2020: a year of pandemic, George Floyd’s murder followed by sustained, sometimes violent protests in Portland, and the worst wildfires in Oregon’s history.
2020 also includes the death of one Oregon’s greatest writers, Barry Lopez. Lopez lived near the McKenzie River, an environmental icon. Ironically, the fires that destroyed Lopez’s original manuscripts almost certainly had their origins in climate change.
How ought we to respond?
In A Distant Mirror (1978), an account of the Black Death during the Middle Ages, historian Barbara Tuchman insists, with an eye to the Holocaust as well, “An event of great agony is bearable only in the belief that it will bring about a better world,” and if “it does not,” she argues, then “disillusion is deep and moves on to self-doubt and self-disgust.”
The great agony of the 2020 fires will be bearable only if we Oregonians believe somehow the wildfires will bring about a better world.
That means we must change a way of life that produces both global warming, according to a strong scientific consensus, and the conditions of Floyd’s death.
Yale sociologist Jeffrey Alexander writes, “It’s what Hegel called ‘the cunning of history.’ It’s a tragedy that George Floyd was murdered. But it’s almost like the killing of Jesus Christ. A death can become an opportunity for a revelation about inclusion, incorporation and transcendence.”
May the 2020 wildfires inspire environmental legislation corresponding to the sublime if not divine value of the natural environment Lopez’s work did so much to articulate.
Sam Porter
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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