Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

2017

Challenging the Dark Pools of Neoliberal Affect in Materialist Challenging the Dark Pools of Neoliberal Affect in Materialist

Theories Theories

Stephanie Buongiorno

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ChallengingtheDarkPoolsofNeoliberalAffectin

MaterialistTheories

StephanieBuongiorno

ThesissubmittedtotheEberlyCollegeofArtsandSciences

atWestVirginiaUniversity

inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeof

MasterofArtsinEnglishLiterature

LowellDuckert,Ph.D.,ChairMichaelGermana,Ph.D.

JohnJones,Ph.D.

DepartmentofEnglish

Morgantown,WestVirginia2017

Keywords:Neoliberalism,Materialism,WaterDegradationCopyright2017StephanieBuongiorno

ABSTRACT

ChallengingtheDarkPoolsofNeoliberalAffectin

MaterialistTheories

StephanieBuongiorno

ThisthesisarguesthatmaterialisttheorieslikeOOOsubversivelycreateafoundationforNeoliberalismandshowshowreadaptingmaterialisttheoriescombinedwithSCUBAsubmersiondestabilizesNeoliberalism.Materialisttheoriesannouncethemselvesasveneratorsofobjectsbyarguingthatallactorscontainleveledimportance,andthusarenotdefinedastoolsforhumanexploitation.Yet,levelingallobjectshasunevensocialresults.Whilelevelingtheimportanceofanobjectwithallotherobjects,materialisttheoriesjustifythesubjugationofinvisiblebodiesandremoveconversationfromsocialconcernsthataredenouncedasnotontologicallypresent.ThisthesisdestabilizesmaterialisttheoriesthatbolsterNeoliberalismbyarguingthatsocialissuesareontologicallypresentfortheyhavematerialcompositions.Thisargumenttakesacloselookriversbecausewaterwaysaretiedtosocialdominanceandunevensocialladders.ThisthesisconcludesthatapplyingflatontologytoriversandusingsubmersionasawaytobringthebasintothesurfacedenaturalizesourimmersioninNeoliberalphilosophiesandcanrecreateourunderstandingofhumanandnon-humanactors.

Buongiorno iii

TableofContents

ChapterI:RhetoricandtheProductionofEcology.......................... 9

ChapterII:RereadingMapsthroughFlatOntology.......................... 32

ChapterIII:APoliticsofInclusion.......................................... 46

ChapterIV:CreatingaMapofAcidStainedRocks........................... 62

Buongiorno1

ChallengingtheDarkPoolsofNeoliberalAffectinMaterialistTheories

Theterm“neoliberalism”hasnottrickleddowntovernacularEnglish.Its

absencespeakstooneofitsperpetuators:theoppressedcannotseetheoppressor.

AsHenryGirouxstates,“neoliberalismhasevolvedintooneofthemostwidespread,

antidemocratictendenciesofthenewmillennium”(30).Neoliberalismreigns

throughitssymbolicpower,whichpaintsseductiveillustrationsofanationof

liberatedindividuals(i.e.freemarket,freeland,freethinker).Afterall,howcana

subjectbeoppressedbyaneconomicsystemiftheyareallowedtocompeteina

“free”market?Neoliberalism’ssymbolicpowercreatesabstractobjectsbytaking

thevast,complexthingsthatexistwithinanecologicalwebofrelationsand

compressingthemintosingularidealsthatareextractedandthenposedasinsideor

externaltotheliberatedindividual.Thesymbolicpowerdisguisesanddistorts

neoliberalism’sdraconianpowerrelationswithhumanandnonhumanlabor.While

Neoliberalismisaglobalphenomenon,mythesiswilllookathowsuchdestructive

affectisacongratulatedpartofAmericanculture.Environmentalexploitationis

encouragedbecauseafrontierofresources.Humanexploitationispromisedtolead

hardworkingindividualsintotheirdreams.

Neoliberalismisnotstrictlyasocial,cultural,oreconomicstructure.Instead,it

isanecologicalstructurethatisinconstantengagementwiththewaysinwhich

spaceisorganized.Materialisttheories,whilelookingatinteractionsasecological,

haveatendencyofoverlookingtheroleofneoliberalism’sdriveforcapital

accumulationinhumanandnonhumaninteractions.While,theindividualrootsof

Buongiorno2

neoliberalismareoftendiscussedinmaterialisttheoriesintermsofdestructive

eventsthatreapcapitalprofitsattheexpenseoftheenvironmentasweknowit,(i.e.

oilspills,deforestation,mining),neoliberalismisnotanalyzedasanecological

system.SomematerialistslikeIanBogostandLeviBryanthaveclaimed

neoliberalism(andpowerstructureslikeneoliberalismthatrequirehumanactors

fortheirperpetuation)arenotontologicallypresent.Suchanassertionmisses

powerfulimplicationsofcapitalflowonthewayobjectsandspaceareproduced.By

lookingatneoliberalismecologically,wearelookingatitasanactual,physical

location,organizingandappropriatingmaterialspace.Fromthispoint,Iarguefor

wayswecancritiqueandtransformourrelationshipwithneoliberalismandthus

ourselvessincewearemeshedwithinthewebofecology.Doingsomeansanalyzing

thewaysinwhichneoliberalismperformsthroughrhetoricalpowertocreatea

dominator/subjugatedbinary.Materialismschallengebinaryrhetoric,offeringa

foundationfordismantlingneoliberalpower.Yet,indoingso,purematerialismlike

OOOtakeaU-turnandsubversivelyrecreateaplatformforneoliberalismtogrow.

Whythisiswillbeexploredindetail.Inpart,thisisbecauseOOOexcuses

exploitativebusinessbehaviorasontologicallyneutral.But,Iamcuriousabouthow

OOOaspracticedbyBogostandBryant(excusingenvironmental,socio-economic,

andracialexploitationasthingsthatarenotontologicallypresentandthereforenot

aconcernofmaterialism):itisinfluencedbyandinturninfluencesneoliberalism.

Aselectiveuseofmaterialisttheories,though,cansupplyitsthinkerswith

toolstodismantleneoliberalism.Inthisthesis,Iexaminehowthismightwork.Jane

BennettandTimothyMortonofferwayswecanbuildintimaterelationshipswith

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thenonhumanthatbondhumanandnonhumanentitiesinwaysthatdetersthe

behaviorsofquickcapitalgrowthincludinglaborexploitationandindiscriminant

wastedumping(rivers,oceans,etc.),oftendumpedonsilencedcommunities.

However,thetoolsetmaterialisttheoriesgiveusforreframingourrelationshipwith

ecologyissomewhatincomplete.Materialistswithahumanistbenttendtoposition

uscerebrally.Thesecrettoarespectfulrelationshipispracticingnewwaysof

thinking.Whilethisisnecessary,reframingourthoughtsiseasiersaidthandone.

Instead,Iargueweshouldbuildatactilerelationshipwithdegradationinorderto

assistreframingourthought.AsRitaWongargues,scholarshipthatdiscussesour

relationshipwithenvironmentaldegradationisoftentimesexclusive.And,as

observedbysimplywalkingoutside,vernacularresourcesthatdiscuss

environmentaldegradationareoften,asMarisolCortezputsit,patronizingand

closeusoffbecauseofshame.Or,asSusanSontagnotes,vernacularwaysof

engagingwithtrauma,suchasthroughphotography,causeustowanttodenythe

actionsbecauseweareplacedinatormentingposition:wecanseeproblems,and

candonothingaboutitbecausetheimageisfrozenandourdesiresareunreachable.

Buildingatactilerelationshipwithecology(inthiscase,theeconomy,materialist

theories,andtheenvironment)canincludemanythings.Mytitleplaysofftheterm,

“darkpools,”becauseIobservethewaysinwhichcapitalistdegradationhidesitself

onthefloorsofwaterwaysthuscontinuingthemyththattheeconomyandthe

environmentbalancethemselves.

Mythesislooksatneoliberalism’srelationshipwithfreshwaterriversand

buildingaframeworkthatcollapsesthecapitalistbinaryofaninside/outside

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relationshipthroughsubmersion,andinthiscase,SCUBAsubmersion.Icentermy

analysisoftheenvironmentaroundfreshwaterbecause,asCeciliaChenpointsout,

“theachievementofdominationoverwatercourses(howevertemporary)coincides

withanintensificationofsocialdomination”(6).

Whethermaterialistthinkingoffersafoundationfordisenfranchisementor

suppliesthetoolstoleveldisenfranchisementisaresultofwhoisarbitrating

materialism.Myclaimiscontroversialgiventhatvariantsofmaterialistthinking,

likeOOO,arguefortheirroleincreatingadiscourseoverwhat“reallyis.”But,

claimingthisauthorityisdangerous.AsanalyzedinChapterone,BogostandBryant

useOOO’s“objectivity”todeclare“whatis,”verses,“whatisnot,”whichexcludes

socialdisenfranchisementfromanontologicalpresence.Atpointsmyarguments

bristlewithsteadfastmaterialiststances.Human-centricethicalconcernsare

revisitedthroughoutthispiecethroughamaterialistandevenontologicallens,and

empathyisextendedtohumanandnonhumanentitiesasawayofdevelopinga

politicsofinclusionbetweenallobjects.JaneBennett’sconceptofvibrant

materialityinfluencesmyapproachtowardsmaterialism.AccordingtoBennett,

materialformationshavelivelypowersthatinfluenceactionwithinan

interconnectedwebofactors(viii).Neoliberalismdoesnotonlyrequirethe

subjugationofhumanlaborthatMarxarticulated,butalsothesubjugationofthe

nonhuman.Ourinteractionswiththenonhumansubsequentlyeffectshowwe

interactwithourselves.Apoliticsofinclusioninfluencedbyvibrantmateriality

denaturalizesneoliberalviolenceandchallengesitsauthoritativevoice,enablinga

lookintomaterialisttheoriesasneoliberal.Bydoingso,wewillbelookingatwhat

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PatriciaYaegerterms“Ecocriticism$,”or,“aprosthetictermthatinsistsonthe

imbroglioofmarketsandnature(529).

Chapterone,“RhetoricandtheProductionofEcology,”isconcernedwiththe

rhetoricofneoliberalismandhowitworkstoproduceandreshapespacewith

ethicalimplications.Rhetoricisobservedashavingadraconianrelationshipwith

theenvironmentacrossaspectrumofvoicesfromthevernaculartothescholarly,

whilethosewhoaremostimplicatedbyenvironmentalcatastrophe,whoRobNixon

termsasthe“disposablepeople,”mustsufferthemostintenseconsequencesof

resourceexploitationbecausetheylackthelinguisticcapital(linguisticauthority)

fortheirnarrativestobetakenseriously.Neoliberalismcreatesabinarythrough

rhetoricthatseparatestheinsidefromtheoutsidetocreateanexternalfrontierof

resourcesripeforexploitation.Denaturalizingrhetoricthatveilsneoliberalism’s

destructiverelationshipwithwaterispertinenttoourrevaluationofecology.The

languagethatsubjugatesenvironmentalresourcesspillsacrossborders,and

discourseneedsanewwayoforganizingwaterthatexcludesbinarythinking.

Mooreidentifiesaparadoxwithinacademiaashepointsout:“mostscholarsagree

thathumanityisindeedapartofnature”(33).ScholarsrejecttheCartesiandualism

thatputshumansandnatureinseparateboxes.Yet,“conceptualvocabulariesand

analyticalframeworksthatgovernourempiricalinvestigationsremainfirmly

entrenchedintheinteractionofthesetwobasic,impenetrableunits”(33).Moore

callsthisthedoubleyes.OOOrespondstothisissuebycollapsingthebinaries

betweenobjects.However,IanBogostandLeviBryanturgeustolookatmateriality

underapremisethatdisregardsraceandsymbolicpower.Theirconstructionof

Buongiorno6

materialismthroughOOOdirectlyaddressesbodiesdeemedlessvaluable,and

continueslanguageinawaythatdisregardsthembyarguingraceandsocialpower

arenotmaterial,despitetheirevidentontologicalpresencebytheirreal,material

effects.Rhetoricdrivesanartificialchasmbetweenecology,theeconomy,andsocial

justice,andalthoughthechasmisartificial,ithasdireconsequences.

Chaptertwo,“RereadingMapsthroughFlatOntology,”analyzestherhetoricof

themodernmapasasymptomofanddriverforneoliberalismandenvironmental

degradationbecauseofthemap’sauthoritative,symbolicpowerthatannounces

itselfasanaccuraterepresentationofalocation,notanexternalizedabstraction.I

analyzeaUSArmyCorpsofEngineersmaplookingattheMonongahelaRiverfrom

Pittsburgh,PennsylvaniatoFairmont,WestVirginia.TheatlashousingthemapIam

interestedin(onethatlooksatalocalspotoftherivernearMorgantown,West

Virginia)openswithlegaltextthatannounces“thelaw”oftheriver.Thelawsection

positionstheriverasahumantoolandallactionsdonetomaintaintheriverdoso

fornavigationalpurposes.Theauthoritativevoicewhatshouldandshouldnotbe

donewiththeriverdoesnottakeintoconsiderationriversasvitalentities,nordoes

itaddresstheenvironmentalhazardsofsomeoftheeventsitaddresses(loose

cargo,lostbarges,etc.).ByanalyzingthespecificmapfromtheatlasIquestionhow

thebinarythinking(surface/depth)thatassiststhegrowthofneoliberalismcanbe

challengedbyaselectiveuseofflatontology,thusmeshingthesurfacewiththe

depthtobringmorerelevancetounseen(andnotthoughtof)areas.Coal,acid

drainage,andotherpollutantslinethebottomsofrivers,whicharenotcontended

withinoursurface-orientedriverimages.Bycompressingthebasinandsurfaceof

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theriverflorescentorangeacidstainedrocksarediscovered.Theseflorescentrocks

bringusintoourfinaltwoChapters.

Chapter3,“APoliticsofInclusion,”andChapter4,“CreatingaMapofAcid

StainedRocks,”areexperimental.RitaWongarguesthatweneedaradicalnewway

ofunderstandingourrelationshipwithwatersinceourcurrentwaysofengaging

withthedegradationofwatersinceourcurrentmeasureshavebecomeeither

naturalized,orasSusanSontagargues,distancedfrombecausepopularwaysof

engagingwithtrauma(images,newssources,etc.)areparalyzing.Similarly,

TimothyMortonwritesthatecologicalawareness’sentailsthedissolutionof

foregroundandbackground—astatethatisinherentlyoverwhelming(Hyper

Objects104).

Chapter3,APoliticsofInclusion,”proposesoneradicalwaytodenaturalize

neoliberalism’sstructuralviolenceisbycreatingarelationshipwithwaterthatis

bothalienandintimatethroughSCUBAembodimentandsubmersion.Iarguea

tactilerelationshiplikeSCUBAembodimentgivesusananglethatcauses

environmentalviolencetoradiateforththroughasubmersed,queered,perspective.

ScholarsincludingCeciliaChen,ThomasMoore,MielleChandler,andAstrida

Neimanisgiveusanalogsthatmakewatermorehuman,thereforeeasiertoextend

ourconcernsto.Though,valuableperspectivesofourrelationshipwithwaterare

missedwhenwemakewaterhuman.SCUBAdivingkeepswaterstrange,andby

doingso,denaturalizesdestructivebehaviors.ThroughSCUBAour“normal”senses

arealteredandanewembodimentforcesustochangethewaysinwhichwe

conceptualizespace.Chapter3isalsoconcernedwithwhatecocriticism$claimsto

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bethe“waste”thatflowsfromliteratureintowaterways.Todenaturalize

encounterswithwaterevenmore,SirWalterRaleigh’ssensationalaccountswith

waterareputintoconversationwithSCUBA.Raleigh’sfantasticalaccountsof

exploringriversshowadeferralofdesirablematerialityashecreatesamapof

waterwaysthatisalwaysfleetingandalwaysinmotion.

