After reading the 2 stories sent to us by Austyn, please write a paragraph-long question or comment based on each of them (for a total of 2 posted questions/comments).
Shifting the Southern Narrative, or Why I Came Home.
Remembering Kingston
Austyn would also like you to think about these questions ahead of time (nothing needs to be written in response to them):
1. What environmental issues do you see in your communities (hometowns, schools, friends, families, etc)?
2. How can you connect those issues to climate change?
3. How can you connect them to other communities?
Here are some additional stories Austyn sent to us, if you would like to read more:
A Small Town's Battle Against Radioactive Fracking Waste
This Wisconsin Town is Desperately Fighting For Its Drinking Water
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I was born and raised in Louisville, KY. For those from Kentucky, that feels hardly "Southern." The majority of my life has been dedicated to shirking that label and finding my identity as a "city girl." However, last week, I found myself on a farm. Not that odd or new of an experience for me, to be fair. However, it was not just any farm. It's a farm that will one day be mine, which didn't truly hit me until last week. My mother's family has been farming for generations, so we have some land on which my mother works ardently to keep cattle. As far as taking care of the earth goes, I'm at a loss for how to proceed when it becomes mine and my sister's. If I farm, I might find out more about my ancestry through shared experience, similarly to Lyndsey and her grandmother. My pursuit would be a great deal less intentional, though. I have little desire to live in so rural a place. In fact, my immediate plans are to leave the state, maybe even the country. Perhaps like Lyndsey I'll be drawn back to Ky when I see other people trying to manage its crises. At the moment, I wish nothing more than to wash my hands of it. I'm curious what she learned and felt and experienced by moving away that drew her back to Kentucky.
ReplyDeleteEmily Neat
DeleteMany people are concerned about environmental destruction. Climate change and the impact of pollution on nature is shrouded in importance by a considerable number of people, but Gaffney's article makes clear that humanity is often overlooked as a piece of nature itself. Perhaps because we caused it? Is it then unnatural to have sympathy for ourselves in the grand scheme? Maybe, but when we hear the individual stories of pain and the lack of transparency from soulless companies...all of our human instincts for empathy are recalled. We are outraged. I am indignant. For the destruction of the earth as well as its people--regardless of if a soulless "Humanity" is to blame.
ReplyDeleteEmily Neat
DeleteI found the Gaffney article very hard to read. Not in a jargony way, but more in an intense way. All the health implications that the people faced due to coal ash were absolutely horrible. The fact that coal ash has done so much damage to people's lives and there aren't more restrictions or warnings is crazy to me. I think it even said it still wasn't considered a hazardous material. I don't know much about coal or coal ash other than it is a dangerous work environment with collapses and whatnot, so I really didn't know the negative impact on people's health it was having. Also, the fact that I think it was Ron who wanted to wear a mask and got turned down say he didn't need it, then he had all these health problems is insane. If people knew this stuff was hazardous why not protect those working with it everyday? like how???????
ReplyDeleteAs for the other reading I liked that they actually moved back to where their family was from in order to get more insight and truly feel how their family was. I found that really cool. Instead of continuing to understand from afar they moved there in closer to gain more perspective. I live on a farm so climate change is interesting and realistic.
DeleteI was never really an environmentally conscious person up until about a year ago. I tried to recycle but I don't think I ever really, deeply cared or noticed changes in the environment until I was in college. Just in the past two months I have become incredibly conscious of plastic waste and clothing waste, and in those same few months, I noticed something about my hometown that Lyndsey Gilpin briefly mentioned here. My hometown is a middle of nowhere type place, right on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky, lacking any major rivers or lakes. All we have are little creeks that usually dry up in the summer. This winter, however, the town has flooded multiple times and in places I have never seen water rise before. I had never connected that these floods might be an effect of climate change until I read this piece, and suddenly it all makes sense. I think to an extent the people in my town know something isn't right about how short the crop seasons have been or how warm it was this winter, but I think change is frightening to them. I think after relying on nonrenewable resources for so long, many feel there is no alternative despite all the evidence that there are ways to change.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Gaffney's article about the Kingston coal ash spill, one thing was made very clear: money is more important than human health and life. It often feels like money is the root of American issues, and this article just cements that it is a key issue in our environmental issues. I have noticed that jobs like this clean up, as well as mining itself, prey upon the disadvantaged. The people hired for this work are often living pay check to pay check, and they are so in need of money they are willing to take these risky jobs to provide for their families. They are a vulnerable group that often lacks a voice, so when they suffer workplace maltreatment, they are rarely heard or helped. I was appalled that Andrew Wheeler proposed to sell coal ash to make concrete and drywall, most likely knowing it would make people sick from longterm exposure, but again, profit matters more than life for him and others like him.
