Summary

The web content is a poignant reflection on the 6th mass extinction, presented through a poem that contrasts the mundane nature of social media with the gravity of ecological loss.

Abstract

The poem "2019, Scrolling Through the 6th Mass Extinction" by Jenny Justice captures the dissonance between the triviality of daily social media updates and the profound tragedy of ongoing species extinctions. It portrays a world where images of friends, pets, and political debates dominate our feeds, juxtaposed with stark reminders of environmental devastation, such as the plight of koalas and the extinction of rhinos. The author laments the collective numbness and reluctance to accept responsibility for the ecological crisis, suggesting that our endless scrolling and emotional detachment contribute to the problem. The poem serves as a call to awaken empathy and action, emphasizing that mere awareness is insufficient without a commitment to change and prevent further loss.

Opinions

The author implies that social media consumption can trivialize and distract from real-world issues, particularly the urgency of the environmental crisis.
There is a sense of collective guilt and grief over the loss of species, with the author suggesting that society as a whole is complicit in this destruction.
The poem criticizes the habit of emotional shutdown after brief moments of empathy, highlighting society's reluctance to confront the consequences of ecological damage.
Jenny Justice advocates for a more profound engagement with poetry and climate change awareness as means to foster connection, empathy, and action.
The author encourages readers to support her work on platforms like Medium, Facebook, and Patreon, and to subscribe to her newsletter for more of her poetic insights.

2019, Scrolling Through the 6th Mass Extinction

A Poem

Scrolling through social media feeds

this one, that one, all the same

friends with babies, cats in Christmas trees,

political this and that, local news knick-knacks

it all seems so small, so reduced

we move from one

feeling to the next, and

pause

koalas are done for

scroll on

pause

rhinos are officially gone

this is no way to honor them

this is no way to mourn them

this is no way to prevent more loss

we scroll on and on endless and aimless with some small cuts,

feeling and then shutting down not one of us wants to take the blame

for this destruction this grief

but knowing that we are all at fault

doesn’t help either.

Jenny Justice is a poet mom who longs to bring poetry to life in ways that spark empathy, connection, joy, and feeling. She loves writing love poems, climate change awareness poems, poems for kids, and of course, poems about poetry and poets. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer. You can support her on Patreon. You can follow her poetry at Justice Poetic.

You can sign up for her poem a week newsletter here — thank you!

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