Inside this Issue
Please Don’t Make These Voting Mistakes | Page 3
How Not to Be Broke in College| Page 6
Halloween: The Official Ranking | Page 7
The Bengal
isubengal.com 28 October 2020
Volume 46 Issue 10
The Independent Voice at Idaho State University Since 1910
KISU Talks Mental Health Andrea Diaz Staff Writer On Mind Tap, the newest show at KISU, they talk about mental health, the stigma behind it, how to improve it and the issues that affect Southeast Idahoans in particular. The hosts of Mind Tap are Christian Powell, Jessica Whitaker-Fornek and Scott Greeves, who are all biology students here at Idaho State University. The production staff of Mind Tap also are students. In the first episode of Mind Tap, they mention that they wouldn’t have known each other unless they started talking about mental health and how it affected them. The hosts then move onto defining what mental health is and Powell says, “The term mental health is used to describe someone’s emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing, kind of comprehensively.” The hosts mention that this is a very technical term so they try to relate it to real-world situations. When Greeves asks Whitaker-Fornek about her experience as a graduate student at ISU she replies, “Well I notice, Scott, that when experiments are not going well I feel super bummed, which can actually influence how I interact with my family, at home. But,
Please Recycle
when my lab members are playing 80’s rock music and experiments are smooth sailing I feel happy.” Whitaker-Fornek also mentions that she has experienced a lot of stress in graduate school and that she considers it a long time stressor. To which Christian replies that long term stressors are a big mental health concern. This is just a small part of the first episode that aired on September 16, 2020. Since then they have aired an episode every Friday at 7:35 a.m. In the episodes, they have talked about topics that range from substance abuse, opioids, suicide, mental health amidst COVID-19 and mental health among minorities. In the Mind Tap episode called, “Cultivating Good Mental Health in an Indigenous Community: The Power of Dance” Whitaker-Fornek talks to Mia Murillo, who is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribe. Mia mentions that she uses dancing as a way to help her mental health. Dancing and being on a reservation creates a sense of community. “Dancing is in every culture, every heritage. We all dance. It’s something that makes us feel good and it gives us
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that energy that you can’t get from anywhere else. And it is really good for your mind.” Murillo said. The hosts of Mind Tap are not afraid to open up about their own mental health and talk to others about mental health. These topics can be difficult to talk about, but talking about them is important because it lessens the stigma around mental health and creates a healthy dialogue among peers. Getting opinions and experiences from a variety of people in our community that specialize in mental health, as a profession, can help the listener get a better understanding of what mental health looks like from minorities and mental health professionals. The listener then gets a more rounded knowledge of mental health as a whole.
Featured: Scott Greeves, Rhesa Ledbetter, Jessica Whitaker and Christian Powell Cover Photo Courtesy of Idaho State Univerity
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The Bengal at Idaho State University
28 October 2020 • Page 2
NEWS
Logan Ramsey | News Editor Contact: bgnews@isu.edu
Idaho State Increases COVID-19 Precautions
Brandon Oram | Photo Editor Dylon Harrsion Managing Editor In response to a rise in cases of COVID-19, both locally and nationally, Idaho State University has put increased safety protocols in place. As of the writing of this article, there were a total of 61 cases of COVID-19 at ISU, a decrease from the 69 cases two weeks earlier. Because of the numbers currently being experienced, the university has recently updated from a yellow operation level to a hybrid orange/yellow level. “While we have been able to address and mitigate many of the on-campus risks and spread, the activities and resource limitations of the external community
is out of our control,” President Kevin Satterlee said in an email to the ISU community. “The increase in our community now requires the University to make some on-campus operational changes.” While this does not require classes to be moved completely to distancebased learning, instructors are being encouraged to do so if possible. Normal operations of student services will also continue with social distancing and mask requirements in place. Students are also not to attend inperson classes or go to work on campus if they are displaying any symptoms of the virus. The most notable change that will be seen from the increased operation
level will be in in-person participants for campus events. For the foreseeable future, only events that are seen as “critical” and “mission-congruent” will be allowed. In addition, health exceptions will be required for events with group sizes exceeding 10 people. These group size limits do not apply to classes or intercollegiate athletics, according to President Satterlee’s email announcing the increased safety measures. The Athletics program is taking its own actions to ensure the safety of ISU’s student athletes. “There are testing protocols that our athletes have to go through,” said Steve Shaack, Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations. “They are being tested on a regular basis, and they are currently practicing as an entire team. The frequency of testing for each student athlete is not the same across the board. According to Shaack, it varies for athletes of different sports. All student athletes, however, are being required to complete daily temperature checks and health questionnaires. Despite not being required to follow the university’s updated regulations, Athletics is still required to have all practice and game procedures approved by the health committee.