Chapter4,“CreatingaMapofAcidStainedRocks,”reorganizesspacethrough

acidstainedrocksIfoundonthebottomoftheMonongahelaRiver.Commodities

thatenduponshopshelveslikeeverydayhouseholdproductsorchildren’stoys

appeara-historical.Theyarepristine,appearwithoutorigin,andwhenwearedone

withthemtheydisappearinthetrash.Thiscommoditycycleperpetuates

environmentalviolencebysimulatingtheenvironmentalchecksandbalancesthat

Neoliberalismclaimstoexist.OncebeforeadiveIstartedaconversationwithan

environmentalprotectionagencyofficerwhowastestingwater.Iaskedhimabout

thequalityandhestateditwasveryclean.Hecontinuedbyexplainingwhentoxic

wasteisdumpedintotheMonongahelaRiver,“mothernaturewashesitaway.”

Examiningthebasinoftherivershowsthat“washingaway”doesnotmean

disappearing.Theacidstainedrocksonthebottomshowthattheriverisawaste

sinkforcapitalexpansionthroughtheminingfrontier.Analyzingflorescentorange

acidstainedrocksdefiesana-historical,balancedviewoftheenvironmentbecause

acidstainedrocksarehistoricalobjects.Theypresentanevidentpastandtheir

movement,havingcomefromaminingsiteseveralmilesaway,speakstothe

transgressionofdegradationintothefuture.Throughthisanalysistheinvisibilityof

neoliberalwasteisbroughtforward.

Buongiorno9

ChapterI:RhetoricandtheProductionofEcology

Everyactionproducesandorganizesspace.AsMoorearguesinCapitalism

andtheWebofLife,allactionisecological,material,andexistswithinan

enmeshmentofinterconnectivity.Rhetoricisapartofecology’sorganization.It

drivestheproductionofsystemic,organizedhierarchieslikeinstitutions.Sincethe

1970’sNeoliberalismhasbecomeanoverwhelmingecologicalforcecreating

destructiverelationshipswiththeenvironmentthroughmythsofafrontier

economy(whereresourcesareboundless)anddisparagingrelationshipsbetween

highandlowsocio-economicclasses.Neoliberalism’srhetoricperpetually

reproducesthesymbolicpowernecessarytore-establishitsauthorityacrosstime.

Language’sinfluenceismaterialandspreadsthroughclass-consciousness.The

effectsofdiscoursecanbefollowedandobservedatanontologicallevel,revealing

howitoperatesbyfoundingmaterialbeing.Thisisacontroversialclaim.Some

materialistswouldrevoltagainstthis,arguingmystatementmisunderstands

materialism.Rhetoricistiedwithsocialconstruction,whatsomematerialistslike

BryantandBogostcreditasananthropocentricconstructionwithoutanobject

presence.But,Iarguesocialconstructionisanobjectthatisbuiltfromemergent

propertiesofsocialcreatures,likefleshemergingfromatoms.

Thewaysinwhichrhetoricdevelopscontributestodisparity.Theabsenceof

languagethatdirectlyacknowledgesneoliberalism’spresencesupplementsthe

disparityofobjects,whichshowshowlanguagehasreal,materialeffectsand

manipulatesobjects.Stakeholdersthatsharethesameresourcesforgrowthas

Buongiorno10

neoliberalism,suchasanimals,humans,andotherformsoflifeandobjectsare

described,bycapitalistrhetoric,asbenefitingfromneoliberalism.Often,

neoliberalismisonlyrecognizedbyitsindividualoutputs,notasanoverarching

structuralentitycreatesandthendisposesitscreationinaheapofwaste.Capitalist

businessesmaybeapplaudedforcreatingthemarketwhereinaneighborhood

develops.Andcontrary,individualsmaybeblamedforthewasteofthat

neighborhood(garbage,oilfromcars,etc.)insteadofneoliberalismbecauseits

rhetoricveilsneoliberalismasanecologicalwebofinterconnectivity.Vernacular

speechisbuiltonananglethatfacilitatesthisbreak.Commonvocabularyorganizes

spacethroughinside/outsidebinariesthatcreateindividualism.Languagethat

addressesneoliberalismasawebofinfluenceshasnottrickleddowninto

vernacularspeech.Suchrhetoricaldisparityorganizespowerwithinunevenly

distributedmoundsoflinguisticcapitalwheresomespeakershavethewordsto

representthemselvesandaddresstheirplights.Othersaregivenavocabulary

highlyinfluencedbyaneoliberaloppressorthatpromisesallthingsbalance

themselves,andthatlaborbenefitingcapitalgrowthwillbenefittheself.

Neoliberalism’sexploitsareveiledinwaterylanguage.Capitalparallelsitself

withoneofthemostvitalobjectsforcontinuinglife.Moneyflowsinaglobalcurrent

(akacurrency).Whenassetsarefrozen,capitalbeginstocometoahalt.Astagnating

stockmarketistheicewemustcracktogettoliquidityandanaccelerationof

capital.Aperceptualdisjuncturebetweenecologicalviolenceandeconomic

movementisasymptomofneoliberalvernacularthatfacilitateswhatRobNixon

termsas“slowviolence.”Or,“aviolencethatoccursgraduallyandoutofsight,a

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violenceofdelayeddestructionthatisdispersedacrosstimeandspace,an

attritionalviolencethatistypicallynotviewedasviolenceatall”(2).Ifoilspills

resultfromavitaldriverofaneoliberaleconomy,arushofcirculatingcapital,can

weexcuseitasanevilthatisinevitablebecauseofourneedforgoodcapital,just

likefoodisnecessary,butoccasionallyweeatsomethingrotten?

EcologicalcatastropheisswampedinplatitudesbuiltonKantianandCartesian

binaries.Vernaculartermsarefodderforcomplacency:“thesethingshappen.”This

isaredundantstatementusedtoendaconversation.Therhetoricofredundancy

abstractscatastrophiceventsandpresentsthemasiftheyareisolated.Eventsare

whattheyare,andnothingelse.In2010,theBPoilspillhappened,andthenthatis

whathappened.Askingwhythesethingshappenisacriticalmovethatrevealsnot

isolatedevents,butwebsofentangledentitiesthatdevolveintoemergent

propertiesandbeings.Askingwhoisimplicatedinecologicaleventsdeterioratesa

perceptionthataccidentsoccursporadicallywithoutandwithoutadirectional,

maliciousaimtowardsanygroupofsubjects.Havingthelinguisticcapitaltoask

questionsandpostulateanswers,andthusallocateresponsibilityisnecessaryto

speakandtobeherdasvaluedstakeholders.AsSmithstates,“thedebasementof

languageandtheprevalenceofdog-eat-dogethicsaresymptomaticoftheneoliberal

factsoflife”(xiii).

Withoutinterrogatingthewhy,ecologicallytraumaticeventsliketheBPoil

spillareaccreditedtoamaliciousCEOcontrolwithinacorporatestructure,nota

tangentialbehaviorthatcomeswithcorporatestructuresbecauseoftheirneoliberal

attachments.ThomasPrincendescribestheindividualizingofproblemsaspartof“a

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politicaleconomyofdegradation”(103).Heexplainsdegradationspanningfrom

businessparadigmsresultfromenvironmentalstakeholdersitemizingtheactionsof

bigbusinessandconsumersinto“day-to-daydecisionmaking”thatisblindtothe

transgressionofevents(103).Invernacularterms,alone,“badapple,”thatfellfrom

thesametreeasmanygoodapples.Abadapplecanbeseparatedfromthetree.The

treeisstillgoodwithanoccasionalbadapple.Thetreeisstillanaturalpartoflife.

Lookingatobjectsasnaturalfeedsintocapitalistexploitation.AsNeilSmithpoints

out,capitalismisnottreatedasahistoricallycontingentdevelopment.Instead,itis

treatedasaproductofhumannaturethatcanbetracedtoRomeoraprimate’sfight

forthesurvivalofthefittest(29).Inhisexamplehumannatureis“internal”and

Nature(withacapital“N”)isexternalandresistscultivation.Neoliberalrhetoric

deflectsattentionandredirectsitsviewertowhatitmeanstobehuman.

Exploitationisgivenagencyandbeckonsplayerstoputtheirstakesinalaissezfaire

marketwherethehousealwayswinsanditscontendersaregiventheir“natural”

placeinthehierarchyofprivilege.AdamSmith’shomoeconomicusisasingular,

freethinkingmanwhoactsintheneoliberalgladiatorfight.Though,evenifan

individual’schoiceswererationalinthehomoeconomicussense,thecollective

actionofrationalindividualspropellingtheirownprosperitywithinthe

entanglementtowhichweareallinvolvedmayofferadestructiveoveralloutcome,

asmadeevidentbytheenvironment.

Platitudeslike,“that’sjustonebadapple,”seemtobespokenbyhomo

economicus.Thestatementacknowledgesanindependentpersoncreatingan

independentissuethateclipsesalargerschemeofthing;“lifehasupsanddowns,”

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and“thesethingshappen,”suggestaninherentinevitability.Ashockingcatastrophe

thatdenaturalizesexploitativerelationshipswiththeenvironment,likeamassive,

oozingoilspillinanocean,isrenaturalizedthroughtritestatements.Speaking

aboutdiscourse,perspective,andpersuasioncausesmetoquestionwherethe

humanities,theperceivedguardiansofcriticalthinking(whichisoftensomewhat

rebellioustothenorm),dwellwithinthis.

Thebinarythinkingthatpromotescorporategrowth(internalizedindividuals

thatreachoutwardstocollectresources)doesnotendatuniversitydoors.Core

assignments,standardizedmeasurement,andprojectedgrowthmirrorcapitalist

expansion.Whiletheselessonsarenecessaryforthosewishingtoentercertain

fields,capitalistinfluencesareevidentintheirexecution(Giroux42).Marxmight

saythatuniversitycurriculumisbeingconstructedtocreateanoutputofideal

workersthatcan,postgraduation,havethetoolsandperceptiontobenefit

corporateexpansion.Universitiesareimmersedincapitaliststructuresintheir

effortsofcateringtocorporatepower.Thisisatoddswiththehumanities’tradition

ofcreatingopen-endedthinkers.Girouxargues:

Highereducationmaybeoneofthefewsitesleftinwhichstudentslearnhow

tomediatecriticallybetweendemocraticvaluesandthedemandsofcorporate

power,betweenidentitiesfoundedondemocraticprinciplesandidentities

steepedinformsofcompetitive,atomisticindividualismthatcelebrateself-

interest,profitmaking,andgreed.(45)

Itistimeforintroductoryhumanitiescoursestostopbeginningsomewherealong

Descartes’argumentsandendingsomewherewithinGermanidealismandKant.

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Manystudentspassthroughtheirone(ortwo)humanitiesrequirement(s)tobere-

toldthestoryoftheindividualfreethinkinghumanprotagonist.

Atfirstobservation,materialisttheoriessuchaspost-humanismsandobject-

orientedontologyseemlikeproductivesolutionstoexploitationbecausetheypose

themselvesinoppositiontothedrivingfree-willedhumanprotagonistby

challengingthebinarybetweenhumanandnonhumanentities.Insteadoflooking

outwardsorinwards,dissociatingtheselffromothers,amaterialistperspective

looksthroughamessyconglomerateofthingsthataresovastandoutsideofour

capabilitiesofperception(manyofthesethingsbeingnonhuman)thattheycannot

beaccountedfor.But,ifallactivityentersanexchangewiththeenvironment,then

asPrincenmentions,“allproductiongeneratessomecostsbeyondthepurviewor

controlofthefirm”(108).“Some,”seemslikeamodesttermfromamaterialview

thatconsidersahistoryofinterconnectedobjects.Princenexplains,“somecostsare

notjustexternalizedbythefirm,thatis,knowinglysentdownstream.Rather,they

arerenderedinvisibletothefirmandtoothers”108).Princenarguesthatfor

politicstoaccountfordegradationratherthan,“takingthesecostsasexternaland

treatingthemasaproductionfailure...orasanecessarysideeffectthatmustbe

tolerated,it[adifferentbusiness]needstotreatthem[solutionsfordegradation]as

apartofacompetitivebusinessstrategy(103).But,howcanmethodologicaland

environmentallyconsciousselectiveexpansionbecompetitivewhenitwill

undoubtedlyslowtheflowofcapital?Princen’sproposalrequiresneoliberalismto

takeastepdown.Materialismseemslikeacandidateforfacilitatingneoliberalism’s

dethroningbecausematerialisttheoriesunveilthemultiplicityofanobject’s

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relationshipandunitethebinarybetweentheinternalandtheexternal.However,

investigatingmaterialismfurtherleadstoanauthoritativevoiceandaconflict

betweenwhatisandisnot“ontologicallytrue,”andthusobjectivelyreal.

Asahumanistmaterialism,Bennett’svibrantmaterialityfacesthepoliticsof

neoliberalexpansionanddegradationheadonthroughherobservationsofthe

entangledrelationshipofthehumanandnonhuman.Sheexplainsvibrant

materialityismeanttocreate“moreattentiveencountersbetweenpeople-

materialitiesandthing-materialities”(x),withthegoalofraising“thestatusof

materialityofwhichwearecomposed”(12).Thisacknowledgesthatweare

composedofanonhumanassemblageinwhichweemergefrom,andhavinga

respectfulconnectiontothenonhumanissynonymoustorespectfultreatmentto

thehuman.Shestates,“eachhumanisaheterogeneouscompoundofwonderfully

vibrant,dangerouslyvibrant,matter”(12).Thisrelationshipextendsoutwardsfrom

humancompositiontoincludeeverydayencounters.Shedescribesatransaction

betweenthingsandpeoplebyreflectingonawalk.Shestates,“hadthesunnot

flintedontheblackglove,Imightnothaveseentherat;hadtheratnotbeenthere,I

mightnothavenotedthebottlecap,andsoon”(5).Thenecessityofanentangled

wayofviewingthethingsbecomesurgentwhenthinkingofhowwemightact

differentlytowardstrash,toxins,andothervolatileswhenthechasmbetweenself

andotherisclosed.

Bennett’smaterialismspursintoahumanismthatexceedsthetraditional

humanismsbycreatingarelationshipwiththenonhuman,andthereforea

relationshipwithwhatmakesushuman.Theoriginsofposthumanismdemonstrate

Buongiorno16

suchatrend.DuringN.KatherineHayle’sfoundingargumentsforposthumanism

shestates,“evenabiologicallyunalteredHomosapienscountsasposthuman”(4).

Haylesaccountofposthumanismdeterminesthathumansarealwaysalready

posthumanbecauseobjectsareentangled.Thus,shedeconstructsthehierarchyof

human-nonhumanrelationships,butthisdeconstructiondefaultsbacktothestate

ofthehuman.

