Response to: Apocalypse: What Disasters Reveal

In the intriguing essay, Apocalypse: What Disasters Reveal, author Junot Díaz tells readers about the three different meanings of apocalypses, and how some of them can be characterized as social disasters. This terminology is interesting because it shows us how some apocalypses are results of human and societal interventions and disturbances. Díaz primarily focuses on the Haitian Earthquake that rocked the country in 2010, in his essay he provides many reasons to why this social disaster occurred. He first started off with Haiti's colonization by the French, and how the French introduced a far greater number of workers to the land, when it could only support so many. Then he moves on to how Haiti became locked in a cycle of debt due to the indemnities it paid, and how they were under indirect rule from other foreign countries including the USA. Haiti also deforested much of its land, which led to mudslides, erosion of arable land, and more dependence upon foreign foods, especially American rice. Then Díaz profoundly connects all these points back to Haiti's earthquake and how they all led up to this apocalypse. When he used that word, I was taken a-back, because I never thought of natural disasters as apocalypses. However, he has a valid point because Haiti was completely wrecked by this disaster and he connected this well to the three different meanings of apocalypses. It was also very interesting to see how Díaz connected the enormous income disparity we see today to apocalypses and how in the future  we might see rich billionaires locked away in their protective haven while everyone else just dies off in future apocalypses. But he does end the essay with a glimmer of hope as he eventually believes that human beings will "collectively take responsibility for the world" their creating in order to alleviate human misery.

Response to The End by Chad Harbach.

In this issue, Chad Harbach gives his rendition or summaries of a few popular post apocalyptic books. I found his summary of The Road by Cormac McCarthy to be the most interesting mainly because of the fact that I have also read this book. All throughout the issue Harbach's very descriptive language could possibly be considered as unprintable or offensive, especially when he goes on to describe the futuristic Jamestown.Throughout some of the text I must admit that I was a bit confused by some of the language that he used. After reading this, I will definitely take time out to read at least one of these books.

What Disasters Reveal - Jesse Aaronson

Junot Diaz makes poignant analysis of the effects of Apocalypse in his essay Apocalypse: What Disasters Reveal. The point that stood out most to me was that of the class imbalance in Haiti. Diaz states that, "the world's goodies are basically getting gobbled up by a tiny group of gluttons while the rest of us...are being deprived even the crumbs' crumbs."
This quote speaks volumes not only to the imbalance in disaster stricken countries like Haiti, but also of the current situation and growing schism in America.
The problem lies in the fact that others countries sit dormant and do not put forth the necessary funds to salvage countries after devastating natural, or social disasters.
Although much of what Diaz asserts is grim, it holds high merit. Rather than turning a blind eye to disaster, we must "stare into the ruins--bravely, resolutely--and we must see."
There will be more Haitis and we must look at these disasters not as sob stories, but rather as valuable lessons to advance our world and prevent the devastation from striking again.

Response to "Apocalypse: What Disasters Reveal" by Junot Díaz - Alex Kendig

Apocalypse—this word has and continues to scare many individuals who are concerned with the fate of our world. Many envision an apocalypse in the form of an asteroid heading directly towards Earth or massive volcanic eruptions that cover continents in an inescapable layer of lava, but Junot Díaz thinks differently: he views apocalypses as social disasters that have and will continue to plague our planet. Instead of an asteroid, Díaz sees an earthquake in a poverty-stricken Haiti, and instead of lava, Díaz sees the radiation emitted onto Ukrainian citizens after the Chernobyl accident. Díaz argues that apocalypses like these are completely preventable if only we choose to address these issues head-on and learn from the apocalypses of the past. He argues, “catastrophes give us a chance to see the aspects of our world that we as a society seek to run from, what we hide behind veils of denial,” (Díaz Location 19). Thus, apocalypses provide a chance to learn and reanalyze the world we live in. I completely agree with Díaz’ thinking on this issue: we must use past apocalypses as reminders of what our world could look like if we leave certain groups of people in the dust of poverty and oppression. As humans we must lift each other up into a strong, unified front that no “natural” disaster could quell. The aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake proved that we are all able work together if we set aside cultural differences, so why wait until the next disaster to unite on an international level? Why not work together today to cure the current social injustices in places that will be the epicenters of future apocalypses? I very much agree with Junot Díaz about what we should learn from these social disasters, and I hope to see countries and cultures setting aside their differences to protect future civilizations from their impending dooms should we continue to discriminate and oppress the less fortunate.