“We’ve got protocols in place that allow us to have a good feel of what’s going on and where we can monitor the health of our student athletes,” Shaack said. One group that hasn’t been granted an exception from any of the updated precautions is the Student Activities Board (SAB). All of their events going forward will be required to meet the new protocols. This has resulted in many of their events being changed from their traditional format to either online, graband-go or reservation attendance only. “WIth the new guidelines and the regulations put on how many students and people that are allowed to be at events, we’ve put a lot of effort into transforming our events,” said Ben Storms, SAB Director. “We can either keep the events or change them to keep the students more safe and comfortable.” Storms also said that students he has spoken with have been saddened by the loss of events that usually happen regularly, but understanding of the need to cancel them. As of the writing of this article, no further SAB events for the Fall 2020 semester have been announced. For more information on the ISU’s current operating procedures, visit isu. edu/roaringback.
Brandon Oram | Photo Editor
Page 3 • 28 October 2020
The Bengal at Idaho State University
Logan Ramsey | News Editor Contact: bgnews@isu.edu
Common Voting Mistakes
NEWS
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images Kaitlyn Hart Life Editor As I’m sure you’re already aware, voting is more important now than ever before. It is up to us, the voting public of the United States, to stand up for what we think is right, and vote for the candidate who we think will lead us to a better nation. I’m not here to tell you who to vote for, but I am here to make sure that you make your voice heard. That being said, there are a lot of mistakes you can make while filling out your ballot that can prevent your voice from being heard. Here is how to avoid them, and participate in the potentially biggest turning point in our nation in a very long time. Make sure you are registered to vote. Your vote will be disqualified if you are not registered to vote. Make sure that your registration has not expired and that nothing has gone wrong before you cast your vote. Thankfully, Idaho offers online voter registration. Check your registration at idahovotes.gov. You can register by mail to vote in Idaho by printing a voter registration form, filling it out, and mailing it to your local election office. You can also register to vote in person, on election day if you prefer, but please be cautious of COVID-19 protocols. Read the Instructions. Depending on your state, there can be different instructions for your ballot. Make sure you are using the right color pen (usually blue or black), make sure you put your ballot inside of the right combination of envelopes and make sure to drop your ballot off or mail it to the right destination. Don’t forget to sign your name. Believe it or not, one of the most common mistakes that people make when sending in absentee ballots is forgetting to sign their name on the exterior envelope. Without your signature, your ballot will not be counted. Make sure your signature matches previous signatures. Some states, including Idaho, compare each voters’ signatures on their ballots to the signatures on their registration paperwork as a way to verify their identity and rule out any voter fraud. To make this simple, always sign your name the same way
whether that is in cursive or in print. Use the correct envelopes. Never, ever use any envelope that did not come with your ballot. The ballot is specifically marked for you and you only, and you need to use this envelope to mail in your ballot or drop it off at your designated ballot box drop off. Keep it clean. Things happen, and sometimes your ballot can get damaged. Whether it’s spilling some coffee on it, tearing the page or accidentally getting makeup on your ballot, make sure to keep your ballot as clean as possible. Ballots are counted using a scantron machine, and the scantron will get confused if there are marks on the page that it cannot read. If your ballot gets damaged, contact your county elections office so that your vote gets counted in time. Fill in the boxes completely. It is important to completely fill in the box next to the candidate that you decide to vote for. Again, the ballots are counted using a scantron machine, and if you do not completely fill in the box or bubble, your vote will not be counted and your voice will not be heard. Return all of the pages. If your ballot consists of multiple pages, make sure to return every page when mailing in or dropping off your ballot. Even though you do not need to vote for every category, it is required that you return every page that came with your ballot. This has the potential to be the most important election of our lives so please vote. It doesn’t take long, and in voting for your elected officials, you are paying respect to all of those who’ve come before you that fought for your right to vote and your right to make your voice heard. The last day for early voting in Idaho is October 30. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020. Visit IdahoVotes.gov for information on voting in Idaho such as polling locations, volunteer opportunities and more.