OOOcriticizesposthumanismasrecreatingthewaysinwhichanobjectshould

besubjugatedforthehuman.OOO’sskepticismbringsupagoodpoint,thattheway

we“should”interactwithobjectsthroughhumanismhasleadtodegradationto

beginwith,andleadsintouncomfortableideaslikefightingthedegradationbrought

beengineering,byapplyingmoreengineeringtothatthing.Forexample,toprevent

globalwarmingengineershavesuggestedengineeringEarth’satmospheretooffset

risingtemperaturesbyusingjetstospreadfinedropletsofsulfuricacidinthelower

stratosphere(Rotman).Oncethesedropletsareinthestratosphere,theyare

projectedtorefract1%ofsunlightthatwouldhavehitEarth,backintospace

(Rotman).Suchadrasticsolutionisunnerving.Engineeringhasprovideduswith

manysolutionstoenhanceourlives,manyofwhichcreatedunaccountedfor,

threateningissueslikeglobalwarming.And,howwillthelandofeachcountry

respondtotheshiftinatmosphere?Couldmanipulatingthestratospherethrowoff

thecropcyclesofatowninSoutheastAsia?IsSoutheastAsiaevenbeingconsidered

inthecostsoftheeventandinthepossibleeffects?

Tobreakourpatternofobject-appropriation,Harmandescribesobjectsas

“withdrawn,”meaninganobjectwillalwaysalreadybeunknownbecauseweare

Buongiorno17

notthatobject(5).Bythisargumentanobjecthasinexhaustiblerelationshipsthat

extendfarbeyondwhatcanbeverbalizedandanthropomorphized.TimothyMorton

usesOOOtointroduceaheuristicforunderstandingthethoughtsthatdrive

anthropocentrismand,subsequently,environmentaldegradationthathecalls,

“agrologistics.”Thethirdtenantofagrologisticsemphasizesthepresuppositionthat:

“(Human)existingisalwaysbetterthananyqualityofexisting”(“ThereMust”9).

Agrologisticsorganizesspaceinawaythatoffersafoundationforcapitalism

becauseitfeaturesahumanprotagonistinanendlessfrontierofresources.As

Smithmentions,“withthedevelopmentofcapitalism,humansocietyhasputitselfat

thecenterofnature”(8).Tohostneoliberalism,ecologyrequiresspacetobe

organizedinsuchawaythatcapitalismandspacedevelopintandem.AsMoore

pointsout,organizingspacewithaninside/outsidebinarygivesbearingto

neoliberalism.Hestates,“theviewofNatureasexternalisafundamentalcondition

ofcapitalaccumulation”(2).Oncespaceisorganizedasso,spacecangrow

neoliberalcapitalism.

OOOstatesthatallthingshaveequalityinontologicalvalue,butarenotequal

insubstance.Thisclaimbeginstochallengeneoliberalismbyclosingthegap

betweenthevaluableandwhatisnotvaluable.AsMooreexplains,valuerelieson

mostthingsnotbeingvaluable.Anarbitrarilyascribedbinarybetweenobjects

createsadrivefortheproductionofobjectscontainingtheexpansionofcapital

value.Thisdrivemayeclipsethewellbeingofitsconstituentsbecauseneoliberalism

rushestowardsthegrowthofcapitalvalueandlabor,people,areusefulinsteadof

valuable(54).ThispromotescheaplaborandcheapNaturetobeextortedforthe

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greatestgainincapitalvalue.Perceivinganequalityofontologicalvalueamongstall

thingsdisruptsthebinarycapitalismusesinordertoorganizelaborbecauseifall

thingsareontologicallyequal,capitalismishighlightedaspursuingarushtowards

objectsthatarbitrarilyholdcapitalvalueandthereforelosetheirinherentworth.

IanBogostproposesOOOtobepracticedasa“flatontology”becauseofits

equalizationofallthings.Calculatorscalculateandcatscatandbatsbatandneckties

necktiethewaythathumanshuman.But,flatontologycreatesanewstructurefor

neoliberalismwhenahumanlifecannotbe“above”aprotractor.While,atfirstflat

ontologysoundslikeitcouldequalizingtheunequalworthgiventodifferent

communitiesdependingontheirclass,race,orgender,flatontologyinsteaddiffuses

aneedforreevaluatingourrelationshipswithsilencedcommunitiesbecausethey

arealreadyequalinvalue,justnotinsubstance.Thecommunitiesareequalinvalue

becausetheyallequallyexistamongalateralplane,notahierarchy.Valueis

arbitrary,andsoonecommunityisnotmoreworthythananother.Whilethismight

beevenintheory,inpracticethiscreatesunevennessthroughasocial

disenfranchisementandtheinequityoflinguisticcapital.Afterdismantlingthe

binary,flatontologyoffersanewrhetoricthatexcusesthepresenceofa

domination/exploitationdynamic.

Suggestingpeopledowhatpeopledo,nothingmoreandnothingless,carriesa

familiartonerhetoricthatpassesexploitativebehaviorasnatural,orinevitable.It’s

articulatedbythesamerhetoricalstructureasthestatementenablingsexual

assault,“boyswillbeboys,”enablingpredatormales.Althoughboyswill,technically

beboys–boysisarhetoricallydefinedcategory.Throughoneangleflatontology

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doesnotfullybackthe,“boyswillbeboys”statementbecauseitassumesan

essentialnatureofwhatitmeanstobeaboy.Although,flatontologysimultaneously

doessupport“boyswillbeboys”bystatingthatboyswilldowhatboysdotheway

thatcalculatorsdoascalculatorsdo,andthisismatter-of-fact.Whilecalculators

divideboysassault.Theresultsofadoptingaflatontologyarenotflat.

Flatontologycontinuestocreatedevastatingdisparitiesamongststakeholders

throughthedescriptionsofIanBogostandLeviBryant.Onablogpostwiththe

dismissivetitle,“IKnow!Let’sTalkaboutPoliticsandOntologyAgain!”Bogostuses

OOOtodefendacommentbyLeviBryantthatnaturalizesracializedpoliceviolence.

Bryantstates:

Agreatwhitesharkeatingasealissimplyaneventthattakesplaceinthe

world.Itissimplysomethingthathappens.Apersonshootinganotherperson

isalso,attheontologicallevel,simplyaneventthattakesplace.

Bryantbackshisstatementwithadefinitionforontology,whichisadiscourseabout

the“mostgeneralandfundamentalnatureofbeingorofwhatisandwhatisnot”

(“OnOntology”).Heexplains,“Beingconsistsofwhatisregardlessofwhetherthere

isanydiscourseaboutit.Ontologyisadiscourseaboutwhatis”(“OnOntology”).A

“being”isalwaysalreadypresentandaccordingtoBryant’sarguments,beingcannot

besociallyconstructed.Inhisblogpost,Bryantcallsthis“earnest.”

Bryant’srelayofOOOgivesitanauthoritativepositionoverdetermining

what“is”andwhat“isnot,”reorganizingspaceaccordingly.But,ifallobjects

withdraw,asociallyconstructeddiscourseabout“whatis”seemstobeinevitable.

OOO’sspeakerswillalwaysneedtopickandchoose(andsometimesincorrectly

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choose)whatshouldbeapartofthediscourse.Craftingadiscoursearound“what

is”isexclusionary,grantingauthoritytocertainactors.Bryant’srhetoricsounds,not

likepost-humanismbutanti-humanism.Hisstatementissweetandsimple.Onan

ontologicallevel,thingsdostuff.Acalculatorcalculates.But,askingwhy

accompaniesansweringwhatbecausewhatanobjectis,isneverseparatefromits

influences.Whydoeswillonecalculatorcalculatewhileadifferentfunctioning

calculatorwillnot?Whymightanobjectdoonething,whileanotherobjectwiththe

samecapabilitiesdocompletelydifferentthings?Thissuggestsinfluenceis

ontologicallypresent.Perhapsausefulwayoflookingatontologyis:thingsdostuff

whentheyareinfluencedbystuff,forallthingsareentangled.Grassswaysbecause

itisinfluencedbythewind,whichblowsbecauseitisinfluencedbyglobalweather

cycles.Otherwise,grassdoesnothavethecharacteristicofswaying.Grasswould

notbestringywithoutfibers.Thewholeofanobjectisinfluencedbyits

entanglements.Withoutconsideringinfluence,theontologicallevelbecomesless

flat.Instead,theontologicallevelerectsbarriersaroundwhatcanandcannotbe,

andwhatshouldandshouldnotbeconsidered,andultimatelywhoshouldbe

includedinthesedecisions.Thesebarrierscreateunleveleddisenfranchisement.

ThisisevidentinthewordchoicesBryantusestotalkaboutthingsonthe

ontologicallevel.Bryantisusinghiswhale-sealcommentasaresponsetotherising

criticismdirectedtowardswhite-cop,black-victimpoliceshootings.Hestatesa

racializedpoliceshootingis,“simplyaneventthattakesplace.”Hedoesnotreferto

therace(s)orthesymbolicpowerofthepolice.Bydoingso,Bryantstateslikeheis

erasingasocialconstruction(raceandpoliceauthority),butbyarguingthat

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rhetorichasamaterialpresencewecanconsiderhowourbodiesphysicallyrespond

toassociations.Traumaiscarvedintoourneuralpathways.Theemotions(chemical

reactions)thatinfluenceourassociationsarevibrantmatter.Bennettcallsthis“the

livelypowersofmaterialformations,suchasthewayomega-3fattyacidscanalter

humanmoods”(vii).Callingracesolelyasasocialconstructsoundslike,“stop

talkingaboutracismanditwillgoaway.”

Tosayaneventissolelyaneventplacesbarriersaroundanalyses,similarto

“ithappens,”asboththebeginningandtheendingpointsofspeech.Shootingsdo

happen,yes,butwhy?Theyhappenbecauseamaterialinfluenceattheontological

level.Expandingontologyinthiswayseemsmoreecological.Beingoccursacross

time,sosomewouldsuggestthatallbeingisbecoming.Influencegivesobjectsthe

propensitytodeveloporbehaveinaparticularway.Asifholdingspeed,a

developmentcontainsthemomentumtocreateconfigurations.Afunctional

calculatormaynevercalculatebecauseitwasstuffedinsomeone’smessycloset,

whichcreatedmorepotentialforittobeforgottenabout.Newconfigurationscan

emergefromoldlikehowabridgeemergesfrommetalandboltsifthemetaland

boltsarefoundinaspecificconfiguration.But,abridgeisnotjustmetalandboltsor

elseallpilesofmetalandboltswouldbeabridge.TimothyMortonargueswe

cannotreduceanobjecttoitsparts.Heargues,thingsarethemselvesbutalsonot

themselves.Theyare,“contradictory…therecanbesetsofthingsthatarestrictly

notmembersofthatset”(EcologyWithoutNature74-75). AndrewPickeringcalls

this“anontologyofbecoming”(3),whicharguesadualistperspectiveeclipsesthe

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ontologicalconditionsfromwhichsomethingemerges(4).Pickering’sstatement

affirmsthatbinarythinkingisbehindBryant’sstance.

Racismisanobjectthatemergesfromaninfluencecreatedbyaspecific

configurationofmateriality.ThismeansCriticalRaceTheorycanbeseenashaving

somerootsinontology.Apatternofviolenceanddiscriminationtowardstheraceof

aperson(racebeingamaterialconfiguration)isanexampleofhumansdoingwhat

humanscando.Wecallthisracism.Whileracismissociallydriven,itsbehaviorisms

areontologicallytruethewaythatbirdsflysouthforthewinterwhetherwesay

theydoornot.Acknowledgingracismattheontologicallevelisnotthesamething

asexcusing/defending/ordenyingit,butinsteadacknowledgingracismatthe

ontologicallevelallowsustoseetherealeffectsofracismasarealentity.For,even

thesocialdimensionofracismshouldbeconsideredanobject.AsTimothyMorton

states:

Iftheveryquestionofinsideandoutsideiswhatecologyunderminesormakes

thickandweird,surelythisisamatterofseeinghowecosystemsaremadenot

onlyoftrees,rockformations,andpigs(seemingly“external”tothehuman)

butalsoofthoughts,wishes,fantasies(seeminglyinsideourhumanheads)67

Understandingallthoughtsasobjectsmeansthatculturalconsciousnessisathing,

andlikethingsitcanplacesomething,likevalue,onotherthings.Valuecanbe

placedonthewhiteworker,onmonetary,onsocialclass.Andlikeanyobject,value

canbemaintained,remodeled,orremoved.Bogost’sandBryant’sargumentsask

thatweignore,albeittemporally,theexchangeandmovementofvaluebysocially

drivenactors.But,whatvaluedotheyclaimtoaddtothediscoursebyignoring

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race?Inthestockmarket,valuegrowsthroughtheflowoftime.Removingrace

discourseformtheflowoftimedevaluesitspresenceandallowsforalinguistic

currencythatignoresracetogrowastheexchangeofmovementofvaluebysocially

drivenactorsdetermineswhoandwhatisprivileged.

TimothyMortonnamescomplex,permeatingobjectsthataremassively

distributedacrossspaceandtime“hyper-object.”Thehyper-objectinformsourday-

to-daylifeandcannotbefullycomprehendedinanyspecific,localmanifestation

(49-51).Mortonusesglobalwarmingasanexample.Atthemomentaraindrophits

ourfacesweourmindsmightnotrushtoglobalwarming.Wecouldevendebate

whetherthisraindropisattachedtoglobalwarming(eventhougheverythingexists

withinit).AlthoughMortonshiesawayfromcallingracismahyper-object,it

certainlyfitsthebill.Whenaracialslurisdirectedatsomeone,thatslurisalocal

manifestationofthemuchlargerwebofinstitutionalizedracism.Institutionalized

racism,asawholeentity,cannotbepointedto.Onlyitssymptoms,likepointingata

raindrop.Yet,racism’seffectsspilleverywhere.

BogostclaimsOOOis“earnest,”whichiswhyOOOdisregardssocialobjects.

Thepowerofauthoritybehindthisclaimringsinatotalitariantone.Bogostdepicts

himselfaslivinginamoretruthfulreality,andothersinarealitywilledbytheir

thoughtsBogostencouragesotherstojumponboardwithhisthoughts.Inthislight

OOOlookslikeananthropocentricproductmeanttovenerateapractitionerfrom

therungsinwhichthevernacularthinkerandtraditionalacademichavesettled.

Bogost’sandBryant’sontologicallevelisconstructedthroughincomplete

informationpushedforthasabsolute,andthatthisabsolutedisregardswhatI

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postulateisanontologicalcharacteristicemergingfromhumans,socialforce,which

createssilencedbodies.TouseOOOtoclaimsomethingdoesnotexistrequires

assumptionsandthusatheoreticalframework,underminingOOO’shonesty.

Perhapsbeingdrivenbywhite-male,middleclassembodimentcontributestothe

discourseofOOOasasans-race,sans-classdiscourse.Themainthinkersthat

contributetoOOO,Bogost,Bryant,andMortonaremissingtheontological

positioningtobeintroducedtorace,orgender,orclassasanobject.

TounderstandtheimplicationsofOOO,wemustquestionhowitinfluences

objects.Bogost’sandBryant’sshark-sealanalogintheirstatementonwhitepolice

blacktargetisagoodplacetoreturntoforansweringthisquandary.Bogostdefends

Bryant’sstatementthatbeckonsustolookawayfromraceinbysaying,“There’s

alsolotsofotherstuff,andLevisuggeststhatwetakeallofitseriously:metallurgy,

ballistics,industrialmanufacture,freightlogistics,stateborders,the“hunting

hypothesis,”urbanplanning,andreallysomanymore”(“IKnow!”).Bogostinspires

importantconsiderations,formoredetailsmustbeputintoaccountifwearegoing

toengagewithandsolveissues,buthewoulddisagreewithmysuggestionthatwe

needtocarefullydecidewhatadditionaldetailswewanttoputintoconsideration.I

suggestintentionallysortingthroughanddebating(andrevisitingafterdeciding)

whatdetailswethinkaboutbecauselikePrincenarguesintermsofthemonetary

economy,thelinguisticeconomycannotaccountforallpossibleoutcomes.The

detailswechoosetoincludewillspiralintoadirectionandreshapeobject

relationships.So,howdowechoosewhatwewillspeakof?Whytalkaboutballistics

insteadofdiscrimination?

