Your Point of View

Submitted by staff on Thu, 2008-05-15 19:57.

Is 'sustainability' just another occupation of the middle classes?

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Violent Class

Submitted by david on Sun, 2008-05-18 19:34.

Some years ago I was ruminating on the idea of the most ideal sustainable community that I had ever encountered. One instantly leapt to mind - St Agnes Place in Kennington!

Later that very evening, by incredible coincidence, I watched on TV, in horror, as the peaceful community of St. Agnes Place was forcibly evicted from their homes by hundreds of truncheon wielding police and then, in an ultimate and revealing act of violence, the demolition of not just perfectly sound Victorian houses and people's homes but the overt negation and abuse of those who care about real sustainability.

The same kind of thing has happened repeatedly through our history, from St Agnes Place and the Battle of The Beanfield (more like the ambush of the beanfield) to the violence encountered by Gandhi and his followers, down to Peterloo and beyond to the likes of the Diggers.

That entity we call 'the System' is, effectively, the values and the institutions established to perpetuate and safeguard those values, by the middle class. The moment there is the slightest sense of an 'alternative' system out come the truncheons.

For the most part Britain has enjoyed little significant civil unrest for many, many decades. However, there is a good argument to say that this is less to do with a social evolution to a more egalitarian society and more to do with a 'bread and circuses' culture that can be maintained due to the economic abundance provided by cheap energy and the exploitation of international markets.

For true sustainability to work the middle classes must face themselves, re-examine their values and take a truly courageous lead by giving up their attachment to excessive privatism.

Digger Dom
Hackney

Green Class

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2008-05-16 09:29.

I understand what you mean, given the recent rise and rise of all things sustainable amongst the 'chattering' classes, but the issues underpinning sustainability remain the same regardless of class, gender, race and any other distinctions. We're all in this together.

Certainly what we need to guard against is a 'co-option' of the issues by a articular group who may use it to assert authority or exploit others for their own ends. Greenwashing or jumping on the bandwagon is a classic example of this kind of thing and should be rigorously resisted.

Mike
Canterbury

Please don't understand me too soon

Submitted by david on Sat, 2008-05-17 08:33.

Hi Mike and thank you very much for the response to my question.

I don't intend to reply to every repsonse, nor even contribute my own thoughts to every question posed in 'Your Point of View' in the future - after all it's 'Your' point of view - but as this is the first I thought I'd introduce myself and the idea behind it.

I'm David, the editor of Sustained, and have started 'Your Point of View' for the very simple reason of stimulating some thought and debate.

The term 'sustainability' is naturally developing a general meaning or definition, one that I'm not entirely in agreement with. If there were no climate change or looming energy crisis then Sustained would still be here.

I've therefore decided to ask questions that are a bit leftfield or provocative to hopefully draw out responses that can help us all to gain a deeper understanding of what is going on and what is needed. I really don't think 'the problem' has been properly identified yet even by leading thinkers, let alone by governments and societies. If we haven't identified the problem then can we really find appropriate solutions?

This particular question: 'Is sustainability just another occupation of the middle classes?' attempts to address the subject in the context of power relations and historical process.

Such fundamental forces that shape our entire lives simply cannot be ignored nor can we pretend that they somehow don't have bearing on the attempt to create a globally sustainable society.

Not all questions in the future will be so 'intellectual' but intellect is, in my opinion, an extremely important tool for humans and, sadly, one that appears much undervalued in the UK.

Anyway, Sustained is big enough to accommodate a little intellectual speculation from time to time. Consider this the Radio 4 corner ;o)

The real problem

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2008-05-26 15:19.

I watched the Eleventh Hour last night presented by Leonardo di Caprio and one of the experts said something like "the problem isn't climate change or running out of energy or environmental destruction. They're the symptoms. The problem is culture." I absolutely agree and think that's what you mean when you say the problem hasn't been properly identified. Thanks Sustained - keep up the great work.

Jenny
Harrogate