White Elephant

On Thursday, I was at The Burdock for an eclectic presentation called Elephant In The Room. This will be the first in a series conceived by Tamara Lindeman (The Weather Station) to discuss climate crisis: a metaphorical elephant that most people don't want to talk about. The guests tonight were all musicians who ostensibly also have connection to this topic.

Lindeman started by talking about how her generation of Millenials have grown up in the shadow of this but don't acknowledge it among themselves except in a half-joking manner. She laid out a number of consequences from the IPCC report for the most optimistic scenario: an increase of 1.5C. The litany of bad news seemed to overwhelm her at times. After a short improvised number, Jazz pianist Tanya Gill talked about her own activism especially with her son in Fridays For Future, a movement started by Swedish teen Greta Thunberg.

Members of Extinction Rebellion joined Lindeman for a song. Then guest Brooke Manning (loom) explained her ongoing education as an end-of-life doula in training; the connection being that death in Western cultures was another event that inspired great fear but also ignored in everyday conversation. Finally, Chris Cummings (Marker Starling) ended the evening with a trio of songs about theatre, books, and the movie Husbands.

There were some interesting moments, but I was hoping for more focus. First, a veteran organizer's perspective would have been welcomed. Second, if this was about finally naming and owning the climate crisis, then allowing the audience to speak of their own hopes and fears would be both cathartic and encouraged a less passive atmosphere.