Buongiorno25

Bogostexplainsweshouldturnourattentiontothingslikeballisticsto

distributeourconversationsbeyondthego-to:racialtension,white-violence,and

black-targets.Hissuggestionassertsthatobjectsaresubservienttothego-to

conversationdeemedmorevaluable,thuscreatingahierarchyofunevenness.

However,conversationsaboutwhite-violenceandblack-targetsonlyexistswithin

certainpocketsofthinkersandcommunitiesasevidentthroughtheperpetuationof

violentacts.Ifwhite-violenceandblacktargetswereacknowledgebythegeneral

public“atlarge”thenwewouldn’thavesomuchwhite-violenceandsomanyblack

targets.BogostandBryantmustknowwedonotliveinapostracialsociety.Yet,

theyarguethatthesmallsectionsthatdodiscussissuesofracerefocustheir

interestsonnon-racialmatters.Entiresectorsofpeoplealreadydiscussballistics,so

whyexpand(anddilute)aconversationaboutracewithaconversationabout

metallurgy?Shouldanewsheadingreadmorelike:“Manshotbyanothermanusing

agunmadeofcopperalloyandzinc,whichnowrevealstwofingerprints.”Effacing

racefromtheeventenablestheriseofsupremacy,anotherobjectemergingfrom

theconfigurationofsocialactors.Bryantshowsthisinhisshark-sealanalogynot

justthroughhisdismissalofblackbodies,butalsothroughhischoiceofwords.The

predatorisa“greatwhite”shark(“OnOntology”).Hepositionsapicturenexttohis

analogthatshowsablackseal.Awhite-predator,black-preyeventisnaturalized

throughawateryscene.Hiscommentendswithithappens.Hedoesnotaskwhy

despitethatwhyrevealstheinfluencesandemergencesinaconfiguration,or,the

ontologyofbecoming.

Buongiorno26

OnthesameblogpostBryantcontinueshisargumentonraceintoa

conversationaboutneoliberalism.Hearguesneoliberalismdoesnothavean

ontologicalpresencebecauseitiscontingentuponsocialbehavior.Hestatesthat,

“whensomeonesaysthataparticulartechnologyisintrinsicallyneoliberalor

capitalistic,theyaremakingcertainmetaphysical[(whichheusessynonymously

withontological)]claimsabouttheworld”(“OnOntology”).Bryantreturnstohis

argumentthatthesesystemsarenotontologicalbecauseheassociatesthemas

sociallyconstructed(andthereforenotreal).But,thisreducesthewebofecology

andthepossibleeffectsofdiscourse.Bryantexplainsthatwhenonecallssomething

intrinsicallyneoliberal:

Theyaresayingthat1)entitiesareanexpressionofthecontextinwhichthey

exist(inthiscasethetechnologyexpressescapitalism),and2)theyaresaying

thatrelationsexpressedbytheentityareinternaltothatentity.Theclaimthat

arelationisinternaltoanentityistheclaimthatthatentityisinseparablefrom

thoseforrelations(“OnOntology”)

Bryant’sclaimseverstheweb-of-beingthatobjectsexistwithin.Anobjectcanbean

expressionofathingwithoutbeingpermanentlyattachedtoit.Iamanexpression

ofmymother,butnotatalltimesandineverycontext.Bryant’sclaimmakesan

essentialistassumption(thatthingsarelinkedtothings)thatOOOundermines.

Bryantsaysifweclaimsomethingisinherentlyneoliberal,wearesayingthat

thethingdoesnotexistinanyotherrealmbecauseitisadefiningcharacteristicof

thatthing,suchasachairthat,asintrinsicallyneoliberal,doesnotexistotherwise.I

argueachaircanbeaneoliberalchair(andalsoasocialistchair,orafascistchair)

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becauseitsspaceisproducedwithinneoliberalism,andwithoutneoliberalismit

wouldnotbeaneoliberalchair.Itwouldbesomethingelse.Justlikehowwhite

privilegehasinfluencedmylife,skintoneisnot“inherently”racistbutitisthe

reasonsomeonemayhavebeensoldahouseorapprovedforaloan.AsMoore

argues,weshouldseecapitalismasaphysicallocationwithtransactional

relationshipsthatcauseallobjectstobeintermingled,influencingandproducing

eachother.

Bryantexplainsthatpeoplewhocallsomethingintrinsicallycapitalisticor

neoliberalcreateaone-to-onecorrelationbetweentheobjectandneoliberalism,

scorningthisbecauseaone-to-onecorrelationminimizestheobjectandwill

exhaustobjectrelationships.But,acknowledgingachairasaneoliberalchair

(versesanother)enablesobjectsmorewaystodeveloprelationshipsbecausethe

spaceunderwhichtheobjectisbeingorganizedaddstothequalitiesofitsother

relationships.Insteadofaone-to-onecorrelation,Iseethosewhoarguethat

somethingisneoliberalasarguingthatentitiescreateanexpressionforthecontext

inwhichtheyexist.Bybeingneoliberal,thechairinturninfluencesotherobjectsin

acongruentway,whichbringsusbacktoBennett’svibrantmaterialitystatingthat

allmatterhasintrinsicvitality,“foritisnotapassiveobject,butisanactorthathas

trajectories,propensities,andtendenciesofitsown”(viii).Raceandracismembeds

itselfinobjectslikeshrapnelfromabomb.Inthismetaphor,thebombis

“difference”whenputinhierarchicalform.Eventhemundanedetailsandobjects

withinlifearetouchedbyracism.

Buongiorno28

TheDartmouthinstituteforHealthPolicyandClinicalPracticepublishedan

article,“VariationintheCareofSurgicalConditions:DiabetesandPeripheral

ArterialDisease”showshowracism,asanobject,hasavital(anddangerous)

trajectorywithterrifyingmomentum.TheDartmoutharticleaddressesthegrave

disparityoftreatmentbetweenwhiteandblackpatients.Blacktype-2diabetic

patientsarethreetimesmorelikelytohavealegamputatedthannon-blackpatients

(2).Amputationisaclimaticpointculminatingfrommanymundanethings:black

peoplearelesslikelytohaveaccessibilitytopreventativecare,andcholesteroland

bloodsugartesting(12).Thisisbecauseracismmovesacrosstime,re-organizing

theblackbodyasanobjecttobedistancedfromthehierarchy,used,and

disregardedlikehowneoliberalismexploitsitsenvironment.

Though,returningtoBryant’sstatement,byreferringto“neoliberalism,”

Bryantmightalsobereferringtothewholeofthepowerstructureofneoliberalism.

Iquestionwhetherwecancallapowerstructureinherentlyneoliberalinthesame

waywecansaythatsomethingisinherentlygreen.Bothadjectivesarearbitrarily

assignedtopatterns.Acolorisapatternoffrequenciesthatexistsontheontological

level.neoliberalismisapatternofecologicalactors.Amaterialconfigurationis

neoliberallikeabridgeisaconfigurationthatmakesitisdifferentthanmetaland

screws.

Embracingatheoreticalstancethatdiscreditstheemergentmaterialityof

socialconstructionposesissuesforhighereducationandthesocialchangehigher

educationcontributesto.Aslongobserved,thingsoftendonotchangewithoutthe

attentionfromsocialforcerecreatingthepatternsusedtointeractwithobjects,

Buongiorno29

suchasracism,neoliberalism,etc.UsingBogostandBryant’stakeonOOOhasan

ontologicalinfluence.WhileOOOerasesatheoreticaldifferenceinworthbetween

menandwomen,OOOenablesanactivebehaviorofsuchbyendingthediscourse

thatactivistshaveworkedtocreate(asanobject)tobufferhegemonicinfluences.

However,segmentsofOOOoffersausefuldirectionforaneco-humanismbyasking:

sowhatifhumansdowhattheydo,andwhydotheydoXiftheyarecapableof

otherthings?WhatdoesitmeanifBPspillsoilintheoceanduringaracetobuild

capitalandwhydoesithappen?Answeringthesequestionsrequiresobserving

whichwaycapitalisflowing.

ByselectivelyusingOOOwecandefineourvaluesusingdifferenttoolsthan

whatneoliberalismconvenientlyprovidesus.InresponsetoBryantandBogost,

MortonarguesthatOOOallowsustoreevaluatewhatwedeemasimportant

(“EcologyWithoutblog”),butthispointsusbacktohumanismfromOOO.Morton’s

suggestioncanbefollowedoutbydisruptingflatontologyandthenintermingleit

withvibrantmateriality.Bydoingthiswecandeviseapoliticsthatincludesthe

nonhumanandthehumaninawaythatextendsempathytoobjectsanderects

importancearoundissuesthatconsidersthevitalityofthings.Apoliticsofinclusion

isapowerstructurethatrecreatesspaceinanethical(humanist)manner.As

Bennettargues,“ifasetofmoralprinciplesisactuallytobelivedout,therightmood

orlandscapeofaffecthastobeinplace”(xii).

Whatapoliticsofinclusionmightlooklikecanbehypothesizedinresponseto

Pickering’sassertionsofhumanrelationshipswiththeMississippiRiver.Heargues

humansshouldstopinterferingwithhowtheriverhasevolvedthroughtimeand

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degradation(8).Inthis,henegatesthehumanandthepretenseoftoxicwater

echoesthe“itiswhatitis,”ofOOOasdisenfranchisedcommunitieswillsuffer

recoursefromthewater’sstate.PickeringanalyzestheUSArmyCorpsofEngineer’s

involvementwiththeMississippiRiver.Theengineers’actionsseektostabilizeand

sustainthefleetingmovementofwater.AsPickeringnotes,thisisproblematic

becausewatercannotbestabilized,andinattemptsofdoingso,peopledesire

controlinawaythatcanbeasdisconcertingasneedingtocreateano-zone.

In1944HaroldFiskillustrateda

mapoftheMississippiRiverforthe

USArmyCorpsofEngineersthat

clasheswiththewantforastable

waterway(Figure58).Hismapshows

themanywaystheMississippiflowed

beforetheUSArmyfrozethe

waterwayinplace(seefig.1).The

desiretograsptheMississippidraws

abright,redlineunderneathitselfas

evidenceagainstafrontiereconomy.

ThedesireisamutualrealizationthattheMississippi,asaresource,isnotstable.

Thepollutionoftheriverwillnotbalanceoutthrough“laissezfair”treatment(i.e.

industrydoesonething,butthennatureevensitout).But,thewilltoholdontothe

Mississippi,tograspit,isanidealizationthattheMississippicanbemadeindefinite

again,thatwecancreatethebalancethat,accordingtolaissezfairisalwaysalready

Figure1

Buongiorno31

acharacteristicofathing,andthattheriverhasessentialqualitiesthatcanbere-

evoked.

Pickering’sresponse,whileprovocative,doesnothavetobethealternative

responsetoourhaphazardinterferenceofenvironmentalresources.Insteadofa

responsedrivenbyOOOstatingthatweoughttoletgo,wecaninsteadleanin

developamorepersonalrelationshipwithwaterthatconsidersitsvitality.Toxicity

issomethingwecanlistentoandobserve,andthenrespondtoinawaythathonors

themutualexchangebetweenhumansandwater.Pickeringdoes,however,offeran

acuteobservationonhowthebinaryveilsitselfasarealism.Hestates,“Insteadof

seeingdualistdetachmentanddominationasamove,atactic,aploy,andavery

specificwayoflivingintheflowofbecoming,wetendtomistakeitfortheworld

itself”(4).Acknowledgingthesymbolicpowerthatreproducesneoliberalism’s

binaryisimperativeforunderstandinghowthebinaryarbitrateshuman

interactionswiththeenvironment.

Wecanbegindeconstructingtheneoliberalbinarybylookingatwaterways,

whichhavebeenabstractedintosymbols,likeonmaps,insteadofencounteredas

vitalbeings.Howwatercomesintorepresentationistellingofwhohaspower

becausewecanobservewhotherepresentationbenefits.Representingwater

throughaneoliberalbinaryisdangerousbecausewaterplaysaradicallyimportant

roleinwhogetstosurvive(exist),forwateristiedtosocio-economicclassand

overallhealth.Historically,accesstowatermeantaccesstotrade,power,and

wealth.Inmodernity,thecleanlinessofnearbywaterwaysisoftenlinkedwiththe

arbitrated“worth”ofneighboringhumanandnonhumancommunities.Inthisnext

Buongiorno32

ChapterIexplorehowmapscreateasurface/depthbinarythatperpetuates

neoliberaldestructionbyplacingartificialboundaries(that,althoughartificial,have

materialaffect)betweenthings.Iargueforhowflatontologycanbeappropriatedto

dismantletheseboundariesandcreateawayofperceivingwaterthatembraces

water’sfluidandvitalrelationshipsbetweenhumanandnonhumanentities.

ChapterII:RereadingMapsthroughFlatOntology

Usingvibrantmaterialitytoreevaluateourpositionwithinecology,notasa

centerpiece(orapassivepiecelikePickeringillustratesinhisdiscussionofusand

theMississippiasthatimpliesabinary)givesusatooltochallengeneoliberalpower

structures.Flatontologycollapsesthesymbolicpowerthatscaffoldshierarchiesand

likewiseassignssubjugatingrolestotheobjectsdependingonwheretheyfallonthe

hierarchy.Hierarchiesabstractobjectsintotoolsthatareusedforglobalization.The

mapisapowerfultoolthatmanifestsitselfinthewaythatabstractpowersystems

organizespace.Themaphaslongplayedanimportantroleinreassertingits

authorityaswellastheauthoritativepowerofitsstakeholders.Mapsofwaterways

areespeciallypertinenttoneoliberalim’spowerbecausewhocontrolswateriswho

hasaccesstoamandatoryresourceforhumansurvival.

IwillbeexaminingaUSArmyCorpsofEngineersmapoftheMonongahela

RiverfromPittsburgh,PennsylvaniatoFairmont,WestVirginiatoanalyzehow

cartographymapstheenvironment,whilealsomakingtheenvironment.Aclose

readingofwaterwaymapsasculturalartifactofcapitalismdemonstrateshowmaps

reformspaceanditsoccupantsinanidealized,self-servingimageandhowthiscan

Buongiorno33

bedismantledthroughflatontology.Themaphasanambiguousgenre:itisfiction,

asitisanillustratedandabstractedrepresentationofalocation.Yetthemapis

simultaneouslyatruth,becauseitcommunicatesthetangiblethingsaroundusina

waywherewecanfollowthemapssuggestionsandexperiencewhatitpresentsus.

Themap’sauthoritydeclaresitselfasanon-arbitrarymirrorofthetangible.It

reproducesanunderstandingoftherelationshipbetweenthemapandthereaderas

speakerandlistener.BenedictAndersondescribesthemapasaregulatorof

nationalidentities,whicharemodeled,adapted,andtransformedinafeedbackloop

betweenalocationanditsabstraction.Duringthisprocesstheideologiesofnational

powerdynamicsbecomeactualizedandaffirmorrejectanentity’ssubjugation

(141).Anderson’sargumentisecologicalandcanbeusedtoviewnotjustthe

nation,butalsogeneralspaceproducedbyacomplexsystemthatdeclaresitselfasa

mirrorofmaterialitylikeneoliberalcapitalism.

