a high school student bags groceries. She's been through the mill. Twelve years of it, not counting her home life, twelve years of sitting in rows wishing she were somewhere else, wishing she were free, wishing it was later in the day, later in the year, later in her life when at long last her time--her life--would be her own. Moment after moment she wishes this. She wishes it day after day, year after year, until--and this was the point all along--she ceases anymore to wish at all (except to wish her body looked like those in the magazines, and to wish she had more money to buy things she hopes will for at least that one sparkling moment of purchase take away the ache she never let herself feel), until she has become subservient, docile, domestic. Until her will--has been broken. Until rebellion against the system comes to consist of yet more purchasing-- don't you love those ads conflating alcohol consumption and rebelliousness?--or of northing at all, until rebellion will simply cease to exist. Until the last vestiges of the wilderness and freedom that are her birthright--as they are the birthright of every animal, plant, rock, piece of ground, breath of wind--have been worn or torn away.
a high school student bags groceries. She's been through the mill. Twelve years of it, not counting her home life, twelve years of sitting in rows wishing she were somewhere else, wishing she were free, wishing it was later in the day, later in the year, later in her life when at long last her time--her life--would be her own. Moment after moment she wishes this. She wishes it day after day, year after year, until--and this was the point all along--she ceases anymore to wish at all (except to wish her body looked like those in the magazines, and to wish she had more money to buy things she hopes will for at least that one sparkling moment of purchase take away the ache she never let herself feel), until she has become subservient, docile, domestic. Until her will--has been broken. Until rebellion against the system comes to consist of yet more purchasing-- don't you love those ads conflating alcohol consumption and rebelliousness?--or of northing at all, until rebellion will simply cease to exist. Until the last vestiges of the wilderness and freedom that are her birthright--as they are the birthright of every animal, plant, rock, piece of ground, breath of wind--have been worn or torn away.
ReplyDelete-Derrick Jensen