“Sssky-ah” is the sharp noise that comes out of his mouth as he jerks away from her under the covers. “Sheesh, your feet are so cold.”
“I know,” she groans, cuddling deeper under the cotton and polyester blended duvet. “It’s just so damn cold out.”
He gets up out of bed. “Come, let’s eat.” He shleps out of the bedroom into the kitchen. She follows, throwing on her favorite comfy sweater, only $15 from H&M. He opens the fridge and stands there staring at the cold blue light. She plops onto the couch and flicks on the TV. The lights were left on, of course.
As primaries approach, polls reflect the top issues for voters this coming election, Among the top three are healthcare, immigration, and the economy, with a recent spike in concerns over national security. Other issues candidates have focused on this race include the wealth gap, education, and climate change.
“Ugh, turn that shit off.” He calls from the fridge, still standing with the door open. “Just stresses me out.”
“Yeah,” she flicks to Comedy Central. Futurama is on. “I’m in the mood for a burger.”
“Mmmm, yeah, with fries.” He concurs. He finally shuts the fridge door and heads over to join her on the couch. “Let’s just order in then.” He opens his laptop. It’s fully charged, but he leaves it plugged in anyways. She shivers and cuddles next to him.
“Gee, I wish this globe would just warm up already.” She jokes. He exhales hard, not a good enough joke for a full laugh, and Googles GrubHub. The dog shuffles out of the bedroom, claws scratching the wood floors. He looks blankly at the cold air in the living room and barks once or twice.
“Shh no barking, what is he even looking at?” They chuckle over their dumb little dog, then welcome him up on the couch for pets. “Hey I want a milkshake, too.”
Process notes:
I was struck by the dissociation that seems to occur in Sabrina a couple of times. I had a hard time picking a meme or picture to construct a narrative around, so I tried to pick the most purposefully bland but hard hitting thing I could think of at the moment. I think this tweet is really funny, because it takes a seemingly banal and thoughtless situation and brings it close to home, climate change is real and urgent and should sound an alarm and yet it doesn’t. I thought I would try to construct a banal narrative. Nothing really happens, it’s just a couple of unnamed people going about 15 minutes of their day. It’s cold, they’re cold, and they’re going about their lives. However, their lives are noticeably unsustainable. They leave the lights on, they purchase unsustainable clothes, they contribute to unsustainable industries through their purchasing power and eating habits, and perhaps most devastatingly they disassociate from politics and news. Additionally, the climate crisis is subtly depicted as a bad joke, something we evade through humor and subtle but unsubstantial acknowledgement. It is not a priority for people, but somehow maintains its urgency as etched in the subconscious of people as a source of discomfort and bad humor.