“I want to help protect the environment. You know, stop global warming and stuff.”
I might not have literally said that phrase, but it’s something plausibly similar to what I might have responded if you had asked me why I was interested in Environmental Studies as I entered L&C. For the theme of “Big Words,” however, the part of that phrase that I want to unpack isn’t the classic Big Word, “the environment.” I want to focus on the end of the phrase, and stuff. It’s not a phrase that will get flagged if you use it on Moodle. Even so, it sums up the whole reason we have a discussion about Big Words in the first place.
If I tell you that I’m going to the store to pick up “some groceries and stuff,” you have a pretty good idea of what I mean. I’m going to stock up on some food staples and kitchen supplies. The and stuff implies that there might be a few items that don’t exactly fit the category of groceries, but, since we both understand what groceries are, they’re close enough. The and stuff implies a mutual understanding of what items fit into the previously stated category. It also allows for some unstated wiggle room in the definition—even if you consider something to be groceries which I don’t consider groceries, the and stuff gives us enough leeway to not have to talk about it. And so we proceed with our lives, building a mutual understanding based on unstated variation in our definitions.
In the case of groceries, this shortcut saves us time and energy by circumventing a conversation that would have little value—what exactly does groceries mean, and why do we each have a similar understanding of what fits into that category? In the case of Environmental Studies, however, we do want to be considering why individuals have different perspectives on the issues at hand. When I say “global warming and stuff,” I am not only assuming that we both understand what other items fit into the same category as global warming, I am giving us wiggle room not to have to talk about our differences in opinion on this matter. We never get to consider why you think that recycling and global climate change are closely related matters, while I fundamentally separate issues of pollution and resource extraction.
It’s the same reason we exercise caution with the other Big Words—when I talk about “the environment,” I am painting a picture in vague terms that assumes we both roughly know what I’m talking about. It presupposes we have similar perspectives on the issues at hand. Considering multiple perspectives, however, is a major reason why Environmental Studies is considered an interdiscipline. If, instead of and stuff, I had said “I want to approach global climate change from a vantage point of energy production and the technologies being used to abate emissions,” or “I’m interested in the policy surrounding global climate change and which countries are being expected to pull the weight of emissions reduction,” you would have a specific idea of what I was talking about. You would start to consider why my ideas about global climate change might be radically different from yours.
But, of course, first-year-me didn’t say either of those things. I said “stop global warming and stuff.” And that’s ok, because it made my introductory Environmental Studies learning experience that much more provocative. A transformative aspect of my introduction to Environmental Studies was understanding that being specific provokes discussions of differences in perspective, and brings in the knowledge of multiple disciplines. And when you can consider the perspectives of all of the stakeholders in play, that is when you can really create meaningful change. Possibly even (dare I say it?) stop global warming.