Scary Women

I have been in a bit of a cold sweat over Naomi Klein and Erin Red lately. Klein because, having read her recent article in the Nation, I think is right about what it will take to handle the environmental crisis. Her conclusions are so radical that I shudder at the social upheaval required to implement even half of what she is suggesting, basically totally rewiring our economies. Then again, I am pretty convinced that doing much less will result in disastrous climate change.

I’m losing even more sleep over Erin Red, probably because she hits closer to home, because she disturbs me at a more personal level. Red, having just launched a weekly vegan podcast on Citizen Radio is forcing me to recognize my own hypocrisy in a very real sense. How do I reconcile my belief that our consumer society is destroying us with our 24/7 shopping spree and the fact that I willingly partake in it by eating animals? Sure, I stay away from processed food because I saw Supersize Me and read In Defense of Food. I’ve spent time thinking about not eating animals and have been charmed by the idea of being a weekday vegetarian. I understand that the meat industry is a major contributor to a host of environmental ills. Yet when it comes down to it, I easily compartmentalize these thoughts. Most of the arguments for not eating animals are too cerebral or overtly emotional; they don’t stop me from enjoying a nice juicy hamburger. There’s something about Red that makes me want to at least listen to her podcasts even though it would make more sense for me to just ignore her. I find it hard to imagine that I’ll turn into a vegetarian any time soon but with each episode she is succeeding to do what all these books and films have failed to do: making me feel self conscious.