Themapplaysahistoricalroleinorganizingecologyinawaythatbenefits

capitalism,especiallythroughwaterways.Thiscanbeseenfromtheearlyexplorers

oftheAmericaswhodistortedthelatitudeandlongitudelinesonoceanicmapsfor

easiertravelfromEuropetotheuntappedresourcesofthewesternhemisphere,to

contemporarymapslikethoseoftheUSArmyCorpsofEngineers.Riversaretreated

likedarkpoolsofinvestmentforbusinesses.Whogetstointerpretwaterthrougha

mapiswhogetstohavepower.Therhetoricofthemodernmapisacapitalist

productionandisasiteforcapitalismtoreproduceitself.TheUSArmyCorpsof

Engineers’map,“MonogahelaRiverNavigationCharts:Pittsburgh,Pennsylvaniato

FairmontWestVirginia,”isusefultothisanalysisbecauseitservesasbothan

Buongiorno34

authoritativeandutilitarianmap.Itsauthoritativevoiceanchorsitselfinthe

forefrontofconcernforitisamapthatregulatestheuseoftheriverandunderthe

nameoftheUSmilitary.Throughitsauthority,theUSArmymapsetsstandardsfor

whatamapis,andhowitshouldpresentitself.Itsplacementofbinariesand

selectiveuseofbordersisexpectedfrommaps,andotherneoliberal-influenced

mapssharetheseexpectedqualities.Byfulfillingtheconventionstaughttothose

readingthemaps,neoliberalmapscreateaself-perpetuatingfeedbackloopthat

encouragesitsreaderstocontinuesubscribingtoitsorganizationofspace.As

Bourdieustates,“Thepowerofwordsisnothingotherthanthedelegatedpowerof

thespokesperson,andhisspeech”(107).For,“thelanguageofauthoritynever

governswithoutthecollaborationofthoseitgoverns”(113).Consentfor

neoliberalismreproducesitselfuntilthingslookliketheyarefact.AsIshowlater

on,theUSArmymapformatisnotadefaultforthemap.Itsstatusamongreaders

perpetuatesslowviolencethroughitsomissions.

Asectioncalled“TheLaw,”issituatedatthebeginningoftheatlas.“TheLaw,”

addresseswatervesselregulationwithemphasisonnavigationalsafety.Itinforms

whatproceduresshouldbecarriedoutintheinstanceofaneventthatresultsin

losingcontrolofpreviouslyheldobjectsamongthewaterway,whichmay

ultimately,fortheUSArmymap,blockboattravel.“TheLaw”iscenteredonhuman

controlandtransportation.TheUSArmymapisuseful.Itisdesignedtodeliver

quickandpreciseinformationaboutnavigation.However,becauseitisan

authoritativemap,itannouncesitselfasthemapoftheMonongahelaRiver.Themap

oftheriverisconstructedwithborders:theendofonesegmentoftheriver,the

Buongiorno35

beginningofthenext,theendof

Figure2

Pennsylvania,thebeginningofWestVirginia(seefig.2).Theriverisdividedintoa

binaryofsurface/depthandchoppeduplikeasegmentedworm.Thebasin,where

trashsinksandspiltcoalbuilds,issilenced.

Theincidentstermedas,“navigationaldangers”intheatlasalsodoubleas

healthandenvironmentaldangers.Navigationaldangersobstructutility,whereas

healthandenvironmentaldangersslowlydegradewellbeing.Theimmediatethreat

outweighsthethreatthatrequiresabstractthinkinginpartbecauseNeoliberal

influencededucationpromotesutilityovercriticalquandary(KumarandHill4).As

Smithstates,“theglobaltransformationofnaturewroughtbyindustrialcapitalism

dominatesboththephysicalandintellectualconsumptionofnature”(10).TheUS

Buongiorno36

Armymapsframeswaterasapassiveobjectforhumanagencythatoughttobe

maintainedinawaythatpromotesthecontinuationofcapitalflow.

Point1under“TheLaw,”statesthatallincidentsresultinginuncontrolled

bargesmustimmediatelybereportedtothenearestlocksoaworkercan“initiate

whateveractionsmaybewarranted”(SheetB).Howdoweknowwhatactionsare

warranted?Howhasthisworkerbeenproduced?Oneactionis,ofcourse,isa

workerregainingcontrolofthebarge.But,whatmightthisinclude?Whodecides

whereaworker’sactionsstop,orwhateventsshouldalarmaworker?Arebarges

theonlyobjectthat,ifdropped,shouldberetrievedfromtheriver?Point3states,

“Sunkenorsinkingbargesshallbereportedtothenearestlockbothdownstream

andupstreamofthelocationinorderthatothertrafficpassingthesepointsmaybe

advisedofthehazards”(SheetB).Theuseoftheterm,“Inorder,”reestablishesthe

map’sauthority.Itdictatesasingularpurpose,tocontinuewaterwaytransportation

ofconsumergoods.Point4insinuatesamoreenvironmentallyconscioustone,

althoughitstopsshortoffullydeclaringitselfasaspeakerofthevitalityoftheriver.

Point4states:“Intheeventofanoilspill,notifythenearestlockdownstream,

specifyingthetimeandlocationoftheincident,typeofoil,amountofspill,andwhat

recoveryorcontrollingmeasuresarebeingemployed”(SheetB).Anoilspillisthe

onlypollutantaddressed,thoughitisnotdeclaredasone.Withoutreferringtothe

incidentasanenvironmentaldanger,itremainsinthecontextofanavigational,

utilitariandanger.Thisisaffirmedbypoint5,whichstates:“Anyotheractivityon

thewaterwaysthatcouldconceivablyendangernavigationoranavigationstructure

shallbereportedtothenearestlock”(SheetB).Byfollowingpoint4witha

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statementthataddsontoitasthoughitwereoneofthe“other”activitiesframesoil

asthoughitisultimatelyanavigationaldanger.

“TheLaw,”organizesriversashumantoolstobemaintainedfortheflowof

monetaryprofitovertheflowofwater-yvitality.Theriveriseasyorganizedthis

waywhenitissplitintoabinaryofsurfacesanddepths.Anavigationalmaporients

theriverfromitssurface.Movementhappens“on”theriver.Problemsareimposed

upontheriver,likemooredbargesthatobstructthesurface,orasinkingbargethat

hasdroppedfromthesurfaceandneedstobebroughtbackup.However,seeinga

surfaceisnotnecessarilyanissue.Instead,theperceptionthatthereissomething

perceivedasdeepandunreachableisaproblem.Flatontologygivesusaneco-

friendlywayoforganizingtheriverbypressingthebinarydimensionstogether

(surfaceanddepth)tounitethemasentitiesthatarecontingentuponeachother,

andwhathappensatthebottomoftheriverisjustasrelevantaswhathappensat

thetop.Levelingthebasinwiththesurfacerevealsadisturbingdiscovery.Thebasin

islitteredwithflorescentorangeacidstainedrocks,whichbringsastartlingpause

tofiscallydrivenideals.Theriver’ssubjugatedstatusisdenaturalizedastherocks

radiatefromtheirwaterylocation.Asselectivecommunicators,neoliberalmaps

promoteimperializingrhetoric.InImaginedCommunities,BenedictAnderson

suggestsamapshoulddeclareitselfasincompleteinordertopreventitselffrom

dictatorship.Acknowledgingthedispersionofinformationmakessupplementary

mapsimportantforreestablishingasingularmapasincompleteandbysharing

informationthatcountersneoliberalism.Awaterwayisfleeting,constantlyinflux.

DeleuzeandGuattaristate,“Themapisopenandconnectableinallofits

Buongiorno38

dimensions;itisdetachable,reversible,susceptibletoconstantmodification”(12).

Themapshouldnotbeone,authoritativevoice,butamultitudeofvoicesarefluid

likewater.Theystate,“Itcanbetorn,reversed,adaptedtoanykindofmounting,

reworkedbyanindividual,group,orsocialformation”(12).

Moorearguesweshouldseecapitalismasamateriallocation.Amapmightbe

labeledasrepresentingaprovinceinCanadaorasegmentoftheMonongahela

River,butitdoesnotannounceitselfasdepictingcapitalismthesamewayitdoes

notannounceitselfasrepresentingairorevenpaper.TheEiffelTowerisinParis,

whichisanarbitrarymodeoforganizingasegmentofFrance,allofwhicharein,

andbeingorganizedbycapitalism.It’shardtotalkabouteconomicsystemsasan

extensionofecologywhenitislargelyinvisiblethroughnaturalization.Abstract

space(theMonongahelaasabluesquiggle),abstractedandexternalnature(that

whichisnonhuman),andabstracttime(numericaldigits)lendthemselvestoglobal

conquestasitgivesimperialforceatooltoseetheglobewith(190).

Buongiorno39

Afterflatteningriverwayswecanrevisitthenarrativestrategythatnames

segmentsoflocationsasindividualentities,forweco-producetheriver.Patricia

YaegerquotesJaneLubchencoanadministratoroftheNationalOceanicand

AtmosphericAdministration(NOAA)statingoneofourissueswithourinteractions

withtheoceanisthatworkersengagewithoceans(interconnectedbodies)through

segmentation.Lubchencoarguesweneedcohesivenationalpoliciesinsteadofones

thatlookattheocean,“’sectorbysector,issuebyissue.Oneagencyregulateswater

quality,anotherregulatesfishing,anotherregulatesenergyextraction,andanother

regulatesshipping’”(qtd.in“SeaTrash”532).

Inthiswaythenationhasorganizedthespace

oftheriver,whichdeniesanintegralquality

ofwater:itisaliquidwebofconnectivityand

totouchDeckersCreekistotouchthe

MonongahelaRiver,whichistotouchthe

OhioRiver,whichintotalcrossessixstates.

ChrisClark,directorofCornell

University'sBioacousticsResearchProgram,

isworkingonamapthatvisualizessound

distributionofunderwateracoustic

environmentsthatwhaleslivein(206).It

lookslikeatopographicalmap,butmeasures

thedensityoffrequencies(seefig.3).Clark’s

mapisstillpredicatedonexclusion,forit

Figure3

Buongiorno40

showsonlycertaintypesofnoise(underwaternoise)andstillerectsperceptual

boundaries.But,asasupplementtonavigationalmaps,Clark’smapremindsushow

manymorethingsarecontainedinspace,suchasnoisefrequencieswecannotsee.

Thehorizontallinesofthemaparelongitudelines,andtheverticallinesare

latitudelines.Thewarmsplotchesrepresentthedensityofambientnoise.Despite

thatClark’smapiscontainedandthereforeanotherabstractlookatwater,hismap

provokesideasthatcountertherushtoprofitneoliberalismpromotesbyredrawing

certainwaterspaceasvolatileanddangeroustocrossintheeventofaddingmore

ambientnoise. Clarkreferstoexcessfrequenciesas“acousticclutter.”Throughthis

framethetopographylookslikelandfills.Though,Clark’smapdoesnotcontain

authoritativesymbolicpowerthattheArmyCorpsofEngineer’smapcontains

despitethathismapservesasimilarfunctiontheArmy’smap.It,too,informs

navigationalsafety.Byseeingnoisefrequenciesasspatialobstruction,following

Clark’smapcaninformtraditionalnavigationalmapsbyinfluencingthelocationsof

shippingroutesandnewoilandgasdevelopments.However,thisislikelytohinder

fastprofit,whichwoulddeterClark’smapfrombeingadoptedbybusinesses.

Princenarguesweshouldcreateacompetitivebusinessstrategythatknowsit

cannotinternalizeallcostsgiventhecomplexityofecology,andthereforepays

attentionto,andlooksfor,uncalculatedoutputslikeacousticclutter.Princenstates,

“costgenerationshouldbeassessedasaproductofbothproductionand

consumptiondecisions,whetherornotthecostsaredeliberatelyorknowingly

externalized”(103-104).Hecontinuesbyarguingthebusinessstrategy,“must

considerhowdifferencesinpower(political,financial,informational)contributeto

Buongiorno41

suchcosts”(104).Though,declaringthepoweroftheexploiterdoesnothappen

underneoliberalismforneoliberalismseesnoissuewithindividual,

environmentallyviolentacts.AsPrincenexplains,“Forabusinessfirm,theideal

economyisafrontiereconomy”(104).Bythishemeansaneconomywhere

jurisdictionalauthorityisabsent,resourceusersdonothavetoclaimresponsibility,

andconsumersaredistantenough(whetherthroughabstractionorthroughtimeor

distance)tobeunconcernedwithindividualactsofviolence.

Yaegerdescribesherdsmenwhoworktomaximizeindividualprofit.The

herdsmengrowtheirindividualprosperitybyaddingextrasheeptotheirherd,but

withoutcalculatinghowtheactionsofotherherdsmenwillinfluenceeachother’s

future,andhowintimetheincreasingnumberofsheepmayhypotheticallydestroy

thequalityoftheland,andthusdestroyotherobjectsthatrequirethenutritionof

thelandsuchasneighboranimals(whichwouldbeirrelevanteconomicallyifthey

donotcontributetothewealthoftheherdsmen),orvegetationthatherdsmenneed

togrowcrops(525).Theinstantspikeinwealthbygatheringnewsheepeventually

leadstotheruinofthelandandgreatereconomicinstability(525).Alinkexists

betweeneconomicrationalityandaspiraltowardsdestruction.AsYaegerquotes

fromGarrettHardin,“’Freedominacommonsbringsruintoall’”(264).

Uptothispoint,IfearImightbedescribinglaborersandmaterialityas

mindlessworkersusurpedinathinking,feeling,capitalistmachine.Gramsci’s

argumentsgosofarastocreateamindlessworkerwhoisthetotalinversionof

homoeconomicus.Theangleinwhichhelooksatcapitalismdoesnotseem

ecologicalbecauseheexcludestosomeextenthumanagencyinfavorofadegreeof

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interpellationthatsubsumesconstituentsinsteadofcreatingatransactional

relationshipwiththem.Ifearhisapproachcreatesmorepassiveobjects.

Seeinghumanactorsaspassiveignoresouractivedesiretodelegatepower,

enactchange,andactivelychoosewhatwewanttofeeldespitethischoicebeing

influencedbyculture.Mortonarguesthatwedenyenvironmentalcatastrophe

becauseitmakesusfeelbetter(“EcologyWithoutblog”),notbecausedenialhas

beenhandedtous.Groupsofpeoplearebranchingintoananti-capitalist,

environmentallyconsciousperspective.Theiractionsarenotseparatefrom

systemicideologies,ascanbeseenbytheprofilesofthosewhoaregettinginvolved

(theyareofteneducated,middleclasscitizens),buttheyarealsonotcompletely

dictatedbysystems.Theeco-friendlygroupsandtheircultureparticipateinan

ecologicalexchange.StephanieFootestatestherehasbeenariseofeco-bloggers

whojournalaboutwaystheyhavebeengoinggreen,whilesharingtacticsand

encouragingothers(74).Environmentalconsciousnessisgrowingamongstcertain

communities.Butthroughthisthedestructiveactionsofneoliberalismasawhole

becomepointedatindividuals(75).Thiscultivatesandplacesshameonindividuals,

especiallyinthelightthatanindividualispowerlessinasystemicproblem.Cortez

quotesaTexasadstating,“’Peoplestartpollution.Peoplecanstopit’”(227).This

orientationeffacesmasscorporatepowerandinfluence,farmoredetrimentalthat

theindividualconsumerwhorealizess/heisSisyphuswhoreduces,reuses,and

recyclesbutcannevercurbenvironmentaldegradation.

Thephilosophiesofcapitalistregimesadvertisethemselvesasalternative

solutionsthatridusfromtheguiltofdegradationandthefearofademisingfuture.

