The Gentle Whisper of The Changing Room

Lets start with some of the chatter I hear around town-- I would like to recount one particularly troubling bit of dialogue I hear virtually everytime it gets cold-- I'll bet you've heard it before..

two, sometimes three, women in their late twenties, early thirties, attractive, well educated, smartly dressed, liberal, sometime recyclers--

"Did you go?"
"Well I didn't go, no because I was sick.."
"OMG  everyone is sick, its the weather, its so cold and its so early, I mean its unseasonable..
" I know, I don't know when all that global warming is going to actually start.."
" right?"
"totally."

"Ladies, I can understand your confusion, and Global Warming is actually a bit of a misnomer, so while its true the overall temperature is rising, or warming, a better term might be CLIMATE CHANGE as it is very difficult to say what the local outcome of the overall warming will be...I should add that unseasonable freak weather is, in fact, a perfect indicator of global warming. However, below freezing weather in Late December is neither freakish nor unseasonable."

But I didn't say that, I didn't say anything. I turned and faced the wall and got dressed and kind of said it to myself, eye rolling,  "oh, here we go, the its not that warm conversation." God get over it. This is not a real conversation this is dressing room chatter, people are talking yes, but its not very personal, and its fairly performative and its not serious, they might as well be talking about bra size or shopping.... and why should every exchange be meaningful anyway and then I hear my friend Peter's voice saying "Why are you always so serious Savitri?"

But maybe we need to have higher expectations of each other, even if we are strangers, I do yoga with these women a few times a week, we dedicate ourselves to the cessation of suffering at the end of class..outloud! publically!.but Lo! how distant the suffering of the Antarctic penguin! The indigenous people of the Maldives...

Next time I plan to embarrass myself, take a chance, find a way to give information without being self righteous or judgemental (i know! its hard! but asking people if they know how to read was never really an option anyway). I'm starting a gentle whisper campaign in the changing room.

(I think there are some pretty heavy power pressures in the dressing room too, or maybe we all revert to teenage role playing there but maybe thats another conversation altogether)