Brandon Oram | Photo Editor
The Bengal at Idaho State University
28 October 2020 • Page 4
NEWS
Logan Ramsey | News Editor Contact: bgnews@isu.edu
Up Close with Gary Rendek
Featured: Gary Rendek Brandon Oram | Photo Editor Idaho State Athletics Submitted Content It was never in Gary Rendek’s plan to come to the United States to get an education and play tennis. As a teenager, the now Bengal graduate student, was content staying in Hungary to play tennis and attend school. His mind started to change when he was 17 and then when he was 18 he took all the tests to come to the United States. “I didn’t know that college sports were this competitive in the United States,” Rendek said on his decision to leave Hungary
for the U.S. “We don’t really have sports at Universities. We have club sports. It is exciting but nothing close to what it is like playing here in the US. It has been a good experience for me.” Rendek can thank his mom, for his love for tennis. She started teaching Rendek the sport at age six and it wasn’t long after that he started competing in matches. When he was 12 he played in a lot of international tournaments against many of the big players who are now on tour. “I was pretty good in juniors,” he said. “We played on red clay back home. The elevation is a little different here at Idaho
State compared to at sea level back home where the balls are a little bit slower.” Rendek, who would travel to different countries in Europe to compete, was given the opportunity to play at Mesa Community College. During his time at Mesa he was the Arizona Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2018 and earned first-team NJCAA All-American honors. He advanced to the semi-finals of the NJCAA Division 1 Men’s tennis championship at No. 2 with what would be a future Idaho State teammate in David Felix. Upon arrival in Pocatello, Rendek made an immediate impact as he posted a 13-2 doubles record and an 8-2 conference doubles mark. He earned first-team
all-conference in doubles with Felix. Rendek thought his final year of playing collegiate tennis was going to be cut short due to COVID-19. Instead the NCAA gave spring sport athletes the opportunity to continue playing and not lose a year of eligibility. “I was going to get my masters here anyways so I am just happy to be part of the team again,” Rendek said. Rendek’s major is business administration with an emphasis in marketing or management. “It has been an amazing experience coming to the US and get an education and have the tennis included,” Rendek said. “That is the main reason I came here because I could get an athletic scholarship.”
Featured: Gary Rendek Brandon Oram | Photo Editor
Page 5 • 28 October 2020
The Bengal at Idaho State University
LIFE
Kaitlyn Hart | Life Editor Contact: bglife@isu.edu
The History of Halloween
Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons Andrea Diaz Staff Writer Halloween is a special kind of holiday where we carve pumpkins, go trick-ortreating and dress up in costumes, but where did it all come from? Halloween originated from a Celtic festival known as Samhain, which took place on November 1st. The day marked the end of summer and the beginning of a colder, darker time ahead. The Celts from ancient Britain and Ireland believed that this was a time when the souls of the dead returned to their homes and the veil between the living and the dead was the thinnest. The festival was celebrated by lighting big bonfires and throwing offerings into the fire for the deities that they believed in. The people would dance around the fire as the offerings were being burned. After the celebration, each person would take a bit of fire from the main bonfire and relight their hearths that had gone out as they were celebrating. They also wore masks and disguises to scare or confuse evil spirits that they believed roamed the Earth on these days. This is believed to be where we got the tradition of wearing masks and costumes for Halloween. According to britannica.com, in the 7th century, Pope Bon-
iface IV established All Saints Day. “The evening before All Saint’s Day became a holy, or hallowed eve and thus Halloween.” Halloween was originally forbidden by early American colonists, however, in the 1800s they developed celebrations of harvest and then incorporated elements of Halloween. When people started immigrating to America at the beginning of the 19th century, especially the Irish, they took Halloween customs with them. One of these customs is what we now know as carving jack-o’-lanterns. Interestingly enough, back in Ireland, there was an old myth about a man named Jack. Jack tricked the devil and when Jack died he was not let into heaven or hell, meaning that he was doomed to roam the Earth for the rest of his days. The Irish then carved faces into turnips and put them outside their home to ward off the wandering spirit and protect their homes. When the Irish came to America they started carving pumpkins instead of turnips because pumpkins were native to the region. According to History.com, trick-ortreating was previously known as “souling” or “guising”. In medieval Britain, the poor would beg for what was known as “soul cakes”. In exchange, they would
Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons
pray for people’s dead relatives, which was called “souling”. “Guising” was a tradition where young people would dress up in a costume and sing, recite poetry or tell a joke, and in exchange, they would receive money, wine, food and other offerings. This was another tradition that the Irish and Scottish immigrants brought to America. Halloween has taken on many different forms throughout the years, dating back 2,000 years ago to now. Learning about these traditions puts an interesting per-
spective on these activities as we do them during this time of year. People that may be our ancestors celebrated the same holiday as we do today, however it was not completely the same. After reading about the history of these traditions we may feel inclined to bring back some of the historic ways of celebrating the holiday. Years from now there may even be new traditions that originate from what we do now. However, you choose to celebrate Halloween this year, and in the years to come, make sure you are safe and have fun.