Buongiorno43

Capitalismplaysontheterm,“sustainability,”anidealizationthatresourcescanbe

usedandthenreplenished,orthatresourcescanbeusedandthenrestore

themselvesthroughanenvironmentthatregulatesandbalancesitself.Thisisjust

onewayNeoliberalcapitalismorganizestheenvironmentinitsimage.Capitalism’s

sourceoforderisregulatedby“internalrelationsamongindividualhumanactors”

(Taylor4).Fromthispointofview,“themarketisaself-organizingsystemthat

regulatesitself”(Taylor4).Theenvironment,asproducedbyNeoliberalcapitalism,

sustainsitselfthroughchecksandbalances.Capitalexpansionthroughresource

accumulationcanonlybenefitstakeholdersoftheenvironmentbecausetheendless

accumulationofresourcesfromaspanningfrontiercanfurnishworkers.Labor

carriesthetranscendingvoiceofChristianity,offeringpromisesofathriving

livelihoodtothosewhoworkhardenoughtoparticipate.Cultivating“value”from

ecologyfeelsgoodwithitsdualmeaningofmoralgoodness,inseparablefromthe

echoofmoney.ThephilosophyofNeoliberalismdeclaresitselfassocialand

environmentalwelfare.

Aneoliberalsolutionchurnsslowviolence.Itsoutputsarepoorlyfunded

workers(because“trickles”ofwealtharenotenoughtosustainavitallife)inan

environmentthathasbeenappropriatedforneoliberalneeds.Accordingto

neoliberalism,laborcannotbeexploitationbecauseanydegreeofmonetarygainis

beneficial.Someaccumulationofcapitalisbetterthannoaccumulationofcapital,

regardlessatwhatcost,whichbreedsslowviolence.Disparityisheightenedby

culturaldistancebetweenhighsocio-economicclassesandtheworkingclasses.

Princenexplainswhenlikelyexploitativeexchangesoccurbetweenclasses

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neoliberalismofferstheexchangeasabeneficialrelationship.Princenexplains

whenpurchasinggrapesfromafarmerinChile,“Ihavenowayofknowingifmy

consumptionissupportingorunderminingthatfarmer,economicallyor

ecologically”(118).Asofferedbycapitalism,“Icanonlyassumethat,inaSouthern

country,thegrowerneedstheemploymentand,hence,thegrapesalesandthe

growerisgettingafairportionoftherents”(118).Imagesofpesticiderunoffinto

riversareoutofsight.Wecannotnamewhichwatersourcesarecontaminated.

Thereisanunknowingnessthatsurroundstheproducethatweconsume,thewater

sourcesthatsurroundthem,andthecommunitiesthatmakewagesofftheirharvest.

Princenargues,becauseoftheinvisibilityofexploitation,businesseshave,“no

maliciousintentordeliberateattempttoexportcosts”intheformofdegradation

(110).Hisclaimsupposesthatsilenceissomethingthathappens,andisnot

somethingthatisintentionallydelegatedtosilencedcommunitiesfroman

oppressiveforce.Notsurveyingtheworkerspresentinamechanismisanactof

violencethroughomission.AsKaranBaradexplains,whenspaceisorganized,“one

can’tsimplybracket(orignore)certainissueswithouttakingresponsibilityand

beingaccountablefortheconstitutiveeffectsoftheseexclusions”(58).

Comingfromaradicallydifferentangle,groupsofecologicallyconscious

activistscarrystillimages(sustainedimages)displayingecologicalsuffering.Many

ofusaretoofamiliarwiththeimageofanautopsieddeadbirdfilledwithscrap

metal,orgenericimagesofriversofgarbagethatwereoncefilledwithsalmon.The

imagescreateatormentedviewerwhocansee,butcannotdoanything.Thebirdis

alreadydead,andsalmonalreadygone.Eco-friendly,inthissense,comeswith

Buongiorno45

baggage.Itcomeswiththehistoricalbaggageofcommoditiesthatdonotgetlost

overtime,butaccumulate.Itcomeswiththebaggageofindividualresponsibility,

andlookspasttheforcesofmass,corporatepower.Thesymbolicpowerofthe

imagestargetsthewrongaudience.Thesustainedimagesofdegradationfunction

quitedifferentlyfromtheslicedupandcontainedimagesheldbymaps,bothof

whichfailtomobilizeecologicalchangepartlybecausetheyplayintotheneoliberal

rhetoricofanexternal(andinthiscaseunreachablethroughtheimage)

environment,andthepower-wieldingindividualhumanactor.

InRegardingthePainofOthers,SusanSontaganalyzesculturalemotive

responsestoimagesofwar.Thedestructionandlossofvitalitycanbetransposedas

ananalogforecologicaldegeneration’seffectsoncommunitiesandthe

environment.Shestatesthatfootagedoesnottellitsvieweranythingotherthan

whats/hehasbeenprimedtosee(10).Boththemapandthephotographclaimto

reflectandprovideevidenceforsomething“real.”Yet,asSontagstates,“images

offeringevidencethatcontradictscherishedpietiesareinvariablydismissedas

havingbeenstagedforthecamera”(10).Whatisitaboutthemapthatannounces

itselfasreal,andabouttheimagethatstirsskepticism?Sontagmentionsthatthe

standardresponsetoahorrifyingimageistheassertionthatsuchatrocitiesnever

actuallyhappened,thattheyarefiction(10).Askingtheindividualshouldchangein

ordertochangethewholeistoodauntingandimpossibleofatask.EPA

commercialscreatingguiltyandpatronizedviewers(Cortez227).

Ecologicalimagesareatoddswithneoliberalism’sauthorityandtheAmerican

culturalconsciousness.AsSontagstates,“Memoryhasalteredtheimage,according

Buongiorno46

tomemory’sneeds”(30).Theneoliberalconsciousnessalterstheimagetosustain

itsprosperity.Excusesarebuiltaroundimagesofpollution:thephotographis

cherrypicking,orwastakenatabadangle.Buttheimage’sineptitudeinthismode

ofcommunicationdoesnotmeanthattheimageisnotausefulwayofaccessingan

understandingofsomethingthatistoobig.Mortonsuggestsforustobeginto

fathomecologicaldegradation,wemustslowlybuildourunderstandinginsteadof

reelinginthesuddennessofadisturbingimagethatdemandsustoletgoofthe

peacefulillusionsofslowviolence.Reframingourrelationshipwiththe

environmenttoreproducespacerequiresadiscoursethatcultivatesanauthority

thatcanspeaktonotjustindividuals,butbusinesses.Linguisticcapitalisdealtin

favoroftheneoliberalmap,andsuchisthereasonanatlasofotherriverformations

(rocks,oil,coaldroppings)isnotpopularized.Capitolflowsalongsidewaterway

exploitation,circlingtheglobeintheinternationalmarket.Submersingourselvesin

thisflowinordertoreorganizeitrequiresdramaticallydifferentapproachesthan

horrifyingimagesandplasteredsigns.Reorganizingecologytodiscourage

neoliberalaffectmeansrecreatingourperceptionsofspace.ThisnextChapterlooks

athowspacecanbecollapsedtocreatepoliticsthatareinclusiveofhumanand

nonhumanentities,andrespectnonhumanentitiesasessentialforhumanvitality.

ChapterIII:APoliticsofInclusion

Inpopularthoughtwaterhasoftenbeencritiquedfromthesurface.Our

curiositiesandoursentimentsofwaterhaveperchedthemselvesonledges,looking

intoarippledreflection.Iuseitalicsasareminderthatthroughoureco-criticallens,

Buongiorno47

wemustlookattheconceptofthesurfaceasarhetoricalstrategyfororganizing

spaceaccordingtoabinarythatfacilitatestheexpansionofneoliberalcapitalism.

Thesurfaceisbothavisualandmentalbarrierthatseparatesthesubterranean

secretsofwaterfromland,andconsequentlyourfeelingsof–connectednesswith

thevitalmaterialsthatcirculateinwater.Ourhuman-nessseemstobedisconnected

fromthisunknown,alienenvironment.Waterbecomesdifficulttoimagine.

Whyshouldweimaginewater?Ifwearetobetterunderstandwhatanymatter

meansasapoliticalactorwithinanecologyofvibrantmaterialitywemustextend

ourempathytoit.Empathyrevealsourownconnectionswithwater,andwecan

cultivateapersonalrelationshipwithwaterthatisbuiltonanexchangeofideasthat

ebbandflow,circulate,anddegradeorganicallyovertime.Thisrequireslisteningto

water’sbabblylanguage.Discourseaboutthecriticalreformationofourrelationship

withwaterhassettledinisolatedpocketsofspeakersandthinkers.Thishascreated

fracturedideasanddiscontinuousefforts.RitaWongiscriticalofthiswhenshe

statesthatnotionsofreformativerelationshipswithwaterhaveeclipsedthevoices

ofindigenouspeopledespitethatwaterisaglobalattachment.Evenmovements

towardscreatinganew,healthyrelationshipwithwaterhavesilencedcommunities.

Alonghistoricalprecedencetieswatertopower.Chenetal.state,“theachievement

ofdominationoverwatercourses(howevertemporary)coincideswithan

intensificationofsocialdomination”(6).AsNixonpointsout,slowviolenceis

tetheredtotheenvironmentalismofthepoor,or“disposablepeople”(4-5).Wateris

anabsolutenecessityforlife,sodumpingtoxicwasteintowaterisanassaulton

inhabitants.

Buongiorno48

Toremedyassaultweneedtodevelopaholisticapproachtowaterthat

embracesdiversethinkers,imagination,andtangibility.ScholarslikeBryantand

Mortonpaycloseattentiontoecology’srelationships,buttheirapproachesare

selective.Theydemandtheirreaderstohaveanimaginationbuiltuponafoundation

ofmaterialistthinking.InThinkingwithWater,CeciliaChen,AstridaNeimanis,and

JanineMacLeodtakeamulti-angledapproachtoexploringwaterbylookingatwater

throughdiverseandexperimentallenses.Theyposeliteraryworksbesidepoetry,

whichthenstandsbesidepicturesofwateryinstallationart.Theirbookmarksa

differenttraditiontosupplementstandardacademicapproachestospeakingabout

wateranditspowerrelationships.However,Thinking’sapproaches,while

innovative,pointtoanissueofourculturalrelationshipwithwater:itisrealwhenit

isonland.Thinking’spicturesofunderwatervegetationareadjacenttomore

familiarlandplantsthathavesimilarstructureslikeaseaanemonenexttocactus.

Water’sdescriptionsaresupplementedthroughsensuouspoetrythat,whilenearing

itsreaderstowaterthroughimagination,alsodistancesreadersfromwaterby

maskingwater’sbabblinglanguageinexchangeforourhumanone.So,howcanwe

cometounderstandwater’svitality?

RitaWongarguesthatextraordinarymeasuresarerequiredforcreatinga

conversationaroundenvironmentaldegradation(7).Shesuggestsreplacingthe

conventionsofacademicdiscoursefortheyhavecreatedacultureofexclusion

aroundamaterialthatconnectscommunitiesalike(7).“Waterbabble”istossed

aroundasamelodicterminsinuatingthebehaviorsofwater,butIwanttoexplore

“waterbabble”asalanguagepeoplecanengagewithinregardlessoftheir

Buongiorno49

background.Water’sbabbleismutuallyalientohumanspeakers.Regardlessofour

positiontowater,whetherourinvolvementwithwaternevergoesbeyondthe

runningwaterofafaucet,orifwesailacrosswavesinaboat,water’slanguage

remainsforeign.Water’sformisfleeting.Eachrippleisreplaced.Developing

empathyisknowingwedonotknowsomething,andcannotknowit,butstillextend

ourselvesouttoit.Empathytunesusintothelivelinessofobjectswithdrawing.

Whilewedonotknowwater,itdoesnotrecessintoadarknessoftheunknown.

Instead,itswithdrawdrawsusclosertowater’sledge.Chenetal.state,“beneaththe

glintingandrestlesssurfaceofwater,wesenseunseenmovements”(15).Its

mysteryinspiresalanguageoffeelings:curiosity,desire,intrigue,oreventerror.

But,whataretheextraordinarylengthswemustgo?Listeningtobabbling

languagesuggestsusingatactileapproach.Akinestheticrelationshipwithwater

seemstoresistabstraction.Theapproachwechoosemustalsodismantlethe

binariesofneoliberalism.Onewaytodevelopakinestheticrelationshipwithwater

thatdefiesthelimitsofthesurfaceisthroughsubmersion,whichoffersaunique

perspectivebydenaturalizingoursurroundingsandourbodies.Atthecross-section

ofvibrantmaterialismandsubmersionlayunexploredperceptionsofwaterand

transformativeencountersthatchallengeneoliberalstructures.

Thoughsubmersioncanmeanmanythings:hoppingintoalake,viewinga

videoonacomputerscreen,orevenplungingtodepthsinasubmarine,thisChapter

isinterestedinSCUBAandhowexaminingwaterthroughSCUBAisawayforusto

discoverwhatsomeofthese“unseenmovements”ofwaterareinbothatheoretical

andliteralsense.ThisChapterhasaspecialinterestinfreshwater.Freshwaterand

Buongiorno50

itsrelationstolifeandlandare,forthemostpart,leftoutofeco-criticalpursuitsin

favoroffreshwater’sbigger,morecaptivatingcousin:saltwater.RobNixon’sSlow

ViolenceandtheEnvironmentalismofthePoorspendstimewithfreshwater,butit

doesnottelluswhatbeingplacedinwatermaymeanforecology,forcommunities,

orforyouorI.

ThroughoutthisChapterIhopetomakethestrangenessofexperiencingwater

throughSCUBAevenstrangerbyreferringtoSirWalterRaleigh,anearlymodern

Britishwriterandexplorerofrivers,asaguideforthesediscoveries.Inexchangeof

specializedacademictextsdiscussingwhatisuniversaltousall,water,Raleigh

speakstosubmersionbecausehisvoiceputsasideabstract,academicargumentin

exchangeforbodilyknowledgeandphantasmal,denaturalizingdescriptionsofriver

voyagesthatexcitetheimaginationanddrawusintoitsvitalcurrent.Hiswriting

challengeswhatYaegerstatesis,“literaryartifacts’complicityinsuchactsof

sabotageandembraceecocriticism$asatacticforrecognizingthatseatrashalso

flowsfromnovelsandpoetry”(537),throughthequeeredperspectivehepresents

us.Raleigh’stextschasedesiredmateriality,gold,thatisalwaysdiffered.Goldis

alwayseverywhere,butunreachable,andheisdrawnintotheDeleuzianmapof

dynamic,vibrantmateriality.

Waterspillsacrossspaceandtime,andencouragesrelationalthinkingacross

borderswhetherthesebordersarethepastandthepresent,orcommunitiesthat

arefracturedbydrawnlines.Raleighdescribeswaterinhisjourneys.Heexplores,

“ThegreatriverofOrenoqueorBaraquanhathninebrancheswhichfalloutonthe

northsideofhisownmainmouth.Onthesouthsideithathsevenotherfallingsinto

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thesea,soitdisemboquethbysixteenarmsinall”(26).Fromthisimageweseeeach

limb,interconnectedandsprawlingbetweentheislandsandfurthermorearound

theplanetasitenterstheoceanandcirculatesaroundtheglobe.

Bachelardarguesin“WaterandDreams:AnEssayontheImaginationof

Matter”thatideascannotbetrulyfeltorunderstoodintheabstract.Foradiscourse

aroundwaterdegradationtobecreated,ideasmustbeanimatedbymateriality.In

thiscase,thematerialitywillbeanimatedwiththehelpofSCUBAembodiment.