ReplyDelete"Remembering Kingston" by Austyn Gaffney is an eye opening account of the perils corporations are willing to inflict upon communities in order to save a buck. Throughout the article I found myself questioning why TVA and Jacobs Engineering did not take the necessary measures to protect their employees and volunteers. Once realizing that they mislead employees in order to avoid the expense of the proper disposal of coal ash, I faced a horrifying conclusion. The lack of concern for human life only proved that there can be even less concern regarding how such companies affect the environment. The failure of the US government to implement the proper regulations, categorizations and preventative programs epitomizes their response to a majority of environmental concerns.
ReplyDelete-Ally Frederick
DeleteIn response to “Shifting the Southern Narrative, or Why I Came Home”:
ReplyDeleteI have a question about the quote attributed to Jedidiah Purdy and the way it has been used within this narrative. Purdy compares the preserved lands near Boston and Boulder to the unpreserved and at-risk lands of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky effectively. Within this article, the quote is used to illustrate the idea that southern environments are not valued or preserved as those in the northern part of the United States are. What I see in this quote (and the examples used by Purdy) is less about regions of the country than it is about wealth. Boston and Boulder are the 5th and 17th wealthiest metro areas in the country. West Virginia and Kentucky are the 4th and 6th poorest states (measured by 2019 poverty rates). This realization causes me to wonder not if it is possible strengthen environmental stewardship in the south but if there are any examples of economically depressed regions that avoid the possibilities of short-term profits from natural resources—the kind of profits that ultimately desecrate the land.
My mother grew up in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. While she raised me in Lexington, an urban area of the state, I spent all my free time in Appalachia with her family. From the moment I was born until 14 I spent every Friday and Sunday afternoon gazing out the window to admire the mountains off the interstate. Closely observing to catch the bright orange and deep red of the fall, the thick luscious green of summer, colorful specks of spring and finally the desolation of winter. Due to this, I relate immensely with Lyndsey Gilpin's article. I find myself in a constant struggle regarding the place I once considered home. The south is full of constant contradictions. A place full of inequality, ignorance and injustice, while also being composed of what I consider to be the most majestic of landscapes, and people constantly breaking the stereotype. As Gilpin expreses I frequently feel the desire to better our region, in every way imaginable. However after reading her article, I realize there is no better place for me to start than the environment that surrounds us. I hold such deep love for my state due to its natural beauty: rolling hills, layered mountains, blue green fields and ever changing seasons. Therefore I now understand that everything I hold so dear here is in danger, and we must all begin to fight for it.
ReplyDelete-Ally Frederick
DeleteFaith Boles “Shifting the Southern Narrative, or Why I Came Home”
ReplyDeleteAs I read this article, I couldn't help but remember a conversation I once overheard between my father and my grandfather. Back in my home town, I live on a pretty large farm with multiple other farms under our care. For as long as I can remember, my father, my grandfather, my brother and cousins have all farmed corn or soybeans on our land and it became one of the major sources of income for my family. I recall hearing my grandpa tell my dad how small the crop growth has been and how worried he was that he was not going to grow near as much as he needed this year. I never truly connected that to anything other than chance, that is until I read this article. Climate change is real, and not just in the sense that is affecting larger scale portions of the world that I do not truly exist within. It is and has been affecting my own family for years. We have continued to plant and harvest, but even I have noticed how the once flourishing and green fields have become thinner over the years and less and less time has been dedicated to bringing in the crop. The South and the rest of the world is truly changing before our eyes and we need to prepare ourselves to face these difference.
Faith Boles "Remembering Kingston"
ReplyDeleteThis article filled with me sadness as I read. How corrupt must a large company be to not only have cast aside their duty as an employer and protect their employees, but to later refuse to help pay the medical bills of the illness they caused by neglect? I ask myself and others, and what point do deaths related to incidents like this change from unfortunate accidents to man slaughter? So many people lost their lives, whether from death or continued illness and the the rich company has turned their eyes away accepting no blame. The connection seems to be clear to everyone but is blatantly wiped under the rug. I have never heard of the misfortunes and corruptions that have been placed upon these people. This is thought has lead me to another question, why are the jobs of the CEOs and rich leaders more important than taking care of loyal and lower class employees?
