Bob Pease from Deakin and the University of Tasmania gave a strident, clear and passionate about the privileged irresponsibility relating to global warming, and the environment, structured violence that it brings.
He brought a clear criticism of the term and concept of resilience, suggesting as a concept it is not connected at all to political frameworks of of capitalism, neoliberalism, which
Resilience can also be seen as a conservative framework, depending upon how it is used by those in power. Some people talk more of resourcefulness than resilience. Resilience is a dangerous concept. it doesn’t address the broader structural inequalities of society.
He feels that the discussion needs to shift from resilience, to privilege, which is a systematic embedding of power. Many people are not aware of this, there is a invisibility to privilege. There is deep senses of entitlement that goes with it, and the failure of privilege to acknowledge the exercise of power, is what is called privilege irresponsibility.
Global warming is one of the most significant manifestations of privilege to face humankind and Global warming as a form of structural violence. Clobal warming is created by conservative, white, privileged men, who are least likely to be affected by it, and are seeking technical solutions to social problems.
What needs to be done about it?
- Have to link natural disasters to social, economics, and cultural relations
- . Shift the focus from vulnerability to disasters and climate change to the role of privileged groups in reproducing climate change related
- change relationships of men to the environment
- develop a critical ethic of care among men
This was one of the most thought provoking presentations i’ve heard for sometime.
Sastrugi 