Leavingbehindlandandsubmersingourbodiesinwaterqueersourconceptionof

spaceasweenteranalien,aquaticworld.Justacoupleinchesdeep,theskybecomes

foggyfromtheriver’sparticulates.Atthispointoneweretolookupatthelands/he

wouldseeawarpedarticulationofwhatwasoncefamiliar.Treesaredisjointedas

theirtrunkstwistawayfromtheirbranches.Lookingatleavesislikelooking

throughakaleidoscope.Examiningthegroundwesteppedoffofrevealsnotagreen

landscape,butinsteadawallofrigiddirtandtherootsofplants.Eightfeetbellow

thesurfacelightbeginstofadeasthecloudofparticulatesshieldthesun.Onecanno

longerlookupandseetheripplesofthesurface.At20feetadivercannotorient

oneselfspatiallywithoutthehelpofacompassandpressuregauge.Yetwithinthe

strangenessofwaterourbodiesreactasthoughitisinafamiliarplace.Wateris

heavy,butourbodiesseamlesslyadjusttoambientpressure.Just33feetofwater

addsonefullatmosphereofpressure.

Theshiftfromlandtowaterstillimposesadissociationofwhatitmeanstobe

human.Thetotteringcurrentsthatflickerfromparticulatesshakeourexpectations

forslowchange.Notionsforsustainabilityareundone.Werealizewerelyonthe

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nonhumanaswerelyonhoses,rubber,andsteeltobreathe.Atranslucentgreen,

brown,orbluescreenveilsfamiliarity.Liquiditydistortsonobject’sshape

dependingonouranglefacingit.Thisisatactilemetaphorremindingusthatobjects

donothaveanessentialform.Replacingcolorisadislocatingexperience.Kidsare

oftenfamiliarwiththeopticalillusionofattemptingtoreadcolorwordsthatare

printedindifferentcolorsthanwhattheyreadas.So,theword“green,”mightbe

shadedred.Colorcompelsus.Mortonstatesthatuponenteringanallyellowroom

itspowerfulcoloringwouldinstantlytransposeitselfuponusanddirectour

attentiontothewalls.Unexpected,strangecolorprovokesustothinkinnon-

normativeways.AsCatroniaMortimer-SandilandsandBruceEricksonargue,space

andlocationhasbeenusedtoimposenormativethoughtandbehavior.Weneeda

queeredunderwaterSCUBAperspectivetoaddnarrativevoicetowaterecology

becausetheprevailingnormativevoicehasledustothegeo-politicaldenialthat

fuelsdegradation.

Imagespresentuswithawayofseeingandgrabblingwithanotionofthe

objectsinwater.However,imagescreateadifferentemotionalrelationshipbetween

theviewerandthetrashthansubmersionoffers.SusanSontagarguesthatour

desiretointerferewiththetraumaanimagepresentsusfadesafterwebecome

frustratedwithfeelingsofpowerlessness(10).Shestates,“Thequestioniswhatto

dowiththefeelingsthathavebeenaroused,theknowledgethathasbeen

communicated.Ifonefeelsthatthereisnothing“we”cando-butwhoisthat“we”?-

andnothing“they”candoeither-andwhoare“they”(10)?Sontag’sdescription

articulatestheabstractionthatimagescanprovoke.Insteadofcultivatingapersonal

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relationshipandinvestmentinwater,suchanabstractiondistancesus.It(water)

canbeusedforthem(industrialists)anddon’thavetowrapourmindsaroundit.

Fromthispoint,onestartstogetbored,cynical,andapatheticandwiththisapathy

comesadisregardforobjectsandmakingthempassive.

Submersionopensupatactilerelationshipwithecologicaldegradation.Lakes

andriversaroundthenationholdannual“clean-up”dayswhereSCUBAdiving

volunteerslandonthesubterraneantogathertrash,theexcrementof

neoliberalism’seconomy.Floatingjustabovetrashwecanseethecontouritmakes

inthebasin.Reachingouttotouchtrashcreatesaliteralbondwithtrash.Aswe

float(balance)underwater,touchinganyobjectwithourhandsbouncesus

backwardsfromtheforceofourcontact.Bobbingbackandforthisanexchangeof

momentum,ofagency,thatwecaninstantlyrecognizeastheaffectofobjectson

ourselves.Wecannotmistakeanobjectaspassivewhenwefeelit,eventhe

smallest,lightestobjectlikeasodacan,pushingusback.Whileseeingthattrashis

vitalmatterwithaforce,wealsodevelopasenseofpoweramidstsystemic

degradation.

However,thisfoundhumanagencyandpowermight(andperhapsshould)

provokeskepticismandcriticalquestioning.Thedescriptionofapersonal

relationshipwithwaterthatinvolvesmanipulatingtheriverlikelyprovokesan

imageofthehumanprotagonist,ortheUSArmyCorpsofEngineerstryingtotame

thevitalityoftheMississippiRiver.Removinggarbagefromalakefostersasenseof

idealismprovokingmythicalnotionsofsustainability.Movingacrushedcan

touches,changes,andmanipulatestheenvironmentinawaythatfeelslikegaining

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controloversomethingspiraling.Thedreamofrevertingarivertoits“natural,”or

“original”conditioninspiresadivertoremovetrash.But,underwatertrashpicking

offersamoreinvolvedmessagethansustainability.Thealienenvironment,where

familiarphysicallawsnolongerapply,asksustoreevaluateanypresuppositionsof

anobjectanditspotential.Whenwethinkoftrashdumpedintoabodyofwateron

landwemayseeimagesofseacritterscaughtintheplasticofsix-packsodas.

However,underwatertrashbecomescomplexunderwater.Removingatirefromthe

basincanmeanuprootingthehomeofafish.What,then,istrash?Answeringthis

requiresthatweslowourperceptionsdownandquestionobjects’potentials.Inthe

siltapairofRayBanglasseslosestheircapitalworthandpresentsthemselvesas

forgottentrash.AsElizabethMazzoliniandStephanieFooteexplaingarbageisnot

anobject,butacategoryforobjects(6).Underwaterenvironmentsmakeaspectacle

outoftheplaybetweenthesetwocategoriesaswearebeckonedtodevelopa

relationshipamorecritical,inquisitiverelationshipwithobjectsthatincludestheir

agencyinouractions.

Alternatively,Cortezsuggestswemakealivingspaceamongwastethatdoes

notcauseustocringeorfeelnegativelytowardsitsunnervingpresence.Thiswould

meanmakingamendswithneoliberalwastesinks,butitwouldalsomeancurbing

thecontroversialsuggestionsofthosewhowanttofightthecontaminationof

resourceswithmoreradicalinterference,likethesulfurdropletsdispersedinthe

Ozone.Cortezsuggestsweextractnotionsofmoralityfromourrelationshipwith

trash.Sheexplainsdoingsocanbemoreenvironmentallyconsciousbecausethen

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wewillnotcloseobjectsoffduetooverwhelmingamountsoffearforourfutureor

guiltfortheactionsofothersandourselves.Shestates:

wasteeitherdisappearsfromconsciousnessaltogether,orwhereitappears,

evokessuchintensenegativitythatitalsodisappearsfromconsiderationthe

historicalandsocialforcesthathaveshapedhowwerelatetoit,andhencethe

questionofwhetherother,orlessecologicallydestructiverelationsmightexist

(Cortez227).

Cortez’scommentisconvincing,butIfearitechoestheapathyBogost’sandBryant’s

OOOencouragesthatperpetuatesneoliberalviolence.Although,Cortez’ssuggestion

givesusawaytoseeneoliberalismasanecologicalsystem.Bymakingamendswith

trash,andcreatingadwellingamongstit,thebinarybetweenNature(withacapital

“N”)andneoliberalismiscollapsed,asneoliberalism’sinfluencesareevidentlya

forcewithinecology.neoliberalismissimultaneouslyaprovideroffishrealestate

andPlasticIsland.

Acriticalandcarefulresponsetotrashthatobservesitasanuncertainobject

thatwemustplaywithistherelationshipIhopetoimpartthroughSCUBA.In

ThinkingwithWaterCeciliaChenetal.placeaseaplantnexttoafamiliarlooking

landplant(agrassylookingfern)(36-37).Inattemptstoconnectuswithwater,

Chenetal.isamongstmanyscholarswhocharacterizeecologyinamoreland-

centricfashiontobetterimaginetheplaceswhereneoliberalismdisappearswithin

darkpools.Mooredescribescapitalismlikealivinganimal.Hestates:

byseeingit[capitalism]asametabolismweseethatitneedstoeatcheaplabor

tosustainitself,andthatitproduceswaistinthemostcost-effectivelocations

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(atthetime),likeafield.Ithasa“dystopiandrivetowardstemporal

instantaneity”thatmanifestsbyfindingshortcuts–itwilltakethewayofleast

resistance.Whilecapitalismneedstoexpandandproducetosustainitself,it

makesheaps(trash)andexcessthatnobodywants(78)

Theeconomybecomesadraconianmammalwithlegsandaheartthatpumpsblood.

MielleChandlerandAstriaNeimanisdescribethemeldingofhumanbodies

withwater’sliquidbodyasagestationalorientation,remindingushumanlife

originatesfromaliquidbody.ChandlerandNeimanisargueagestational

orientationcausesustothinkaboutwhatispresentaswellas,“thatwhichisnot

yet”(62).Perceivingourpresentselvesasgestationalenablesasenseofgrowthinto

thefuturewhilewemaintainourpresentandareformedbyourpast.Perched

precariouslybetweenmomentsintimesuggests,“onecanbebounded,intentional,

andanimatedwhileatthesametimepartiallydissolvingoneselfandbeingoriented

inone’scapacityasmilieuforanother”(ChandlerandNeimanis76).Agestational

orientationisanothermetaphorwecanconnectwithtolinkthealien-like

nonhumanstakeholderswithinecologytousandtheextenttowhichweknowto

empathize.

Unlikeseeingtheworkingsofametabolismorthinkingthroughagestational

orientation,SCUBAbringsusinsightthroughemphasizingthequeernessofobjects

withinecology.Bringingobjectsintotherealmofanthropocentricfamiliaritycan

causeustomissangles.Foreignrelationshipscannotbeforgedifwerelatebackto

whatweknow.Amidstdarkandfoggywater,devoidofsunlight,breathingfroma

hose,onedoesfindhim/herselfinanembryonicposition,butanembryonicposition

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withinstrangeterritory.Floatingabovesiltandstones,lookinginalldirectionsat

thefibrouswaterthatfadesintoanambiguousdarkness,weseeaphysical

metaphorforhowthelakewithdrawsfromus.Ourbodiescanrealize,butnot

comprehendobjectsthatarelargerthanus,incalculable.Theriverradiatesasa

hyperobject,andwhilewecanbegintofeelitsmassiveexistence,wecannotspeak

it,orpointfingersatwhatariverconsistsof.Howdoweexploresomethingthatis

largerthanwecanimagine,ahyperobject,withoutreducingittofamiliarity?The

mysteriouswithdrawofariver,itsripplingandfleetingbody,beckonsustochase

thevitalityoftheriver,desiringtoknowmorebutalwaysdeferred.Raleighgives

languagetothisdesireinhischaseforrivergold.Raleighseesthegold,thedesired

materiality,everywhere:“mostofthegoldwhichthey[thenatives]madeinplates

andimageswasnotseveredfromthestone,butthatonthelakeofManoa,andina

multitudeofotherrivers’’where‘’theygathereditingrainsofperfectgoldandin

piecesasbigassmallstones”(43).But,thegoldisalwaysdeferred.Raleighistold,

“UponthisonenriveroneCapitanGeorge...toldmetherewasagreatsilvermine,

andthatitwasnearthebanksofthesaidriver.Butbythistimeaswell...allthe

restoftheriverswererisenfourorfivefeetinheightsoasitwasnotpossible[to

reach”(37).Hisdesiresarealwaysinmotion,alwayssweepinginthecurrentsof

anotherriverliketheDeleuzianmap.

Toembracethefluidityofwateristoembracethecirculationofvibrantmatter

thatiseverpresentbutunreachable.Extendingempathytowater(oranyobject)is

notclaimingthecapacitytofeelwhatitdoes,orknowwhatitknows.Instead,

empathyisacknowledgingthatwecannotunderstandwater(oranyotherobject).It

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isimpossibletounderstandasobjectswithdraw.Yet,despitenotunderstanding,we

careforwaterandobjectsanyway.Toextendempathylikethiswemustusealess

familiarroutetoperceivingwater.

WearingSCUBAgeardeprivesusfromouranthro-senses.Donningasuit

beginsahumanist,post-humanistreformation.Sightbecomeslimitedanddistorted.

Infreshwater,hearingislimitedtowater’sresponse(bubbles)toVader-like

breathing.Evensomethingsoquintessentialtobeinghuman,breathing,becomesa

hybridofhumanandnonhumanactors.Themutingofoursensesspursa

hyperawarenessofourpresenceinwaterandourhyperawarenessextendsbeyond

us.CognitionisdisplacedamongsttheSCUBAgearasthegeartranslatesthe

strangenessofwaterforus,andisinfluencedbywater’slanguage.Havingwater

translatedtousdoesnotcauseustobenearerorfartherfromit.Wecannotbe

closertounderstandingwaterbecauseitwithdrawsfromus.Submersiongivesusa

differentangletocultivatemorecuriosities,questions,andaheightenedsenseof

concern.AsBaradargues,“conceptsaredefinedbythecircumstancesrequiredfor

theirmeasurement,”andthereforeSCUBAopensustowateryconceptsotherwise

unappreciable.Baradexplains,“theoreticalconceptsarenotideationalincharacter;

theyarespecificphysicalarrangements”(109).

AnotherpieceofSCUBAgear,thewetsuit,isatactilemetaphorfortheparadox

betweenseeingourselvesasindividualhumanentities,andseeingourselvesasa

meshofmanynonhumanthings.Whenwedonawetsuit,webecomeawareofour

distinctselves.Thewetsuit“simulatesone’sbodyboundaries”through“constant

stimulatingtouch”(406).Thematerialwetsuitsaremadefrom,neoprene,clingsto

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thebodyfromnecktoankleasourfirstskinismadeawareofoursecondskinas

havingadefinitiveboundary.Ourdeliberatemovements,likeabendofthearm,that

blendintoourunconsciousbecauseoftheirregularityarenowrevealedtousaswe

feelthespacethatweinhabitandtheeffortthatweextortduringmovement.The

physicalityofourbodiesthatrecedesfromourawarenessisbroughttothe

forefrontofourattention.However,notlongafterwearemadeawareofour

distinctbodiesweencounterwater,whichqueersourindividualitybecauseofit

beingatimelessenmeshment.AsaccordingtoChen,“Watersliterallyflowbetween

andwithinbodies...inaplanetarycirculationsystemthatchallengespretensions

todiscreteindividuality”(12).Abouthalfofthediver’sneopreneskiniscomposed

ofhydrogenatoms(“neoprene”).Whenthediverisimmersed,s/heisapartof

water.TheSCUBAsuitgivesusthetooltorethinktheorientationofourbodieswith

theenvironment,orinRaleigh’scase,todesireawatery,immersedself.