The Bengal at Idaho State University
28 October 2020 • Page 6
LIFE
Kaitlyn Hart | Life Editor Contact: bglife@isu.edu
How to Not Be Broke in College
Brandon Oram | Photo Editor Joanna Orban Copy Editor One of the hardest things in college (besides learning how to cook) is learning how to manage money successfully. Between student loans and living paycheck to paycheck, it can be difficult to know how to manage money. If you’re like me, your high school probably didn’t teach you anything about budgeting or personal finance and you’ve been left to figure it out on your own as the bills pile up and the university is making you pay extra for online classes. I definitely don’t know every- t h i n g about money, but here are five tips that have helped me along the way.
get to subtract gas money from your weekly budget. If you, like me, find that your car is guzzling gas faster than you can sip your pumpkin spice latte, try some other options. Pocatello has a public transportation system. Or, maybe you could try carpooling with a friend? Some other important things to keep in mind when you are creating your budget include just-in-case money. What if your car needs fixing? Or you have to make an emergency trip home? Have some money on hand just in case. Also, in case the world ends and we don’t have access to our bank accounts, paper money might come in handy. Finally, set aside your fun money. For me, this money is what I use if I want a new book to read or if I go and do something fun with friends.
Create a Budget This may seem hard,
age deal, but still, I really don’t need all of those. Keep in mind what works for you. If you absolutely cannot live without Netflix, do what I do and split the cost with a friend. My family and I also share an Amazon Prime account, which is a necessity in a town like Pocatello, with such limited shopping options. In the meantime, give your budget a break and do without one of the many, many subscription services sucking the life out of your checking account. I suggest doing this on a month-to-month basis and trying out which ones work for you and which ones you don’t need. Don’t forget to take it out of your budget! Don’t Eat Out Don’t kill me. Take a deep breath, and you’ll realize I’m right. Eating out costs so much money. Too much money. Let’s say you eat out every day for dinner and your dinner costs at least $10 a day. Before you know it,
on time. I mean, do you need that bagel? No, no you don’t. Choose the Cheaper Option Visit the dollar store. Seriously. They have cheap, nonperishable snacks, holiday decorations and hygiene products. Honestly, you can save so much money by just choosing the cheaper options. You really don’t need those Target decorations when you can make your own or find something equally cute at the dollar store? Do you really need that HydroFlask, when other water bottles work just as well? These are the types of questions that will save you some money and save your wallet some tears. You’re in college, the cheaper option (at least for now) is the better option. You don’t have to sacrifice everything though. I cannot live without a certain type of shampoo and conditioner (other people with naturally curly hair will understand) and so I take that out of my budget. The main lesson to learn here is to save money when you can, so you can buy the more expensive shampoo when you want to. Start Building up Your Savings Account When I went away to school, my parents advised me never to dip into the money in my savings account unless I absolutely had to. This was a hard lesson to learn, but ultimately it is nice to have that emergency money, in case something drastic does happen. When you sit down to work out your monthly budget, don’t forget to place a certain amount of money in your savings account. I usually work by percentages, but do whatever works best for you. You’ll thank yourself when you graduate.
