Home and property owners are often both unempathetic and privileged, and one way that’s displayed is through their unhealthy obsession with showing off what has taken over America: lawns. This ridiculous compulsion actively degrades the whole ecosystem, creating a negative externality where the ramifications are felt disproportionality by the large number of people who don’t have the privilege to be in their financial and housing situation.
Consider this: not only do landlords often reduce greenery despite the best interests of their tenants, but those living in economically disadvantaged, denser areas cannot uproot their lives and relocate to areas less affected by the adverse impacts of extensive amounts of land being converted to lawn, such as climate change. Given that this destructive demographic in question is primarily white, older, and wealthier, they hold the power to more easily contribute positively but instead elect to actively destroy the future of younger and less affluent people, minorities, their own children, and future generations.
In parallel, we also notice the highly problematic urban sprawl and white flight, wherein, as a direct consequence, people move to the suburbs and cull all of the nearby greenery. It’s a common sight, and as more individuals show up, inevitably, the once-forested land that openly housed entire ecosystems and biodiversity is now nothing more than a shell of itself: plots segregated by fences, expansive grass fields, and abundant automobiles.
On this land where cooing birds looking down from tree branches have been replaced by the early morning roar of pollution-producing lawn mowers and chirping sprinklers consuming the last drops of water, where the varieties of vital instincts once regularly encountered are nowhere to be found. Animals driven from their hideouts and with nowhere to go are now found in fragments strewn amongst the strip of concrete sandwiched between acres of toxic-filled, fertilized bare yard. Truth be told, the repercussions of common suburbia practices are violent.
Historically, the weird fixation with lawns dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries and revolved around, you guessed it, how wealthy someone was. As centuries passed, the lawn cemented itself as a status symbol, the ideal clean-cut way to have your suburban home. What’s even more of a monstrosity is that in very modern times, the senseless demand for the ever-perfect lawn has produced artificial varieties made from plastics. This new phenomenon has a host of dangers, including introducing more microplastics into the environment, soil contamination, and even social degradation. But, at least they’re forever green.
As if by fate, these forever lawns often extend to the activities that these same folks primarily engage in when they decide to venture off to new grassy plains: golf. Golfing is perhaps the largest land-intensive recreational activity out there, with over 2 million acres dedicated to it across the US alone. Even comedian George Carlin once stated, “Golf is an arrogant, elitist game that takes up entirely too much space in this country.” Space aside, it’s an interesting coincidence that those obsessed with grass spend a lot of their off time indulging in even more of it.
With these considerations, should we give the benefit of the doubt? People in the home and property-owning category—they only ever get to see grass, so perhaps they’re unfamiliar with what could be. Should we cut them some slack?
No, I don’t believe we should.
Despite likely complain-bragging about how often they mow, frankly, their actions reek of both laziness and stupidity. Lawn care takes an incredible amount of time, so instead of that, why not do what’s best for everyone: don’t mow? Already, if they did that, the planet would be far better off. Additionally, there’s an immense amount of education and resources available should they want to go further. Really, what’s the excuse? What are the real intentions here?
Simply put, they know what they’re doing: perpetuating centuries-old aristocratic ideas to brag to their neighbors and show off their wealth to the detriment of everyone else. When will they rid themselves of their egos and think, even for a moment, as a conscious collective, recognize the consequences of their actions?
*Note: In regards to golf, Sophie Oehler has a fantastic article titled “Leave golf to the rich white man, save the planet instead” where they highlight these issues and more.