While reading the Gilpin article, I was saddened by the author's obvious longing for Appalachia. I am from a small town in Western Kentucky, and my mother grew up in Appalachia. She and her parents (my grandparents) moved away from Appalachia when she was a young girl in order to be more economically successful. While I have always found beauty in this region, perhaps my ancestry longs for me to appreciate the beauty of Appalachia as well, but regardless of my own personal ties to the region, many people do not have the means to move from this region, and they are faced with poverty each and every day. Surely, there is something that can be done to improve the economy of this region in order to showcase the beauty and history of Appalchia to the rest of the world. The southern states are beautiful, but they are often neglected or treated as "lesser than" by policy makers and those with power because of the sad history that lies within them. What can we do to ignite the change?
ReplyDeleteLydia Baggett
"Remembering Kingston"
ReplyDeleteIn February 2019, the TVA board voted to close a coal plant in my hometown of Muhlenberg County, KY. I will post a link to an article from a local news outlet, if you would like to read more, but the closing of this plant by December of 2020 will put at least 265 people out of work. Many lives are being affected in my small town due to the closing of the plant, and Trump as well as Senator McConnell have spoken out against TVA's decision. Seeing the impact of the coal spill on Kingston makes me thankful that my town will no longer be operating recklessly with these harmful chemicals, but I hope more people can understand the dangerous environmental effects of plants such as this by understanding what happened in Kingston. I personally had no idea about any of these things, and I'm not sure why I never came across this information. I'm astounded.
https://www.14news.com/2019/02/14/tva-board-votes-close-muhlenberg-co-coal-plant/
The part of Lyndsey Gilpin’s essay I am most drawn to is the beginning, where she describes her grandmother at 14—wearing a sweater and rolled-up jeans, hair frizzy in the humid air, not knowing she’d be pregnant 2 years later, or that she would die 5 more children after that, at the age of 51. This, in fact, is Gilpin’s main point here: in order to begin to understand a place, we need to be able to see the people who live there in all their particularity. She repeats this insight midway through her story when she shares that focusing on the details of the lives of Southerners, she “found families” and then she “found people.” Ultimately, Gilpin claims, understanding people through the details of their lives—as opposed to the generalities of stereotypes or preconceived ideas—could bring about “more beauty and justice in the world around us.”
ReplyDeleteThis is how I understand our class, too: if we can get to know our neighbors in the places where they live, go to school, or work, we might be able to escape the cultural narratives that surround us and, instead, create stories of our own, stories that allow us to care for and even love the people we meet.
In response to "Remembering Kingston"
ReplyDeleteTennessee Valley Authority was created as part of President Roosevelt’s first New Deal in 1933. The purpose of TVA was to control floods, produce electric power, and improve the lives of people living in the Tennessee Valley. I suspect this charge enabled them to operate with little resistance from the very beginning (when they built the company town of Norris, just 37 miles from Kingston). I imagine the people living in the Tennessee Valley were primed to accept the actions of TVA as completely good and beneficial. Additionally, I suspect generations of families feel indebted to TVA and due to this it is likely very difficult to find many people willing to speak out against any action TVA takes or blatant lies they tell about decisions that put workers at great risk—even when the workers are clearly dying. Stories told in the way Austyn tells those in this essay humanize victims in a near impossible struggle against a corporation (much like a Banana Republic). Keeping the stories of real people at the front of these conversations feels like perhaps the only way to improve the situation—by causing others to understand, empathize, and hopefully act. I believe this to be true even while feeling at a loss in terms of what action I could take to create meaningful change.
It is staggering and appalling that coal ash—which is deadly to humans—is not regulated as a hazardous substance by the federal government because of corporate interests. Austyn Gaffney humanizes this fact by focusing on the lives—and relationships, dreams, and mundane minutia—of three couples impacted by the coal ash spill at Kingston Fossil Plant. The details she depicts—like the fact that Ansol was pleased to work many overtime hours on cleaning the spill because he wanted to take his wife to the beach, because she had never seen the ocean—breathe life into this deadly topic. In the end, the core fact remains: in our country, founded on the belief that all people have the right to life and the pursuit of happiness, corporate interests rule. And so, unsurprisingly, the federal government is rolling back regulations that were imperfect to begin with and coal ash continues to cover boots, bodies, and lungs.
