144K likes, 4,979 comments - aoc on August 4, 2023: “It’s been a while since my last live! Just saying hi, student loan updates, talking about clima…”

  • Andy@slrpnk.net
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    1 year ago

    Okay, I was interested in this enough to find out that I can scroll through in the app, and I found the relevant section.

    At around 18 min remaining (that’s how IG counts time apparently) someone asks how she deals with climate despondency, and she replies:

    I am a big believer in… how do I put this? Not just climate optimism, but I’ll call it – well, I won’t call it, this is already a cultural term, – like, Solarpunk. I think that science fiction plays a really important cultural role, because the easiest thing to imagine is the collapse of society. You ever notice that it’s way easier to imagine everything going to hell than it is things working out and getting better?

    I think that’s where science fiction plays a role, because we have to re-imagine – here’s the thing: people are reactive, and the challenges that the climate crisis presents to us are going to require a reorganization of a lot of parts of our society, and a lot of people don’t like to be proactive, and they’d like to walk with a cardboard box on their head until they reach a wall, and the world stops them. And instead of us just consume-consume-consume guzzle-guzzle-guzzle exploit-exploit-exploit work ourselves to death… grind together, till we drop … instead of doing that, which is how our government and politics usually operates, what if we just proactively tried to change before the earth makes this current way of being unsustainable? And if we make these proactive investments now – and there’s so many people doing such incredible work, whether it’s regenerative agriculture, or whether it’s passive architecture, or it’s fusion energy research – there’s so many people that are building a better world, and it’s not that it doesn’t exist, it’s here. And so I don’t ascribe climate to doom because it serves no purpose. It only hurts, it only slows us down, it serves no need, it doesn’t help us get to a better place, and it’s profoundly harmful on an individual level.

    Cynicism in general leads you down a dark path. I get it, and have felt that way, But I never felt better than when I decided to check in my cynicism at the door and at least try. And I’d like to at least go down trying rather than going down passively accepting having no agency in the world.

    So when it comes to climate optimism, I definitely think that if you look into things like solarpunk art, and you’ll see depictions of what a better future looks like… I do think we’re going to have to make some big changes.I don’t think this mindless consumption is good for anyone. … Let’s say you’re on the left… a lot of people take these positions because they think it’s morally right. But we’re getting to the point where it’s not just about morals… it’s not going to be an argument. Our systems are not sustainable, and I don’t mean that in the buzzword way, I mean that they are going to collapse. And certain things collapsing doesn’t mean doom: they mean we need to make space for a better day. Some things don’t need to be saved. … [But] there are some things that need to be nurtured. So if you look into solarpunk, and what that looks like… it means that we need to change our food system… factory farming … health … There are some things that are going to have to change. I don’t think that change is going to be for the worse. I think if we’re all engaged and give a damn, I think those things are going to change for the better.

      • Andy@slrpnk.net
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        1 year ago

        I just really wanted to know what she had to say.

        Overall, I think that’s a great summary, and pretty relatable. I’m curious what her media diet is like. I’m guessing she doesn’t quite have the time to browse Lemmy, but it’s another reminder that this philosophy is really taking root culturally. Based on the video, I’m guessing she’s getting stuff from Instagram.

        What’s interesting is that one of the early examples of solarpunk storytelling that comes to mind for me is a video she voiced for an animated short posted by the Intercept, in which she looks back on the climate crisis as an old woman living in a solarpunk future. So this definitely is on-brand for her.

        A Message From the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

        • j_roby@slrpnk.net
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          1 year ago

          I was curious too, but had no interest in clicking an IG link. So again, I’m grateful for your transcription

  • Andy@slrpnk.net
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    1 year ago

    Can you summarize the context? I don’t really have the patience for this format. I can’t see how long the video is or adjust speed or scroll through. I just wish I could read a transcript or something.

    • Sam BOT@slrpnk.netB
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      1 year ago

      Yeah that sucks sorry. I’m mostly a bot. I’ll block instagram so I don’t post this shit again.

        • Sam BOT@lemmy.worldOPB
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          1 year ago

          I already stopped it posting stuff from Facebook, Twitter, & TikTok. IG was just an oversight.

          • Andy@slrpnk.net
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            1 year ago

            I don’t know if you saw in my other comment, but I actually found out how to scroll through, and then transcribed the relevant section. I also shared this post on a Discord server and Reddit. I’m really grateful that you posted this here.