One of the less attractive features of the New York Times is its tendency to feature little profiles of horrible people. They’re not presented that way, of course, but that’s the effect– I read these articles, and just want to slap everybody involved.
Today’s story on marital tensions caused by environmental issues is a fine example of the form:
He bikes 12 1/2 miles to and from his job at a software company outside Santa Barbara, Calif. He recycles as much as possible and takes reusable bags to the grocery store.
Still, his girlfriend, Shelly Cobb, feels he has not gone far enough.
Ms. Cobb chides him for running the water too long while he shaves or showers. And she finds it “depressing,” she tells him, that he continues to buy a steady stream of items online when her aim is for them to lead a less materialistic life.
Mr. Fleming, who says he became committed to Ms. Cobb “before her high-priestess phase,” describes their conflicts as good-natured — mostly.
But he refuses to go out to eat sushi with her anymore, he said, because he cannot stand to hear her quiz the waiters.
That’s right. Median wage growth has been negligible for a decade or more, unemployment is in double digits, one of our two political parties has gone completely batshit insane, and the Times is giving us a story about horrible Yuppies trying to one-up each other on “green” living. Because, of course, the biggest issue facing the average American thinking about dinner is whether the sushi is local or sustainable.
You know, I bet that if a newspaper actually had a feature that they explicitly called “Little Profiles of Horrible People”, it would probably be quite popular.
I certainly roll my eyes at people who insist that every part of life must be politically correct, to the point that when shopping at the farmer’s market they carry the food in a reusable organic hemp fiber bag made by a womyn-owned company, but the true tragedy in the article is here:
“Her mother, who says she prefers the way food tastes when it is served on Styrofoam, notes that washing dishes has its own environmental costs.”
WTF?
On a related note, I remember that in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, when kulturkampf had not yet been changed by 9/11 and everybody thought federalism and the Supremes would be the hot button issues, there was some occasional attention paid to “red state culture”. It was noted that among certain Christian fundamentalists it was considered preferable to only buy from other Christians (more specifically, other Christians with similar beliefs). I haven’t spent much time in that subculture, but I’d be willing to be that they have their own set of criteria for what is or isn’t Godly enough to purchase. They probably have a lot in common with the person who rides a bicycle (with recycled tires) to the local farmer’s market to purchase organic vegetables from womyn-owned farms and carry them home in (local, organic) hemp-fiber bags. Sure, one of them may worship Gaia while the other thinks that Jesus is about exclusion and vengeance, but in terms of making the inlaws’ eyes roll at Thanksgiving, they are probably quite similar.
“Area man’s wife is a nag. Film at 11”.
Yeah, this is pretty much par for the course at the NYTimes. The thing you gotta realize is that all of the writers and editors of the NYTimes are privileged rich little lord and lady fauntleroys, and this is the kind of shit that is salient to them. If you think this article was particularly bad, you haven’t been paying attention. At least this one wasn’t about Upper East/West Siders.
When’s your birthday? I’ll buy you a subscription.
“sometimes seems to be baiting her by placing plastic yogurt cups in the garbage”
Yogurt cups aren’t recyclable at most recycling centers, and certainly not for curbside pick-up services.
Yogurt cups aren’t recyclable at most recycling centers, and certainly not for curbside pick-up services.
Maybe one is supposed to buy artisanal handcrafted yogurt in biodegradable containers.
“Maybe one is supposed to buy artisanal handcrafted yogurt in biodegradable containers.”
Hemp fiber or soy plastic?
That’s sad alright.
I would call it incompetency rather than dishonesty. You can’t hope to hide the fact that a glacier is not retreating for long.
I’m amused that anyone so purportedly green is willing to eat sushi, given the fun of defining sustainable WRT fisheries.
Yogurt cups aren’t recyclable at most recycling centers, and certainly not for curbside pick-up services.
Wait, you guys don’t recycle plastic containers?
My curbside recycling pickup accepts all plastic containers, 1-7 (excluding plastic bags and styrofoam). My yogurt cups are polypropylene 5, so they are definitely accepted. I just double checked all that info because it never would have occurred to me that yogurt cups would not be recyclable.
I live in unhip ungreen inland SoCal, and I’d be surprised if more fashionably green areas of California had more restrictive recycling policies that we do.
Of course that doesn’t make the couple in the story any less horrible sounding.
Just think… they expect you to start PAYING for that crap in the near future.
My curbside recycling pickup accepts all plastic containers, 1-7 (excluding plastic bags and styrofoam).
Count yourself as lucky, Peggy. Since you’re in California, maybe there’s a state mandate, but most places will only take #1 and #2 plastics. If you’re lucky, they might take #3 and #4. It’s rare to find someone who will take #5 and #6, and #7 (“other”) is for all intents and purposes not recyclable. I’m in one of the bluest towns in New Hampshire, and curbside recycling will only take #1 and #2, plus plastic milk jugs (which I think might be #3, but I would have to look that up). Remove and discard lids and wash out the container. Oh yes, if it had motor oil in it it’s not acceptable (for obvious reasons).
The other weird thing is, they call this news? Of course people who live together argue when they have different ideas of how to run the household, whether it’s this sort of “more green than thou” or how often to change the sheets and what to have for breakfast.
Or they shrug, compromise on the things where there has to be one answer (like the sheets–the answer there may be that whoever wants them changed most often gets to do the work), and each go their own way on what’s for breakfast.
Maybe these people need a bit of work on how to communicate better, whether it’s “don’t keep arguing over trivia” or “figure out what your real issues are.”
[Easy for me to say: my relationships are solid, and I don’t care what kind of toothpaste other people use.]
Here in Austin, if it’s numbered, they take it. No separation needed either, mix paper / plastic / metal in one bin, and you’re done.
Nice sneering* condescension at people who care about the planet**, thinly disguised as commentary on what the NYT chooses to print.
*Scare-quotes on “green”? Really? If you eat seafood and don’t care about its origin, you are part of the problem and have no business mocking people who actually give a shit.
**Sure, the woman in the article seems over the top, and I couldn’t live with her, but at least she’s no hypocrite.