but I promise once you sit down and scroll through your bank statement and realize how much money you spent on Starbucks, you will want to create a budget. I know it may seem hard, but creating a budget is one of the easiest things you can do to get a handle on your finances. First, think of your monthly expenses. This can be everything from student loan payments to your phone bill or rent. Those should be taken out of your paycheck first. After that, you should set aside money for groceries. I prefer to go grocery shopping weekly and set a budget for each week. If you’re the type of person who goes bi-weekly, make sure you set aside enough money in advance. Now, let’s talk about cars, don’t for-
Here’s how I’m trying to break down my budget: 20% - Savings 10% - Fun money 60% - Monthly expenses 10% - Just in case Manage your Subscription Services This is a big one. As I sit writing this article, I currently pay for Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu and Spotify Premium. I mean sure, Hulu and Spotify Premium are a pack-
you’ve spent seventy dollars that very easily could have been spent on gas or bills. I know this is hard, especially if you don’t know how to cook, but cooking is much nicer on your newly formed budget than eating out. When you’re starting to cook remember the staples: protein, carbs, fruits and vegetables. Keep this in mind after you b u r n your dinner for the second time: it’s still cheaper than eating out. I’m not saying that you can never eat out again, but try and limit how often you do and try to stay within your budget! Eating out can also include the daily coffee you get at Einstein’s as you frantically try and login to your Zoom class
Finally, it’s important to remember this. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you splurge now and again. I guarantee no one is perfect at keeping a budget, I’m certainly not. But hey, if you need any inspiration for why you should try and be better with your money, just watch “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. You definitely don’t want a Derek Smeath chasing you around.
Page 7 • 28 October 2020
The Bengal at Idaho State University
LIFE
Kaitlyn Hart | Life Editor Contact: bglife@isu.edu
Halloween: The Official Ranking
Photo Courtesy of Pexels.com Lesley Brey Staff Writer A time long ago, during an era now shrouded in the mystery of ages, before the dawn of the pandemic, people could gather free from the anxiety of illness to instead revel in far more enjoyable terrors. Oh, yes, spooky season is once again upon us! The favorite holiday of anyone with taste, Halloween is quite literally the best time of the year. The reasons are endless, the activities are to die for and the aesthetic is on point. In case you needed a reminder, here is a nonexclusive list of all the best parts of Halloween, scored on a 10 pumpkin scale, but let’s be honest: there is no “worst” part of Halloween. You start October 1st like any sane person, with decorating. Reasons it Rocks: Nothing beats getting that perfect set up. You have the tricked out front yard, or dorm room doors. There’s the goth set-dressing you wish you could indulge in year-round. Not to mention the weird little decorations you pick up from Ross that don’t technically make sense but they just fit (I’m looking at you, spider skeletons.) Halloween decorating is an art form, but also a competition of one-upmanship looking to settle once and for all who has the best taste on the block.
Reasons it Sucks: Your Halloween decorations have been sitting in a box in your attic for a year and they are covered in dust. Fake cobwebs are cool, real spiders not so much. Once you’ve overcome the hurdle of getting things out of storage, you have to sort through a ton of the most useless and bizarre decorations you’ve ever seen. I mean really, what was the point of the foam skeleton with hands twice the size of its head? Inevitably you will have to go shopping for new decorations and that adds up. Pumpkins: 6 ½ out of 10 So, once you’ve gotten decorated, you’re left with ~30 days until the night itself, so what do you do in the meantime? Enjoy the vibes of course! Watching scary movies is a good place to start. Reasons it Rocks: There is a near-endless number of thrilling horror flicks to browse with more arriving each year. Really, it’s a pick your poison situation. You could opt for a classic, or try something new. Swaddled in darkness, the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. Was that tapping on your window a branch, or something worse? For a list of suggested titles check out our article, “Top 5 Spooky Movies Available on Streaming Services this Halloween”.
