Page 61 - BN1 July-Aug 2019 web

THE SCRIBBLER

First on the train… This is good. Food poisoning hit me the perfect protestor anyway? Only a dead one can avoid
as I entered Victoria Station. I pull out my pad and start impacting the environment; advocating an extinction to
scribbling to distract myself. But the gut growls with anger, avoid one is rather ironic no?”. I realise what I’ve been
so I pull out a supermarket bag-for-life. Should I abort this drawing… “Well those in glass houses…” she regurgitated
journey before it leaves the station? Too late; the carriage from one of those free right-wing papers that are handed
is filled up - standing room only - and the seat next to out on the commute. My argument had no purpose for her.
me is occupied by a woman that has spreadsheets to
interrogate. Settles the belly pain not a jot. So I jot… I reach for my bag-for-life, and hurl vigorously into
its glorious containment chamber. When I regain my
I find myself scribbling Emma Thomson’s headstone. As capacity to engage with the outside world, I see the fellow
a fan of the ‘actor-vist' I’m not entirely sure why... She was commuter is rapidly vacating her seat.“Sorry I think I’ve
in the headlines accused of being a hypocrite for flying got food poisoning”, I explain, but I’m dead to her.
in for the Extinction Rebellion protest. It must be related.
It draws the attention of the suit next to me. “Did Emma Unexpectedly the train starts moving on schedule and
Thomson die?” she asks. There’s no way to really defend the attention I’ve brought to my sustainability argument is
the sketch I’ve made, so I give it a go… apparent in the atmosphere of the carriage. Environment
is important. Our’s stank of bile.
“She’s getting shit about her carbon footprint” I begin, not
knowing where this will lead. “So I got thinking, can you The commuters were heroically protesting my existence
only protest against climate change if you are an ‘ethical with an avoidance of eye contact when a bullish Beef
protestor’? Does that mean only a barefoot hippy in a yurt Wellington of a man pushes his way past them and into
can protest about the need for better fuel? Is a suit like you, the vacated seat next to me. “You might not want to sit
or an advertising whore like me, banned from protesting there” I warned, “I’ve been doing my bit for recycling”. He
better governance of capitalism and cleaner energy? acts as if I were a lunatic wielding a bag of sick on the
Surely throwing the onus on individuals to consume 18:29, rightly ignoring me. Well, for about five minutes;
less is palming off the responsibility of corporations and after which my stomach’s existential crisis made a better
governments to do something? Are we actually trying to argument for him to move in protest.
ban planes and go back to horse and cart travel? What IS