My Imaginary Bunker

I really do enjoy this reading by Megan Meyhew Bergman, as she uses a really unique tone to emphasize her points about sustainability and human effects on the environment. Bergman uses a dark twist of sarcasm and comedy to talk about such grim topics as our own demise. These snippets of dark humor, such as the seed of anxiety that she recently had "blossom" inside of her deeply contrast and emphasize her serious points, such as her discussion of her daughters' futures and whether or not their offspring will have a future. Bergman also ridicules herself and her family's practices; despite her self-righteous ways of recycling and reusing, she creates just about as much carbon emission as anyone in the country. I was not expecting someone to consider their own lives and the impacts that they have had, negative or positive, on the environment because I would expect many people to call out others and raise themselves up on a pedestal. Bergman does not, and I find this really interesting and quite special.

"My Imaginary Bunker"

I really enjoyed Bergman's tone: It was somewhat sarcastic and certainly humorous, but it really brought to light important details about a crucial issue. I particularly enjoyed her bit about armchair activism, as well as her observation that, try as she might, in this world it is still very difficult to do your part for the good of the environment (even when you drive a prius, eat vegetarian, and drink out of salsa jars). I think the world would benefit from having more people like Bergman (without the anxiety), but I think the average person does far less than even the neurotic author of this article. In some ways the article is an admittance of her own failures, but even more, it points out the failures of the human race as a whole, failures which we will soon have to deal with.

My Imaginary Bunker

My Imaginary Bunker by Megan Mayhew Bergman speaks to the majority of people who are letting the unknown happen.  Even though it is known that each day our carbon footprints add to the destruction of the earth, it is unknown of what the end result and the effects that follow will be.  The points she made about environmental anxiety and letting climate change happen hit home.  I have had moments like Bergman described, when I enter the downward spiral of anxiety.  I worry about what will happen to our environment in the future and how it will affect our daily lives.  I worry that there is no plausible solution.  I worry for the animal kingdom and future generations.  It, too, makes me feel guilty, but as mentioned in class it is hard to make a change when the events of daily life pull me back into the realm of ignorance.  The struggle of looking out for the world, yet looking out for oneself is still and will always continue to be one.

My Imaginary Bunker

I found it very interesting that the author, Megan Mayhew Bergman, in “My Imaginary Bunker” was someone who regularly tried her best to help the environment, but thought her own “righteousness” felt “useless”. If a vegetarian who would recycle, drive a hybrid, and do other energy-saving techniques thought her own efforts were inadequate, what does that say about the ordinary person who doesn’t? Does that person also feel the “environment apocalypse” as strongly as Bergman? I know I didn’t before reading the article. I only began recycling a couple of years ago when my neighborhood received huge green trash bins where a truck would come every two weeks to collect. However, I never thought that climate change would ever amount to a huge problem even though I knew it existed and affected our lives.  And I guess, like Bergman said, if I thought it was really crucial, then  “someone would approach the President, tug on his sleeve, and whisper in his ear:  It’s time. Roll out the Teslas and solar panels.”  The problem is that when tragedy or something catastrophic happens, people usually would wait for or rely on change from others, thinking that there is already someone out there who will save us. It’s a really strong message to help people reevaluate their current living.