Fromfall2016tospring2017IsanktotheflooroftheMonongahelaRiver

nearMorgantowninhopesofbringinglighttodarkground.Coalandasurprisingly

largenumberofpadlockshavesunktoitsbottom.Mydescentwashoursawayfrom

Decker’sCreekbycar,yetIspottedfragmentsofacidstainedrocksthathad

migratedfromthecreek.AsLindbergetal.state,“minesreclaimednearlytwo

decadesagocontinuetocontributesignificantlytowaterqualitydegradation”

(20929).Theflorescentrocksaresymptomaticofslowviolence.Theflorescenceof

therocksmakeanargumentforadoptingPrincen’spoliticaleconomyof

degradationwhichaccountsnotonlyforafullrangeofcostsbutalsothesourcesof

thosecosts.Therocksshownotanisolatedevent,butahistoricaltraumathat

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reachesacrosstime.Princenarguesthatapoliticaleconomyofdegradation“must

considerhowthepursuitofwealthcan,deliberatelyornot,leadtouncountedcosts

unaccountableactors”(103).Theunaccountablecanonlybeconsideredifweaccept

thatobjectshavehistoriesandtrajectoriesthatdriftbeyondwhatwecanfathom.

ThesceneofsprinkledneonrocksalongthebasinoftheMonongahelaRiveris

unimaginableforapersondrivingacaroverthebridgethatarchesovertheriver

fromMorgantowntoWestover.Theylooklikesmallexplosionsinabasinofbrown

andgreystones.Whoelseknowsflorescentorangerockslieatthebottomofthe

river?WhenIwasdivingIranintoanEPAofficerwhowastestingthewater.Iasked

aboutthewater’squality,andheassuredmeitwasgood.Hetoldmewhenwasteis

dumped,inafewdays“mothernaturetakescareofit,”aplatitudeforapproving

neoliberalism’seffects.

ThespotoftheMonongahelaRiverIdivedin,hoursawayfromminingsites,

becametheunaccountedforwastesinkoftheminingfrontier.Thecurrentstateof

DeckersCreekisbetterdescribedbyafantasticalobservationfromRaleigh.When

exploringtheprovinceofAmapaia,Raleighobservestoxicwaterthat“byreasonof

theredwaterwhichissuethoutinsmallbranchesthroughthefennyandboggy

ground,therebreeddiverspoisonfulwormsandserpents”(19).Raleighrelaysthe

anxietyofpoisonouswater.Whatmutinouscreaturescanliveinthewater(if

anythingatall)?CantheMonongahelaRiverbecomeagroundnotforfish,or

kayakers,butforserpents?

WhilestillwatchingtheriverinAmapaia,Raleighdescribesaculminationof

anxiety,amomentwhenagroupoftravelerswhohavenormalizedthetoxicwater

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drinksfromit.Hestates,“notsuspecting,norinanysortforeknowingthedanger,

wereinfectedwithagrievouskindoffluxbydrinkingthereof”(19).Rivers,although

ebbingandflowing,appearlikesteadyentities.Toxicwastedumpsexploittheir

steadyappearance.Riversarehyper-objects,somassivelydistributedthatdistinctly

lookingforqualitiescausesthemtoswirlinaneddy.Quiteafewfreshwaterrivers

aregreeninside.Whygreen?Theparticlesfloatinginthewaterarenotgreen.The

rocksarenotgreen.Thelightingisnotgreen,noristhegreensaturationfrom

underwatervegetation.Multiplevariablescombineandagreennessemerges.

RaleighcounterswhatYaegerdescribesas“literaryartifacts’complicityin

suchactsofsabotage”(537).AsYaegerexplains,ifwearetoembraceecocriticism$,

wemust“recognizethatseatrash[orfreshwatertrash]alsoflowsfromnovelsand

poetry”(537).Raleigh’swateryaccountsswelledinthemidstofcapitalism’srise.

Hissojournswerealongsideafrenzyofboatbuildingandsailorswhodreamedof

conqueringthenewworldforgold(183).Mooreexplains,“Theriseofcapitalism

after1450wasmadepossiblebyanepochalshiftinthescale,speed,andscopeof

landscapetransformationintheAtlanticworldandbeyond”(182).Wheredoes

Raleighandhisliteraturesitwithinthissurge?Shouldhisliteraturebean

appropriatetextforecocriticism$?Moorecontinues,“Earlymodern’sepoch-making

abstractionswereregisteredthroughtheera’snewcartographies,new

temporalities,newformsofsurveying”(207).However,throughendlessdeferralof

desirablemateriality,Raleigh’saccountsprovideuswithfleetingimagesthat

disagreewithnotionsofsustainability,orecologicalbalance.WhileRaleighlooksfor

goldhisjourneystakeplaceinnotanexternalenvironment,butinanenvironment

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thatusurpshim,compelshim,andleadshimalong.Heexplainsthatattimes,“itis

impossibletonavigateanyofthoserivers;forsuchisthefuryofthecurrent”(6).

Raleigh’schaseconfuseslinear,exploitativeprogressionandshowsusthevitalityof

materiality.

ChapterIV:CreatingaMapofAcidStainedRocks

Iwanttoreturntotheideaofanontologicallyflatwaterwaymapand

experimentwithhow,likeRaleigh,Icanpositwhatawaterwaymapmightlooklike

thatstirsourimaginationsandcausesustoreevaluateourrelationshipwithwater

asadynamic,vitalentity.Whilewatercannotbecontainedofamap,amapcanbea

fleetingbiographyofwater,illustratingwater’snarrativeasavitalsourcethat

connectsourhumannesstolifethroughthenonhumanworld,whilealsobeingthe

wateryfrontierandwastepitofneoliberalexpansion.Applyingflatontologytothe

MonongahelaRiverbringstheacidstainedrockstotheforefrontofhuman-water

interconnectivity.Wecanseetherocksproducingspace,andfromthisobservation

wecanchallengeneoliberalism’spromisesofendlesscapitalflow.Thebasinofthe

MonongahelaRiverislitteredwithdozensofsmall,florescentorangerocks(some

thesizeofpebbles,othersthesizeofhalfafist). When“mothernaturewashes

away”thespillage,astheEPAofficerdescribesit,thetemporalawareness

submersionintheMonongahelaRivercreatesbridgesthepastwiththepresentto

understandthatthetoxicitydidnotdisappear.Acidrocksaretheslowviolencethat

istoodeepforamaptoshow.Thealarmingshadesaresymptomsofneoliberalism’s

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quickandindiscriminatethrashingthroughtheminingfrontier.Therocksare

brightorangestainsofliquidcapital.

TheMonongahelaRiverisamainwatersourcethatrunsthroughnorthern

WestVirginiaandsouthernPennsylvania.Since2010theMonongahelaRiverhas

remainedinthetop20mostpollutedrivers,averagingaround2,200,000tonsof

toxicchemicalsreleasedintoitayear(Inglisetal.47).Theacidstainedrocksspeak

tothis,andforeshadowanacidicfuture.Corteznotesthatourrelationshipswith

consumercommoditiesbreakfreeoftime.Unlikeencounteringacidstainedrocks,a

commodity’spristineconditionandmassproductioncausesanobjecttoappear

withoutanorigin.Ourknowledgeofanobject’shistoryoftendoesnottranscend

pastashop’sshelf,andthusobjectsappearwithinaperpetuallypresentmoment.

Theappearanceofauniformhistorybecomesanexpectedpartofmarketplaces.

Uniformityharkenstostandardization,efficiency,quickprofit,andisalsoa

metaphorreinsuringthetimelessnessandreplenishmentofresources.Thereisno

wonderitiseasytoforegothinkingecologicallywhenconsumers,producers,and

businessesaredistancedthroughspace,time,andeveneducationorknowledgeof

whatishappeningwhere.Consideringtimereorganizesspaceinawaythatgives

people,includingbusinesses,atooltorationalizeecologicaldestructionwhile

defyingthequick,draconianmovementsofneoliberalism.Princenargues,“analysis

ofthedistributionofshort-termcosts,alongwithmanylong-termimpacts,will

generateabetterexplanation[forhowwecanrecreatebusiness]”(103).Duringthe

temporaldisconnectbetweencostsandbenefitsstakeholdersloosetrackofcosts

andoftenbecomeconvincedoftheproductivityofathingbecausebenefitsoften

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comebeforecosts,especiallyinthecaseofslowviolence(110).Withouttracing

timethenegativefeedbackloopbetweenreapingobjectsandsellingtoconsumers

breaksand,asPrincenstates,“usersmisperceivescarcityandirreversibilityand

tendtoactasifresourcesareinfiniteorinfinitelysubstitutable”(128).

Amapthatasksustoimagineanobject’strajectoryorhistorycanassistwith

closingthenegativefeedbackloopthatbreaksduringneoliberalbusinessexploits.

Rarelydowetracetheintricaciesbetweencapitalprofitandenvironmentaldemise.

Often,thecommunitieswhocouldsharethiswithus,whoNixonexplainsare

framedas“disposablepeople”intheeyesofcapitalistexpansion(4),suffer

intimatelyfromecologicaltrauma.Theyarenotdelegatedanauthoritativevoiceto

sharetheirmaterialobservationsandbetakenseriously.Onlywhenboundshave

beenfaroversteppeddoesvoicebegintoarise.YaegerquotesBrunoLatourstating:

“[T]heconcernfortheenvironmentbeginsatthemomentwhenthereisnomore

environment,nozoneofrealityinwhichwecouldcasuallyridourselvesofthe

consequenceofhumanpolitical,industrial,andeconomiclife.”Whenvoicesofthose

whoareimmediatelyimplicatedbydegradationdoemerge,thevoicesareusually

mediated,andthedistancethatneoliberalismthrivesoffof(thedistancecausing

onetobelievethatpurchasinggrapesmustbegoodforworkersbecauseit

stimulatestheireconomy,withoutconsideringthesocialandenvironmentalissues

thatpurchasemayhaveprovoked)continuestobechurnedasvoicesremain

silenced.Reportersandjournalistswhovisitsitesofdegradationcreatemorestill

(sustained)images,andtheywritenotonlyonthebehalfofthesilenced,butalsofor

communitiesthatmightblocktheimagesthatpositionthemasproducersofa

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destructionthatisnotfrozen.Or,viewersthatmightseetheimagesanddetermine

thatNaturebalancesoutthespecificdisasterbeingobserved,or,viewersthatmight

seeaspectaclethatissonaturalizedtheimpressionofthedestructiondoesnotgo

beyondacceptingthatthesethingshappen.

Closingthenegativefeedbacklooprequirescreatingadiscoursebetween

producersandconsumers.Formingasocialbondbetweenthesetwodynamicscan

flattenthehierarchyofexploiter/subjugatedthatislikelyconstructedwhena

consumerisseparatedfromtheproducer.Amapthatisnotdistancedbytime,

location,andlanguagecaninterruptthefeedbackloop’scircuit.However,thismap

isbutaspeculation.Wecanmuseaboutwhatpropertiesthismapwouldhave:a

Deleuzianqualitywithfleetingboundariesthatisalwaysremakingitself,maybe

riversthatspillovertheedges.Or,wecanofferpossiblesolutionsthroughpopulist

map-makingtools.TheGoogleMapAPIallowsanyonewithInternetconnectionto

self-reportlocationsthatthenareconstructedontoGoogleMaps.Perhapsthisisjust

onewaytoallowmorepeopletospeakfirsthandabouttheirecologicalpositioning.

Maybethisisonewaytolookatanever-recreatingmapthatshowsnotjusthot

consumerspots(stores,corporations,etc.),butalsolaborexploitationthroughthe

formofmarkingdegradation.AcidstainedrockscanbemarkedontheMonongahela

River,causingtherivertobemoreontologicallyflat.

Bringingacidstainedrockstothesurfacedemonstratesthat,despitethe

wordingoftheUSArmyCorpsofEngineerstext,arivercannotbesegmentedwith

locks.Water’sfluiditydefiescontainment.Throughexaminingrocksandthinkingof

themasapartofanecologicalweb,spacecanalsobeorganizedbyacidmine.The

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rocksareequallyboth.Fortherockstobeseparatewouldimplyabinary.Decker’s

Creekisnotasingularisolatedarea,butwinding,enmeshedareatouchingother

rocks,otherrivers,andcapitalism,allwhichflowintheMonongahela.

Conclusion:HowDoWeDestabilizeandRestabilizeFromHere?

Anobjectbelongstoanecologyofsystemsthatcreatespaceina

transactionalenmeshmentofallthings.Howweorganizespaceinfluenceswhere

wegofromourcurrententanglementofcapitalexpansion,socialjustice,and

environmentaldegradation.Asallobjectshavehistoriesandtrajectories,wedotoo.

Thecontroversyoverhowmaterialismisadoptedandusedshouldnotignorehow

capitalresponds,andhowsocialstructureshavereal,materialandarguably

ontologicalaffects.Organizingspacethroughmaterialisttheoriescanmeancreating

morefoundationforneoliberalbusinessidealsbecauseofthecomplacency

materialismscanfosterafteranthropocentricmoralsaresubtracted.Byselectively

usingmaterialismthatbuildsourperceptionsofobjectsasvitalmaterandasnot

binary,externalizedthingsthatcanbeconquered.InOOOterminology,humanscan

onlyhuman,thusanthropocentrismisinevitable.Insteadofnegatinghumanitarian

concernsfrommaterialisttheoriestotryandcreateamorelevelgroundwecanlean

intoouranthropocentrismandreframeittoincludethevitalityofnonhumanbeings

withinanthropocentrism.Humanactorsarealwaysimplicatedinthelivesof

materials.Toremovetrashfromariveristoexerthumanagency,butinturnbe

moldedbythecanthatcausesourhandstobend.Torefrainfromdoinganythingat

all(likePickeringsuggestsinTheMangle)istostillexerthumanagencybychoosing

Buongiorno67

nottoreform,orbereformedby,thetrash.Theexchangebetweenhumanand

nonhumanentitiesisentangled.

Rhetoricasanontologicalemergencefromhumanactorsisadrivingsystem

fortheproductionofecology.Unevenlydealtlinguisticcapitalplacesaveilover

neoliberalism-as-ecology,whichfacilitatesthecreationofobjectsthatproduce

neoliberalism,andareproducedbyneoliberalism.Rhetoricpositionspeopletoset

theirgazeon“theindividual”whoisparadoxicallygiventheroleofcapital

procuringdominatorwithanextensivewillthatcancultivatethefrontierofendless

resources,andalsotheroleofunempoweredguardianoftheenvironmentwho,no

matterhowmanyplasticbagss/hesavesatthegrocerystore,willnotbeabletodo

anythingaboutthedegradations/hewitnesses.

SubmersionthroughSCUBAoffersonewayofdismantlingthenotionofthe

individualanditssubsequentbinaries(internal/external,surface/depth).Aqueered

SCUBAperspectivebringsusbacktoasking:howcanweusematerialismto

recreateourrelationshipswithobjects,torecreatespaceinawaythatrecognizes

neoliberalismasembeddedwithinobjects,andthenchallengesneoliberalismasan

authoritative,subsumingforce?WhenwearingSCUBAgearwedisplaceourselvesby

enteringwater.BydisplacingourselveswecanfeelwhatRaleighshowsusisthe

vitalityofobjectsascurrents(water,monetary)moveus.Thedegradationwefind

inwaterwhenthesurfaceandthedeptharecompressedreframesourrelationship

withobjects.Thea-historicalpersonaofthecommonstorefrontcommodityweare

familiarwithisreplacedbyalookatobjectswithtrajectories.Likewise,wecan

extendoutempathytoobjectsnotas“morehuman”things,butasnonhumanthings

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andbydoingso,wecreatearespectfulrelationshipwithourselvesasobjectswith

trajectoriesthatcanandwillformthematerialityofcommunities,degradation,and

theeconomythroughawebofecologicalaffect.

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