ReplyDeleteTwo questions from Anna Davis
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the Gaffney article I found it shocking how, the lives of these workers could have been saved if they had only known the dangers. The TVA could've saved each of them money and pain, by allowing something as simple as wearing masks. The pain these families felt is incredible, they had no idea. They didn't have any reason to think that they were being lied to, and they didn't find out until it was too late. The injustice is unnecessary towards not only the workers, but the environment as well. The TVA didn't care enough to alert their workers of the dangers of coal ash, so I can only imagine how much damage was done to the environment.
....
In Gilpin’s article it is clear when she is living in Colorado how much she misses home, the way she describes the south is poetic and in a way I’ve never considered. I’ve lived in Lexington, Kentucky my entire life and I’ve always struggled with being southern because it has never appealed to me based on the people and stereotypes that surround me. I also have never felt like Lexington is southern, based on the progressive views it tends to have in comparison with the rest of Kentucky (with the exception of Louisville). It has never bothered me living in Kentucky until I started travelling to places like Philadelphia and New York. Where it is clear people consider Kentucky a part of the south and almost seem to look down on us because of our stereotypes. I would argue, however, there is much more to the south than the basic stereotypes.
Here is my response to Remembering Kingston
ReplyDeleteThis event happened in 2008. Being 9 at the time, I wasn't as aware at serious events like this one as I am now. The largest coal ash spill in US history would be something I would remember for a long time. Also, since I don't know much about burning coal, I did not know that the safety of the workers was so compromised. I think that would be a scary thought if I had a wife and she had to go do something dangerous. I couldn't imagine what Janie must have thought when she realized the severity of the situation her husband was in. Each one of these stories was very interesting and unique on something that I did not know much about. To read this article around the 10 year anniversary of the spill was powerful and I hope that these families will get justice from the companies who put their loved ones on the line for them with minimal safety.
-Garret LeVan
Why I Came Home
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the authors stories and how many experiences she has had traveling all around the world. reinforcing the idea that Southerners aren’t willing to reckon with the past and move forward. I thought it was interesting when she said "The South stands to lose more environmentally and economically from human-caused climate change than many other places in the U.S. and when she said that we’re already experiencing the devastating consequences of a fossil fuel economy. I don't know much about coal mining, but I do know it is big in Kentucky, so to see the economy suffering because of this tells me I need to do more research about the topic. I do know about global warming though, and know that temperatures in the South from 2010 to 2017 have been warmer than any previous decade. That is a crazy stat to me and it seems like more people should know, and if they do, look to help save the environment. It is comforting to see her say that the South is sort of coming together and working to get the message out about the environment, using social media to spread their message around the nation, as well as getting locals fired up about trying to make a change.
-Garret LeVan
Two posts from Nannie Baze:
ReplyDeleteResponse to "Shifting the Southern Narrative, or Why I Came Home"
I was born in Southern California where my whole extended family lives. Moving to Kentucky changed a lot about me. I miss my family every day and wish I could be there with them. Though I love Kentucky, a part of me is missing. The Rest of my family. I was fortunate enough to know my grandmothers, but I rarely talk to them anymore. We all have very busy lives. I used to love going and hanging out with them. It is strange going to visit though. I am always so happy and feel so loved when I go back West, but it is awkward. I now know nothing about these people. They have all changed and so have I. I feel for the author when they talked about the town in Louisiana in paragraph 25. They described how they felt with polar opposite emotions. They were very powerful emotions as well. I could tell how passionate they were about it and I understood the reason why both emotions were present. That paragraph connected with me more than any other.
Response to "Remember Kingston"
Every word of this piece either broke my heart or infuriated me. I have a personal connection to work-related illnesses through a family member and it really gets me going to talk about. My family member did not get sick from coal ash but did work in a butcher shop which he is still seeing effects from today. That is a whole nother story though. My heart goes out to very to every family that was infected by the coal ash and my anger towards the company has me thinking. They had everyone down there. how could they say that it was safe?! Maybe they truly did not know that it was dangerous until years later when their employees starting getting sick. I was a bit too young to know what was really happening at the time of this event but over a decade later it is still very relevant in everyone who participated in live's. Mostly, I have heard about this before but never heard stories from the worker's families. I am kind of in shock. Reading this article actually made my jaw drop.
