Reflection -Chapter Four -Mardi Gras: Made in New Orleans

Source: http://www.bigspringenvironmental.com/mardi-gras-trash-cleanup/

Chapter Four of Beads, Bodies and Trash by David Redmon is was about the Mardi Gras bead's final "pit stop" on the commodity chain: the trash.

In this chapter of the book, the reader is introduced to a number of people who are connected to the beads "as trash". We meet the clean up crew at the Superdome, members of VerdiGras (an environmental movement group),Bucket Brigade (another environmental group) and various artists (example: Katrina Brees and Jack Lawson). These are people who have an interest in the beads once they are disposed of once as Mardi Gras is finished each year. We also learn about the problems that discarded Mardi Gras beads cause to the environment and to the health of people who are exposed to them.

David Redmon, states that he wants to focus his discussion in this chapter "on the effort of the Verdi Gras movement to experientially transform plastic beads into aesthetically deviant objects through sensoral encounters with them" (page 98) and that he wants to "explore the sensuality of deviant objects embedded within the impacts of globalization" (page 99). The focus is on describing the sensory journey of these beads and on what happens to them (and to the environment) when they are disposed of (not only in New Orleans but also the world).

Frankly, the impact of these beads to the local and global environment and also the health of the people who come into contact with these beads is quite scary. It is amazing that the beads "leech" into the environment once they are disposed of and also that the beads are made of some very hazardous materials such as lead. After reading this chapter, I have decided to never purchase those beads again and will be spreading the word among my family and friends about how harmful they are.

I thought that it was interesting how many of the people who are part of the environmental movement in New Orleans want to change people's value on the beads by moving them away from being seen as a status symbol and changing them to a stigma symbol. They want people to be aware of how harmful the beads are to the environment, the local economy and to the health of those come into contact with them. While it was noted in this chapter by one of the artists, Jack Lawson, that this movement is new, he also said that there is starting to be more interest in it. Hopefully these environmental advocates and artists can work towards a transformational change within the culture of Mardi Gras and New Orleans before it is too late and the damage done to the environment is too significant.