NY Times
Thu, Jun 21st, 2007
This morning, my writing time consisted mostly of me hacking and slashing through a section of my book in which I discuss how large-scale organizations like PETA and others encourage people to purchase their activism on a member/donor model rather than empowering people to do things on their own. Then, I remembered that the article I was interviewed for was set to run in the New York Times today. I popped over to check out the article, and I was pleased by the coverage; several of the quotes I liked from the interview made their way into the article, including these, which, coincidentally, are related to the notion that one can purchase one’s activism:
According to Bob Torres, a sociology professor at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., who is writing a book about the animal rights movement — which shares many ideological positions with freeganism — the freegan movement has become much more visible and increasingly popular over the past year, in part as a result of growing frustrations with mainstream environmentalism.
Environmentalism, Mr. Torres said, “is becoming this issue of, consume the right set of green goods and you’re green,†regardless of how much in the way of natural resources those goods require to manufacture and distribute.
“If you ask the average person what can you do to reduce global warming, they’d say buy a Prius,†he added.
Heh. Um, to my friends who have Priii…yeah. Do you hate me?
# Comment by Ryan on Thu, Jun 21st, 2007 at 1:22 pm:
I’m going to drive to New York in my Prius, punch you in the face, and then drive back home. I’d only use half the amount of gas I’d use in an SUV.
Prius: Half the Gas to Kick Your Ass.
# Comment by Mary Sue Sylwestrzak on Thu, Jun 21st, 2007 at 3:49 pm:
Cool!
# Comment by Andrew Keese on Thu, Jun 21st, 2007 at 5:09 pm:
I liked your comments in The New York Times. I’m surprised they didn’t discredit you for being vegan and not being made of fish oil. The issue of cars (and the lack of mass transit systems) is really frustrating to me. I used to own a Geo Metro, a light three-cylinder-engine car, and it got comparable gasoline mileage to a Prius. Now, you can’t find very small, reasonably powered cars that get great gas mileage. Why? Probably because the big automakers don’t make enough money from them. The irony, though, is all of those small cars are sold just across the border in Mexico. I’m just on the U.S. side. We can’t buy those cars from Mexico because they don’t meet U.S. standards, but Mexicans can drives them around our area teasing us with their efficient cars.
# Comment by Chris on Thu, Jun 21st, 2007 at 6:10 pm:
Excellent quotes. I was also glad to see that the Planck effect was nowhere to be found in this article. But what’s the deal with people throwing away working TVs and iPods? I know people are stupid, but seriously.
# Comment by Vegan_Noodle on Fri, Jun 22nd, 2007 at 2:36 pm:
Cool article, was glad to see your quotes. I always have the urge to put flyers on all the Prius’s at the Whole Foods parking lot (especially when they come out with their “humanely” raised meat crap) saying something like stop being a wannabe environmentalist and go vegan. Must come up with something catchier….
# Comment by snowboardbunny on Sat, Jun 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 am:
No, I’m not mad because if you asked me what you could do to reduce global warming, I’d say “Go vegan and stop buying so much crap”.
Vegan_Noodle - How do you know that the Prius’s in the WF parking lot weren’t driven there by vegans? We take our Prius to the store. We are vegan and our house is on wind power. We also buy our vegetables from a local CSA. A Prius for us was an addition to the other things we were doing.
# Comment by Edana on Sat, Jun 23rd, 2007 at 8:24 pm:
I agree with you, Bob, in that a lot of folks show there ‘greenness’ by buying green, and not reducing consumption. If you and Jenna really need a new car a prius might be a good bet (unless you’re paid like professors in Arizona schools and can’t afford it). I can bike, but you have to both drive (I bet you have Zero public transit there. I guess you don’t since you’re writing all day…). I guess the point is: don’t buy stuff, go vegan and if you’re really really really forced into a purchase then buy the least harmful choice.
Now, excuse me while I light incense to mask the dead pig smell coming from my housemate’s grill…e
# Comment by Edana on Sat, Jun 23rd, 2007 at 8:26 pm:
PS Vegans are the coolest!!
# Comment by Drasch23 on Sun, Jun 24th, 2007 at 7:08 pm:
I loved the article. and your quotes.
I am interested to know if you said anything about finding a baby in a dumpster?
# Comment by Bob Torres on Tue, Jun 26th, 2007 at 11:47 am:
Thanks everyone for the feedback. Of course, a Prius is a fine choice for an automobile, though I tend to disagree with people who see it as a “political statement.” I’m not sure it is much of a political statement to save money on gas.
Anyway, I did have some critiques of freeganism when I talked with the reporter — the main one being that some freegans think that they can solve the world’s problems by dumpster-diving — but that didn’t make it in the article. I did not, however, mention eating baby remains from dumpsters. I probably should have in retrospect.
As for students discarding expensive items, you should come check our dumpsters here in May. Students throw away perfectly good things, including some expensive things. Dumpster diving here in late May can yield some real treasures. I guess for some people who have significant income streams, it is easier to chuck shit and buy anew than to take it with you.
Sad.
Oh, and as for public transport here: no, there is none, or extremely little. There is definitely not any in the town we live in. I often think about moving closer to work, but that’s impractical for a variety of reasons.
# Comment by j88nny on Wed, Jun 27th, 2007 at 10:56 pm:
Steven Colbert did a bit on this article on Monday’s Colbert Report. I immediately thought of you!!
It was very funny.