Marissa Price
ReplyDelete“Shifting the Southern Narrative, or Why I Came Home”
Having been raised in a small town in northeastern Kentucky, a lot of this article resonated with me. One thing I thought about while reading is how I feel when I go back to my hometown and the surrounding area. I grew up in a town where homophobia, racism, and sexism are common, and at Transy, I’ve learned a lot more about the systemic biases that exist and further these problems. I’ve realized through talking to people at home that it often takes a lot to get people to challenge beliefs they were raised around and that they’ve seen reinforced so many times. At times, I feel out of place talking about these issues in my hometown, and I wonder if the author felt similarly.
Marissa Price
ReplyDelete“Remembering Kingston”
Like most others in these comments, I wondered why TVA didn’t inform their employees of the danger they were in or take responsibility for their actions, and I agree that it probably has a lot to do with greed. At one point in the article, it is mentioned that the coal ash spill happened in the midst of a recession and that the pay was good. This made me wonder what would have happened if TVA had informed their employees that coal ash is a hazardous material-- how many of the employees would have felt trapped in working for a company that didn’t value their health so that they could continue making ends meet? How would TVA have reacted if employees had tried to obtain their own protective equipment (if that would have been possible, especially given possible financial issues with that)?
My grandpa grew up and lived his whole life on a farm. I would have never realized some of the true struggles for farmers if he did not show me. Along with the article by Gilpin, people are starting to suffer from the consequences of our poor history taking care of the earth. I feel like having that farmland in my family made me connect with this article. I appreciate the earth for what it is and take care of it the best I can. My grandpa did such a good job of expressing that importance to me. In his memory I do my best to live on that and pass it on to others.
ReplyDelete"Remembering Kingston" by Gaffney broke my heart. The complete disregard for human life and the purposeful avoidance of blame by those in the TVA was surprising. The complications of the coal ash is unavoidable, but yet the power this corporation has is endless in our society. To me, this means that money is more important than the Earth or the human beings that have to work to get this money. Greed overcomes any regard for compassion, although the coal ash spill was harmful to the Earth, the inspiration for cleaning it was greed instead of love for the Earth. I found this theme to be similar in "Shifting the Southern Narrative" by Gilpin. While Gilpin did focus on her love of the surrounding nature, her focus and her attention was focused on the idea of 'home' and what home meant to her. Throughout both of these pieces, it appears that this beautiful land we live on, is for our use and abuse - what can it provide for me? The Earth is meant for our own selfish purposes.
ReplyDelete- Sarah Bennett
Delete"Remembering Kingston"
ReplyDeleteI am so surprised about the greed of corporations to put so many of their employees life's at risk. They could not handle backlash from the media so in order to recover for the huge mistake they risked the health of so many people. How could a company be responsible for two huge mistakes as the ones they have made? My uncle has been injured on the job before to misconduct so this article was relatable in that sense. I became more and more frustrated with this article the more I read. Companies that take such reckless actions do not deserve to exist anymore.
Shelby:
ReplyDeleteReading these two articles left me thinking about individual roles and collective action. Hearing stories about individuals making decisions and taking actions to alleviate climate change is inspiring. Individual responsibility is a good motivator for volunteers and activists. However, most of the issues are the results of structural problems for the profit of a free. This combined with the fact that volunteering is a middle class privilege that comes along with having leisure time makes me reluctant to focus on motivating the public to become passionate about their decisions because I fear it will be a misdirect...
Your Kingston piece really highlighted individuals suffering from corporate decisions who still demanded change and advocated for themselves. They are a part of a collective in Kingston, and definitely part of a bigger issue of companies relying on labor but seeing laborers as disposable. You also made sure to note how much the injuries were costing the individuals and how it was impacting singular families in a patterned fashion..
I lean towards thinking that the most effective individual actions one can take are those leading to a collective. I am wondering if you have seen the difficulties or problems with organizing communities or laborers in opposition to the careless consumptions and destructions that cause local climate disasters. Can you share what insights have you gained?
"Remembering Kingston"
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this article I constantly questioned TVA and their purpose on not telling their workers about the coal dust, or why coal ash is not regulated as a hazardous substance? The only answer I was able to find was that to use protection during this spill meant more money. Matter of fact, this article stated that TVA was buying luxurious items like Jets. Why is the safety of human life not the main priority? This article made me feel so many emotions, and I can only imagine what these families went through. This was something that did not have to happen, and could've been prevented. It makes me question how other corporates are treating their workers.
