When you have the strongest back that you know of in your neighborhood, and it still isn’t strong enough to ethically comply with the requirements of capitalist, colonialist structures.
A straight edge is being asked for, but at the rate I’m going right now to help my neighbor get into compliance so that code enforcement will have less attention on our corner, I could do about 6 inches every two hours and would still need frequent breaks.
No worries, I will think of something such as maybe asking the community for help, although I don’t really usually have much luck with that. People will tell me to hire someone, or purchase some expensive and (for us) unethical tools etc.
but again, no worries. I will figure it out. We will work it out together because we help each other in this neighborhood. I’m just posting this as an illustration of how our ethics, tools, and body strength can be in opposition to the requirements of capitalist colonialist structures. Including both government edict and social norms.
More thoughts:
I’m strong for a 63 year old woman, but the fact that other’s (including male and younger than me) backs are less strong is a reflection of a combination of them enduring a lifetime of hard, low-paid labor; and inadequate nutrition; and probably Lack of access to health care as well.
I have experienced all those things too, but it was only starting in my 40s through age 55. And it only happened because I chose to drop out of the white collar/office professional track that I had been raised to pursue. Stepping away from this path to pursue my calling as an activist and artist was a decision I had the privilege to be able to choose, unlike other people who don’t always have a choice.
Another thing I have the privilege to be able to choose is to insist on adhering to my ecological ethics. Not everyone has that luxury. People in historically marginalized/decentered groups don’t necessarily have the option to be able to refuse to use heavy mechanized equipment to hurry up and get/stay in compliance with the mainstream social norms & regs. It might sound like a bizarre paradox, but using hand tools and insisting on the slow nonviolent approach can actually be a luxury and a privilege.
It shouldn’t be that way. The design principles and ethics of my profession (permaculture) rightfully advocate a focus on small-scale, minimally intrusive approach, and the use of hand tools rather than mechanized equipment.
The use of mechanized equipment can sometimes be a reasonable/valid choice, like when it’s a one-time use to dig a swale or other earthwork that will then be regenerative. As in, offering ongoing and multiplying benefits. With little or no additional energy input, either human or fossil.
As opposed to a repeated, never-ending maintenance treadmill requiring that loud, fumey, violent mechanized equipment every week or every month. (But even within the permaculture world, I think people too quickly go to mechanized equipment.)
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The bigger picture of what we are trying to do here:
- De-normalize noisy landscaping. There is no reason why maintaining an edge of grass should require equipment that is as loud as a chainsaw or a jackhammer. And yet, it is a suprisingly laborious operation.
- Normalize clean air and quiet landscaping as the standard.
- Via experimentation, put together an effective toolkit of small hand-tools, as few as possible, that can be easily purchased and owned by anyone, even someone who can’t afford a fancy truck, a ride-on mower, etc. This accessibility is important for many populations, including teenagers, seniors, and returning felons and other people who may have lost their drivers’ licenses. Micro landscaping business based in the neighborhood is a way to build community while earning cash (or bartering). (An effective toolkit for the most arduous grass-tasks might include old-time tools, as well as tools that don’t quite exist yet.)
See photos here on my deep green page Facebook post.
PS. The comments section in the Facebook post has gotten quite lively. To the point that I added a note saying the purpose of the post is to highlight a societal pattern, not seek advice on tools. And I asked ppl who are tempted to give advice on tools & methods to read the entire comment section first. I also responded to a person (fellow middle-aged white woman, but higher-caste than me) who talked down to me about the importance of maintaining the fitness of my aging body.
