Wow, this was stunning and what a perfect framing device to use the devil and the deep blue sea. You pose the resounding question of why we continue to do this to the planet. I think the very unsatisfying answer is it’s the devil we know.
A heart shattering tale (that I wish was fiction), asking the right questions. There is certainly an epic divide between those who see it one way and those who don’t.
Your drawing is amazing and ties in perfectly with what is happening to our world. Thank you Julie💕
Thanks for this Julie. I am with you completely. I remember when that happened I couldn't sleep. I kept dreaming of all the sea life dying horribly, I would wake up and not be able to manage the knowledge that they couldn't stop the oil they'd tapped from flowing into the ocean. My children were very small at that time, and I could barely explain it to them--they were reading books about happy animals and the wonders of the ocean, and I thought, what are we doing? I remember at that time I started carpooling more, and I was already using less plastic, riding my bike, etc. I kept hearing people talk about why I shouldn't be as depressed about it as I was, or reading newspaper columns about why we shouldn't overreact because of this against fossil fuels, and I thought, "They sound like addicts rationalizing, telling the people around them who can feel that something's terribly wrong why they are crazy." So I really resonated with this piece. Thanks for sharing it.
It's a comfort to know the pain of this one is still as raw for others as it is for me. I still just have notes in folders, mostly about the marine mammal impacts, and no real writing to show for it. This is so well done, Julie. Thank you.
Beautiful, Julie. Your drawing, the devil’s card, Gabriel Garcia Marquez—what a combination of elements to illustrate this hubris. I can’t believe the well was named Macondo. That’s one of those you-can’t-make-this-shit-up details. Thank you for sharing this piece!
Thank you for the Marquez reminder. Without your quotation, I'd have forgotten the name Macondo. It's time to reread that book.... As for the rest: Ugh! :-(
I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Such a wonderful writers and how well he depicted this disaster. I didn’t know about it, in 2010 I wasn’t watching the news much… what a different world. Only 14 years ago.
Powerful and essential storytelling here, Julie. How any one of us accepts the path of destruction we are on is unfathomable to me, but the system is designed to support itself at any cost.
Thanks for this, Julie. I worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service at the time, and was deployed to do Natural Resources Damage Assessment at the spill. It was a completely bizarre and disorienting experience. Your description of the devil card is apt.
Wow, this was stunning and what a perfect framing device to use the devil and the deep blue sea. You pose the resounding question of why we continue to do this to the planet. I think the very unsatisfying answer is it’s the devil we know.
A heart shattering tale (that I wish was fiction), asking the right questions. There is certainly an epic divide between those who see it one way and those who don’t.
Your drawing is amazing and ties in perfectly with what is happening to our world. Thank you Julie💕
Thanks for this Julie. I am with you completely. I remember when that happened I couldn't sleep. I kept dreaming of all the sea life dying horribly, I would wake up and not be able to manage the knowledge that they couldn't stop the oil they'd tapped from flowing into the ocean. My children were very small at that time, and I could barely explain it to them--they were reading books about happy animals and the wonders of the ocean, and I thought, what are we doing? I remember at that time I started carpooling more, and I was already using less plastic, riding my bike, etc. I kept hearing people talk about why I shouldn't be as depressed about it as I was, or reading newspaper columns about why we shouldn't overreact because of this against fossil fuels, and I thought, "They sound like addicts rationalizing, telling the people around them who can feel that something's terribly wrong why they are crazy." So I really resonated with this piece. Thanks for sharing it.
Love an amuse-bouche
It's a comfort to know the pain of this one is still as raw for others as it is for me. I still just have notes in folders, mostly about the marine mammal impacts, and no real writing to show for it. This is so well done, Julie. Thank you.
Beautiful, Julie. Your drawing, the devil’s card, Gabriel Garcia Marquez—what a combination of elements to illustrate this hubris. I can’t believe the well was named Macondo. That’s one of those you-can’t-make-this-shit-up details. Thank you for sharing this piece!
Thank you for the Marquez reminder. Without your quotation, I'd have forgotten the name Macondo. It's time to reread that book.... As for the rest: Ugh! :-(
I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Such a wonderful writers and how well he depicted this disaster. I didn’t know about it, in 2010 I wasn’t watching the news much… what a different world. Only 14 years ago.
This post should spark contemplation and existential questions. Well done and beautiful!
A long time ago i discovered there was an oil spill right here in NYC and barely anyone mentions it despite obvious health and other concerns.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpoint_oil_spill
I still won’t eat shrimp from the gulf because of the dispersant they used to “clean up” the mess. It’s sad too be gulf shrimp are the best.
Powerful and essential storytelling here, Julie. How any one of us accepts the path of destruction we are on is unfathomable to me, but the system is designed to support itself at any cost.
Thanks for this, Julie. I worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service at the time, and was deployed to do Natural Resources Damage Assessment at the spill. It was a completely bizarre and disorienting experience. Your description of the devil card is apt.
Thanks for drawing attention to this. Lessons can only be learned if a variety of voices are analysing what went wrong and how we can do better.