-brooklyn greer
From Sarah Metcalfe
ReplyDelete"Shifting the Southern Narrative"
I have conflicting views of the South. While I recognize that the South has seeded racism and bigotry, I am ready to fiercely defend it from anyone who tries to blame Southerners for all of our country’s problems and tries to write Southerners off as stupid, ignorant hicks. Growing up all over Kentucky, I have witnessed staggeringly different opinions, from blatant racism and bigotry in rural areas, to progressive ideologies in Lexington and Louisville, to political apathy in suburban areas. But, I have also witnessed blatant racism here in Lexington and in my suburban hometown, and my first taste of progressive beliefs came from my rural-raised grandfather. Stereotypes of the South lay in elitism, and that’s that. And not all of the South fits in these stereotypes. It is easy for the rest of the country to use this region as a scapegoat for our societal problems, as if we are the creators of them-- as if white, affluent voters didn’t vote in Tr*mp and as if racism, bigotry, and apathy towards the environment exist solely in the South. There are many things I would change about my home, but it is still that-- my home. As Gilpin cites in her essay, the South is a place I love more than I loathe.
Every time I read these stories, I can't help but think about something... how much this happens, and yet how little of it ever reaches the public eye. Until today, I had never even heard of Kingston, or of any sort of material called coal ash, and I had no idea what was happening to the Appalachias or what's really going on in any of these places. It's never something you hear about in public life.
ReplyDeleteBecause of this, I thought of a particular town that many people here have probably heard of: Flint, Michigan. For those of those who aren't aware, the Flint water crisis occured as high-ranking officials in Flint voted to switch its water supply to the Flint River, a river which contains toxic amounts of chlorine derivatives that leech lead and other heavy metals from the surrounding area. Efforts to fix the water have constantly been halted by other people, and to this day, the water is still undrinkable. And yet, even Flint receives no coverage in the media. I haven't seen it on traditional news outlets in several years, and only see it when people directly from Flint talk about it on Tumblr. There are even people who believe that Flint isn't our issue to fix, that the wall is more important.
And just... When I read about all this. When I read about Flint, or Kingston, or even back to the stories of the Radium Girls, I can't help but think of how these people died for nothing. The Radium Girls were supposed to inspire a law that allows workers to hold their companies accountable... and it doesn't work. None of this ever seems to work. And then, the powerful lead us believe that these things never happen. That everything is fine. But it's not.
When I'm at home, politics is treated as a game by my dad, and an annoyance by my mom. They constantly argue that police violence isn't a big deal, they constantly talk about differences between sexes, and they never listen to what I have to say, because they're old, middle class white people, held in the same bubble as their coworkers. They say they love me, but I don't know that they'll continue to support me if I walk into the house with a black woman in arms. I don't know they'll love me if I am forced to turn to sex work. I don't know that they'll love me if i break my neck, and become unable to use any part of my body above my head. I don't know any of this.
I'm scared.
Growing up environmental worries and talk of climate change was non-existent, such problems were not talked about or even thought of. Thus, I never “cared” about the environment or thought much about taking any steps towards being more environmentally cautious. This changed after my FYRS class where we talked about climate change and pollution and how it affected KY and specifically Lexington.The writer offers a unique perspective into how climate change is viewed in the south and points to the struggler that the south faces in dealing with such issues. My question is, how has Southerly changed the way climate change is viewed in the south and what specific local and state governments shortcomings has it analyzed to try and better address these issues.
ReplyDeleteI believe in living in the moment.
ReplyDeleteThe experience from which this belief stems began during my first music festival. I had travelled to Tennessee with my friends where we camped for four days, along with the other festival goers. During those four days we saw 20+ musical performers. This was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had. However, I left this festival with the unfortunate realization that people have a terrible attachment to their phones. This being my first music festival I did not want to bring my phone outside of camp, and I thought other people would be the same way. I was wrong. While I was enjoying the music, I looked around in hopes to take in the moment but instead I saw people videotaping the music on their phones.
Some would argue they do this so they can later revisit their experience. Although I find this to be understandable, it still bothers me because why wouldn't people just want to live in the moment, without using their phones. By the use of these devices during performances, it is taking away from how the artist wants you to experience their show, and it is also taking away from your own. The purpose of festivals is to escape reality, meet people from all around the world, and create a strong community.
Although I only talked about one event, I believe that this is a serious problem in the world. Some people freak out if their phone is about to die and it is not attached to them at all times. Personally, I do have a problem as well but I try to disconnect from my phone at times and I find that is more peaceful, and even more enjoyable to be apart from my device when I am experiencing things like music festivals, or other social events.