Reasons it Sucks: The movies over, you’ve had a good scare, time to go to bed. Ha! Fat chance. If you get spooked easily it will be a hot minute before you can once again rest peacefully. Worse, if you’re like me, scary movies are a no-go unless you have a viewing buddy who can narrate what’s happening while you have your face buried in a blanket. Yes, I am a scaredycat, thank you very much. Pumpkins: 7 out of 10 Next up is a visit to one of many haunted attractions. Reasons it Rocks: Here in Idaho, we have no shortage of ghost stories or supposedly haunted places. If you’re looking for a fright, a visit to SRD’s Haunted Acre, the Albion Haunted Mansion or even Pocatello High School’s annual haunted house maybe in order. If jump scares aren’t your thing, a haunted walking tour takes you through Pocatello’s sordid history, showing off many buildings claiming to be home to the undead. I’ve known more than one person who’s had a spectral encounter during a tour, so if you’re a true believer it’s a seasonal must. Reasons it Sucks: COVID-19. Due to concerns about public safety, many haunts had to change their typical setup to be more social distance friendly. No more clowns popping up to pat you on the shoul-
der, unfortunately. Furthermore, Idaho is cold this time of year, really cold. Sitting in line for an hour to enter a haunted attraction wouldn’t be so bad if you weren’t losing a finger to frostbite in the process. Pumpkins: 8 ½ out of 10 It goes without saying that the best part of the season is the costumes. Reasons it Rocks: When else are you allowed to dress any which way you want with virtually no criticism? You want to wear a cape? Then wear a cape! Nothing can stop you! Vampire fangs, fake blood, bad wigs, historically dubious attire; all of this is available for you to indulge in. Wear it to a costume party to show off. Wear it trick-or-treating to one-up a bunch of fiveyear-olds. Wear it to the bar just cause. Wear it to bed because no one can deprive you of this. No one. Reasons it Sucks: Well, you probably can’t do most of that stuff this year, on account of the deadly virus infecting everyone and their dog. A girl can dream though. Otherwise, there’s no downside. Costumes are the best, so don’t let COVID stop you from getting your fancy all dressed up and attending a Zoom party. Something is better than nothing. Pumpkins: 10 out of 10
Idaho State University Events Calendar Friday Oct. 30
Monday Nov. 2
Wednesday Nov. 4
10am Great Ideas in Teaching (More information at isu.edu/pie)
Continuing student 2021 class registration begins
11:30am SAB Bengal Wednesday (Hypostyle/Quad)
5pm Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Education - Virtual Conference (Via Zoom)
The Bengal at Idaho State University
28 October 2020 • Page 8
OPINION
Dylon Harrison | Managing Editor Contact: bgeditor@isu.edu
The Climate Catastrophe is Here Logan Ramsey News Editor People my age were born at the end of an era, a time different than any period before it. Marked by the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, it was a time of expansive growth; humans advanced quicker than any time in history. This advancement gave us mastery over our environment. We could scientifically alter livestock to suit our needs, allowing us to produce all the food we could ever want. We leveled entire forests and jungles with our machinery to make way for development. Our daily use of technology has even altered global temperatures and our climate as a whole. The geologic age that we live in is unofficially called the Anthropocene, defined as the period that human activity became the dominant influence on the climate. Scientists disagree on when this period started, some saying as recently as 1945 and others at the start of the Industrial Age. The one thing that remains indisputable is that through our scientific advancements, humans gained the power to dramatically change ecosystems, and claim near complete dominion over the natural world. A lesser-known term for the period stretching from the Industrial Revolution all the way to 2020 is ‘The Fossil Fuel Age.’ As renewable energy is now cheaper to produce than fossil fuels, this era is ending. The power the Fossil Fuel Age brought to humanity has rapidly brought deadly consequences. We’ve been talking about climate change since the late 80s, but the magnitude of the effects are just catching up to us now. Out of control wildfires, increasing hurricanes and the spread of new diseases are all linked to human activity. The ice in the arctic is melting dramatically, and as time passes it’s only melting faster and freezing slower. This is perhaps the least discussed but most threatening effect of climate change we’ve seen. As permafrost melts away, it’s releasing methane into the atmosphere, which only accelerates the destruction climate change is currently causing. The consequences of our actions as a species are already present in 2020, and they’re not going away. All of this is going to get dramatically worse as we grow older. Maybe 2021 will feel like a normal year. Maybe things start to feel like they’re getting better like we’re back on the path to progress. It won’t stay that way. Humans are adaptable to changing circumstances, it’s one of our greatest strengths. But it also comes with a downside, we have the capacity to normalize situations that should not be normal. The day will come when the 2020 wildfires look like campfires in comparison, and
it will feel regular to those of us that still have a home. We’ll be used to climate refugees from our own country moving inland, fleeing flooded coasts and burned homes. We’ll check our cell phones in the morning and check the air quality. Smoke fogging up your city will be a regular day. Seeing even a sliver of blue sky will be a rare occurrence. I can’t predict the future. So far, I’ve been quite bad at it. But the science indicates that if we continue on our current trajectory, the climate will invariably get worse. How much worse? For the first time in our history, humans have the power to wipe ourselves out. No asteroid required. Climate scientists have had a difficult time conveying the true gravity of their research, which I don’t blame them for. People typically like to focus on optimistic but unrealistic timetables for when the effects of climate change will catch up to us, which is why most Americans still don’t think they’ll be affected in their lifetime, and why Biden’s plan of becoming carbon
