Man vs. the Environment

The environment can be something as vast as global weather patterns or as simple as the desert regions. With the advent of many technologies, the delicate balance of the environment has been upset (Elliot, 1961, p. 392). Strip mining, slash and burn farming, damming of rivers, and the extinction of many species of plants and animals have all lead to the permanent changing of the environment. Some say the change is for good, and others say for the change is for worse, but what is good about the ozone hole, rising global temperatures, and over irrigation causing the spread of arid conditions in once fertile locations (Eitzen, 2000, p. 79). Is this interference the fault of the capitalist sys-tem or just the mortal man? In my opinion it is the fault of the man for having, the attitude of use what we need and do not worry about the concencuios. Man started the raping of earth back when the first colonist made the long voyage across the Atlantic to start their new life in America. Uncontrolled burning of the forest was done to make way for the intruders’ villages, towns, and cities. Once estab-lished the settlers needed more room for farms and bigger cities so again they pushed into the forest causing the Na-tive Americans and the wildlife to withdraw further into interior of the continent. Let us move forward a hundred or so years in history the settling of the American Great Plains. One of the big-gest violations of the environment was taking place, the buffalo hunters, and the extermination of the Native Ameri-cans and their culture. The Great Plains, before the arri-val of the buffalo hunter must have been a remarkable sight. The countryside must have looked like it was a mov-ing carpet of bison. With over 60 million buffalo roaming the plains (Pendley, 1995,p. 124) at one time man saw this as a threat to its complete control of the continent, so he sent out his fingers of death, the buffalo hunter. It was these “fingers” that slain approximately 60 million of these ingenious creatures (Pendley, 1995, p. 125). The re-ward for this was given directly to the man in the form of money, moreover; these men volunteered to shoot these help-less animals. Once done with the slaughtering of the bison man needed more land so that they could strip the earth of additional resources. Next, man turned its sights on the Native Americans. The Native Americans major staple was the buffalo (Pendley, 1995, p. 120) and with the near extinction of these animals, it was easy for the colonist to convince the Native Americans to move. The Native Americans in many ways: by killing them if they resisted, offering the Native Americans money for their land, or by just removing them from the land without notice. Once completed with the evacuation 3 million Native Americans had perished (Pendley, 1995, p. 121). Some will say that it is the fault of the system for upsetting the delicate balance of the environment, but man is to blame. Can the system strike flint and steel to-gether to start a fire? Can the system raise a musket take aim and shoot a defenseless animal? Can the system ride horse and forcefully remove Native Americans from their na-tive land? Sure, the system can give you the training to gain the skills necessary to do these act, but the choice is up to the man whether or not to pull the trigger mount the horse or strike that flint and steel. No it is ulti-mately mans choice to make the decisions and carry out the orders. What about the money you may ask? A person should have enough intestinal fortitude to be able to make the en-vironmental right choice. In my mind it is as easy if not easier to raise a family on an environmentally farm than to raise a musket and shoot. References Eitzem, D. S. , Zinn M. B. (2000). Social Problems. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Elliot, K. , Merrill. (1961). Social Disorganization. New York: Harper and Row. Pendley, W. (1995). War on the Wild West. Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing Inc.

References: Eitzem, D. S. , Zinn M. B. (2000). Social Problems. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Elliot, K. , Merrill. (1961). Social Disorganization. New York: Harper and Row. Pendley, W. (1995). War on the Wild West. Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing Inc.