The Bag
In a grocery store in Oregon about a month ago, I almost got into an altercation with a checker who insisted my solitary bottle of wine be bagged. I’m not usually so pissy, but this guy claimed that it was state law to put my wine in a plastic bag. I was so infuriated, I gave him a real stink-eye and left making some ill-thought-out crack. Bill Maher did a hilarious bit on Real Time where he mentioned how wine or liquor is often bagged separately, and then stuck into a bigger bag full of groceries, as if Ham and Egg’s delicate sensibilites might be offended by the presence of alcohol in the shopping bag. Anyway, because Bill said it a lot funnier than I just did, it sort of stuck with me, always reminding me to skip the plastic bag… jumping on checkers, anticipating, refusing the bag and trying not to look too disdainful (I don’t really want to come off as a nose-in-the-air greenie). Anyway, I was shopping for a gift with my grandmother Mim today. The salesclerk placed my item in the plastic, and I casually told her “Oh, that’s okay, I don’t need a bag” (which is my modus operandi after the reminiscent shame I felt for shooting daggers out of my eyes at the wine bagger back in Oregon). Then Mim spoke up. She said something like “My granddaughter is one of those people who cares about the environment. She’s good and never uses a bag. I know I should bring my own bag too, but it’s just so convenient, so I take the bag y’all give me. It’s just so convenient.”
First of all, I was proud that SHE was proud that I’m a re-user. Secondly, I was reminded of the fact that the way we live now, the conveniences of our lives which have ended up hurting the planet, were probably never intended to be detrimental. The genesis of the plastic grocery bag was probably far from how I originally thought of it — a careless and lazy concoction. Mim has lived through the Depression, World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War, just to name the historic trials. She remembers boiling clothing in a tub and ringing it out in a ringer. She remembers the advent of frozen foods; traveling miles to a large frozen storage unit and donning canvas coats the company provided to wear while you ‘shopped.’ My point is, for Mim, the plastic bag is a marvel of convenience sprung from a world that was difficult for much of her life. My point, I guess, is that whoever invented the damn thing probably meant well. Most of us do.
–Refined gOil