a matter of saving humanity’s future. I might sound insane to you. To be fair, that could be the case. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. I would argue that it’s more insane to not assume the worst. I was raised religious. I’ve seen too many people from my old religion relying on the prophesied second coming of Jesus Christ to save us from our fate. While this might sound crazy to you, it’s no crazier than thinking renewable technology is the only answer we need to solve the heating climate. The problem with these lines of thought is that no one single answer will save humanity. No one technology and no savior is coming to the rescue. The climate is warming not just because of CO2 emissions. It’s not just because of desertification, or deforestation. It’s about the developed world’s entire system of living. Our free-market economy relies on the destruction of natural ecosystems to function. We need to drive our cars to work to
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com neutral by 2050 sounds adequate to the mainstream news media. Since the scientists can’t, allow me to tell you what they’ve wanted to scream into your face for years: climate change threatens to kill every last one of us, no matter your race, social class or nationality. A sixth great extinction, within our century. This won’t be like a disaster movie, where everything is destroyed in one big event. We won’t recognize this is happening until we’ve lost everything, when it’s far too late. Civilization is never built in a day, and it never ends in a day. The more I think about what the world could become as I grow old, the more I think that the term ‘climate change’ is wholly inadequate to describe what we’re facing. The climate is not just changing it’s headed for total catastrophe. That is, unless we put a stop to it. This is not the end of the world, Earth will keep on spinning, all the better without us. This is
Letters to the Editor
make a living. Cities need to keep developing land to accommodate more citizens. Companies need to maximize their profits. It’s the system that we’ve built that’s suffocating us. Take a look at the Environmental Protection Agency’s breakdown of United States fossil fuel emissions. People will often talk about overpopulation like it’s the primary cause of climate change, but activities coming from residential homes and commercial businesses only accounts for 12% of emissions. The other four categories, Agriculture, Transportation, Electricity and Industry all together account for the other 87%. And that doesn’t even account for the dramatic differences between the average person’s carbon footprint compared to that of the One Percent. Hypocrites like Leonardo DiCaprio will speak to the urgency of climate action while they own several houses and vacation on private jets and yachts. These people will speak
to you about how important it is that you recycle even though your carbon footprint doesn’t mean a damn in the grand scheme of the catastrophe. No one holds more culpability than Big Oil executives. As early as 1981, seven years before climate change became a public issue, ExxonMobil knew that the climate was warming due to its internal research. Despite this, they spent the next 27 years pouring millions of dollars into climate change denial. This is why climate denial exists today. Despite how it may look on Facebook, humans aren’t stupid. Everyone has a reason why they believe what they believe, and people wouldn’t mistrust science if there weren’t capitalists pouring their resources into public messaging, baking misinformation into the general public and selling it as the repressed truth. The worst part about all of this is that oil companies are looking to enter the renewable energy market now, because they know that’s where energy is moving. Don’t think for a second that this is an altruistic move. The only reason why it’s happening now is that it’s good for their bottom line. Within this decade we’ll see oil companies advertising their move to renewable energy, marketing it as an environmentally friendly move. The problem is that this transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is all a little too late. The news cycles often talk about cutting carbon emissions before we reach the point of no return. All mainstream plans to address climate change have been wholly inadequate to respond to the crisis. We may have already passed the tipping point. I welcome any action that’s taken to address climate change, but I’ll always argue for a more radical plan. Due to my religious background, I value preparedness over everything else. When you read the Bible, it’s not about people sitting on their ass waiting for God to do the work for them; it’s about people who prepare for threats God warns them of. Joseph, son of Jacob, heeded the warning God sent to the Pharaoh and prepared Egypt for the coming famine, rationing and storing wheat. Noah built an ark to prepare for the great flood, even though he looked insane to his neighbors. Sometimes necessary actions of survival look like madness to people who haven’t seen the larger picture. I hope that I’m wrong about the path we’re on. I hope that we have more time to save our climate before it cooks humanity. The only thing I know for certain is that we’d be fools to count on it. We’re choosing the future right now, for better or worse. Either we rise to the challenge, the greatest generational calling in the history of our species, or we perish.
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