Intro to Environmental Humanities Final Project - Teagan Quinlan
The History of Banana Colonialism:
Bananas and Blood
Community Thoughts
After watching the video, interviewees were asked the following questions:
1. Each interviewee is offered a banana for their participation, do you want a Chiquita Banana
2. What do you do in response to everyday objects that are representations of injustice?
3. Are you going to change anything surrounding you banana buying habits? Should you change anything?
"I mean I hope I can change my banana consumption habits, because the inhumane treatment of banana harvesters is horrifying, but I am nervous that I will forget as the community around me eats bananas so regularly"
"I think that I will continue buying bananas on occasion, but I will now only buy Fairtrade bananas as Fairtrade addresses many of the issues that were brought to light in the video."
"I am now aware of the human, environmental, economic and political toll these products have created so I will refuse the banana."
"It’s hard because there are so many issues with how we consume almost everything — who is making our clothing, our food, our technology, everything? And who is harmed by that? I don’t think refusing on an individual level will solve the world’s problems, but it’s a good place to start. "
"I'm not going to take the banana, especially since it is from Chiquita"
"It depends on what the everyday object is and how replaceable it is. If my shampoo brand was found to have animal cruelty claims against it, I can and will easily find another similar ethical brand, but with Chiquita being a monopoly, it is much harder to find another importer. "
"I think that I am going to reduce buying/consuming of bananas. Perhaps if more people understand the sordid history of this innocent looking fruit (and stopped buying bananas) the large banana production companies would feel some economic pain and improve conditions for workers and change their farming methods to become more sustainable."
"After watching this video, I'm saying no to Chiquita Bananas!"
"I think it depends on what Chiquita has done to deal with their past and ensure fair trade today. If they haven't, seeing their brand sticker on bananas in the grocery store might deter me from buying them unnecessarily, but if they are the only option and I really need bananas, it's my only option. Just depends on how badly I want them. "
"I don't like bananas but if I did eat them regularly this video would make me question buying them and I would likely stop."
"Honestly I am probably not doing enough but it is difficult because so many goods that we use in daily life hold injustices similar to bananas."
"After watching this project and obtaining this knowledge, knowingly accepting the banana would uphold the injustices discussed"
"I'll take the banana. Although the history of imported bananas in the US saddens me, bananas are a commodity in the US and the history won't erase the massive daily demand for them."
"I do my best to stand up to injustices and not support products that promote inequality and exploitation. However, this video reminded me that many objects, even foods, can have backstories that are not common knowledge. I believe it is the responsibility of the consumer to educate themself prior to unknowingly contributing to a long history of exploitation by something as simple as paying 19c for a banana at Trader Joe's."
"I will not buy bananas for the near future, but also I live in an environment where food is bought for me. Again, “should” I is hard because nothing will change if I stop buying or eating bananas, but it might set off a positive chain reaction."
"I wouldn't take the banana. After hearing that people lose their lives harvesting these fruits, I would feel wrong and guilty putting my preference for bananas above the lives of innocent people."
"It depends on what the everyday object is and how replaceable it is. If my shampoo brand was found to have animal cruelty claims against it, I can and will easily find another similar ethical brand, but with Chiquita being a monopoly, it is much harder to find another importer."
"Now I am going to be careful about what banana's I buy. usually I pick the cheapest (which I think are Chiquita) but now I will look for FairTrade bananas. The problem is that not everyone will be able to afford the more expensive bananas"
"I think that I should be doing more. I am now going to try to be more aware of how my actions as a consumer might help support injustice and I will try to act accordingly"
"I struggle with the fact that the banana industry is the only way that many many people can support themselves and their families in impoverished parts of the world. At least buying Fairtrade products ensures that the workers are receiving a fair base wage and premiums that can help improve their housing, provide access to medical care, build schools, etc. I think educating oneself about such products is the most important thing we can do"
Post-Interview Reflections
Out of all of the people presented with this video, only one accepted the banana. The rest rejected it, looking at what was once likely an appealing fruit with disgust. Most individuals reflected that they were horrified at the injustices present in the banana trade and its history, making them unwilling to accept an item that they had recently discovered was extremely unethical. Despite this, many people reflected that while they should change their habits around consumption, to ensure that they are purchasing sustainably and ethically produced items, this is almost impossible. This is especially true in a time where most of the things we consume, such as fruit, clothing, and sugar have a troubled, and often bloody past. Many people argued that it would be impossible to create a life where everything that one consumed was ethical, and were unwilling to spend the time trying. The impracticality of creating a completely ethically conscious lifestyle left most people feeling powerless. While they recognized that they should be making a change and putting in the effort to educate themselves about the production of products, many wondered whether changing their habits would do any good to systemic issues, and were unwilling to trade on convenience. While each individual recognized that these injustices should be stopped, there was a disconnect between knowing that something is wrong and doing the things in your power to stop such injustices, even if it is only on an individual level. At the conclusion of this project, I now wonder what we need to do in order to bridge this gap and make people not only care about such issues but take action in their everyday lives, retiring the excuse that changing individual habits won't help the broader issue.