The Emperor's New S.U.V - The Original Essay, 1999

Many people are in denial regarding their social and environmental responsibility.
Mitchell Thomashow, 1995

Once upon a time, there was a great kingdom in the north. It was the wealthiest, most powerful realm in all the land, and it's citizens enjoyed a standard of living higher than that of any other. Their wealth was largely based on the riches of their land which they believed would last forever. Even as forests disappeared around them, and soil washed into the sea, they accelerated their use of resources. Even as the air grew thick and gray, and rivers caught fire, they failed to see the costs of their wealth. Even as the animals they claimed to respect disappeared beneath the weight of luxury, they maintained an "inability to question economic growth, the distribution of wealth, capital mobility, population growth, and the scale and purposes of technology" (Orr, 1994, p. 71).
"The intense pressure of imagery" in this strange kingdom caused land to "be treated like a commodity; and voices that tend to contradict the proffered image" to be "silenced or discredited by those in power" (Lopez, 1992, p.124 125). Although some subjects, and even cabinet members, harbored deep questions, all were afraid to raise them. And so it was that the kingdom became "defined according to dictates of Progress" (Lopez, 1992, p.125), and those subjects deemed worthy enjoyed a "binge... fueled by fantasies of power, wealth, and mobility" (Orr, 1994, p. 202).
Yet despite all the power, wealth, and mobility, the people were not happy. They felt empty and alone, but refused to say anything out loud for fear of reprisal. After all, "Neither the trustees nor the administration... seems to believe that a crisis is coming" (Perrin in Orr, 1994, p.126). And so it was that a "belief in perpetual growth and the rationality of self interest over community interests" (Orr, 1994, p. 183) worked against any significant long term protection of the land.
Even as the rains came during the dry season and drought plagued the wet season, it remained "an article of faith... that technology" would rescue them "from all sorts of ecological malfeasance and hubris" (Orr, 1994, p. 179). And so it was that this "the problem of denial" (Orr, 1994, p. 145) resulted in the insidious practice of "discounting the future" (Orr, 1994, p.84).
One day while the king and his court were parading down the streets of gold plate in their shiny new sport utility vehicles, a small boy spoke the words so many others were afraid to say. "This insane human adventure, called the technological society, needs to take pause, become wiser, and reconsider its direction" (Collin, 1992, p.81).
It was a small voice among the large crowd, but those around him heard well enough to add their voices.
"A society's conceptual relationship to nature is at the core of its culture: it is a relationship that underlies what we believe and how we live" (Sauer, 1992, p. 1).
"The end of an era of cheap energy is a fundamental economic turning point" (Orr, 1994, p. 187).
"Why then do we find it so difficult to do what is merely obvious and necessary?" (Orr, 1994, p. 70).
As the procession ground to a sudden halt, the crowd grew silent. The king stepped out of his immaculate S.U.V. and walked slowly toward the boy. The sound of his alligator shoes against the gold plated bricks filled the hushed street. He stood over the boy and stared for a moment before speaking. "What is this you speak, boy?"
"I speak the truth."
"The truth? You speak the truth?"
"Yes, I speak the truth that must be told."
"Enlighten me, boy."
"But the truth that must be told cannot be spoken only or even primarily in the language and with the numbers of economics alone" (Orr, 1994, p. 173).
"Teach me."
"To teach 'is to create a space in which the community of truth is practiced' (Palmer, 1998, p. 90). Yet, the education provided by your royal academies, 'has lacked the courage to ask itself what kind of world its graduates will inherit and what kind of world they will be prepared to build' (Orr, 1994, p.129)."
The king was silent for a long time while he took in the young man's words. All eyes were anxiously upon him as his blind faith was exposed to the world. His soul lay naked before the crowd. Finally he spoke. "Among all of my subjects, why is it that only you, a young boy, has the courage to speak such words?"
"Please sir, do not consider me a subject. I am more than that. I am a citizen as all of us should be." He turned to address the crowd. "The ecologically aware citizen takes responsibility for the place where he or she lives, understands the importance of making collective decisions regarding the commons, seeks to contribute to the common good, identifies with bioregions and ecosystems rather than obsolete nation states or transnational corporations, considers the wider impact of his or her actions, is committed to mutual and collaborative community building, observes the flow of power in controversial issues, attends to the quality of interpersonal relationships in political discourse, and acts according to his or her convictions" (Thomashow, 1995, p. 139).
When the boy had finished, the crowd again fell silent. Eyes shifted from the king, to the boy, and back to the king. In a moment that no one will ever forget, his royal majesty slipped the fingers of his right hand around the gold band that clung to his left wrist. With his thumb, he peeled back the gold clasp and freed the time piece. Slowly and deliberately, he raised the Rolex above his head so that everyone would know what was to follow. He held it a arms length, flipping it back and forth between his thumb and forefinger until he was satisfied that even those in the back of the crowd would understand immediately.
Suddenly, and with more passion than he had shown in a lifetime, the king hurled the watch to the ground and stomped it beneath his foot. A great cheer rose to the rooftops as the boy was hoisted high on shoulders and carried through the town.
The spell was broken! The people were free! And they all lived sustainably ever after (Anderson, 1995).




Bibliography


Anderson, H. C. (1995). The Emperor's New Clothes (E. Haugaard, Trans.). New
York: Penguin Books. (Original translation copyright 1974)
Collin, G. (1992). In P. Sauer (Ed.), Finding Home: Writing on Nature and Culture
from Orion Magazine. (p. 81). Boston: Beacon Press.
Lopez, B. (1992). The American Geographies. In P. Sauer (Ed.), Finding Home:
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Beacon Press.
Orr, D.W. (1994). Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human
Prospect. Washington, DC: Island Press. Palmer, P. (1998). The Courage To Teach. San Francisco: Josey Bass. Sauer, P. (Ed.), (1992). Finding Home: Writing on Nature and Culture from Orion
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Thomashow, M. (1995). Ecological Identity: Becoming a Reflective
Environmentalist. Cambridge: The MIT Press.