How the 1920’s Destroyed Our Earth

Jazz Band from the 1920s

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the intricate world of the consumer in the 1920s. Fitzgerald writes about the lavish lives of the upper class and the ways in which they interact. Each character is infatuated with having everything they could ever need and more. They live in a world of excessive spending and consuming. Big mansions are built on West Egg ruining the beautiful land. The extreme lifestyles of the characters in the Great Gatsby are the precursor to the rapid decline of the Earth and it’s resources.

The smoke from the train pollutes the air

Industrialization caused a shift in culture of the 1920s. Mass production was gaining speed and more goods were available to the public. Transportation was drastically improving. Railways were being built that could transport manufactured goods all over the country. The railways created pollution in the air from all the coal as well as destroying the land in order to build the tracks. Thousands more people were able to travel around the United States, which led to more consumption and more items being purchased. The jazz culture of the time was all about living in the moment and not thinking about the future. The long term effects of living such an extravagant lifestyle were overlooked.The 1920s were a time of mass media. New reporters were publishing stories about the elite making everyone want to be more like them.

Gatsby's mansion in West Egg

The pollution of the Earth is directly related to the consumption of the upper class. The end of World War I marked the rise of consumer culture. After the war, people were no longer rationing their portions. Things that had once been reused hundreds of times were now being thrown away after one use. People no longer needed to conserve all their belongings. Food was more plentiful and people had more money than ever before. This change in culture marked the beginning of the Earth’s demise. In The Great Gatsby the effects of all the blind spending are obvious. Gatsby himself lives in an enormous mansion in west egg. He throws lavish parties, spending thousands of dollars on the music, food and décor. Gatsby is never concerned about money. Gatsby represents the upper class of the time. Known for their conspicuous consumption, they had no concern for the environment. When the Upper Class got tired of all their excess goods, there was nowhere to put them. Almost nothing that people didn’t want was biodegradable so the problem of what to do with surplus of objects became serious.  

The goal of every class was to eventually end up like Gatsby. People in the lower classes looked at the lavish spending of the upper classes with awe. Being able to spend money left and right was the dream of most Americans. The upper class is able to look at the pollution from a far whereas those with less money had to deal with the consequences. Mr. Wilson is an example of a man living in the wake of the consumer culture. Wilson runs an auto shop on the outskirts of the big city. The area around his shop is not in good shape. The land is scattered with discarded items so that what once was green is now grey with waste. “The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and, when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour.” The passengers on the train are looking at the scene from a far. They might pity the people who have to live among all the trash but they never have to live in the situation. Many times the passengers on the train are the ones who made it necessary for all the garbage to build up, but they simply observe it for less than thirty minutes. Wilson lives with this litter every day. Wilson is living in the nightmare created by people higher up.

Although the Great Gatsby was written over 80 years ago the themes presented are still relevant. Today the consumer culture is out of control. As a society we produce over 311,000,000,000 pounds of plastic every year. There is no way we can properly recycle all that plastic and it is building up in our oceans. The basis for this consumption was created in the age of spending where Gatsby and his companions lived. Since the 1920s houses have only gotten larger and people spend more money. What started out as a trend in the upper class has spread to every class.  

Junior Hockey

This spring, most high school seniors are busy making plans for graduation and are looking forward to a relaxing summer before starting college in the fall. However, for hockey players who desire to play college hockey, it is a time of uncertainty. Players recruited out of high school are the lucky few. The majority of hockey players need to make the decision whether to hang up their skates or to invest the time, energy, and money to chase the college hockey dream. The decision to play junior hockey is the best path to achieve the goal of playing college hockey because it provides the best opportunities, the best skill development program, and prepares the player emotionally for college hockey.
        Playing junior hockey is all about opportunity. It offers a player the chance to continue to play organized hockey at a highly competitive level. There are three Tiers of junior hockey in the United States. The USHL is the only Tier 1 league in the United States. It is Comprised of seventeen teams of twenty-five players, the USHL teams are located throughout the Midwest. It offers an intensive schedule with over 60 games a season. This enables the player to continue to develop his hockey skills while skating against older competition. The USHL is also the only junior league in the United States that has no cost to the player. The team provides all the hockey equipment, team fees, and billet charges. Education is also a top priority in the USHL. This is not the case in all junior leagues. Since players can range from 16-20 years old, some are completing their high school degrees while others are taking part-time college courses. The opportunity to grow academically is a major benefit to playing in the USHL. Another important reason to play in the USHL over Major Juniors in Canada is that the USHL is NCAA protected. Therefore, it is heavily scouted by college coaches, in addition to NHL scouts. One important statistic is that 75% of Division 1 and 60% of Division 3 players played junior hockey before college hockey (Keegan, College Hockey Guide Book). Playing in the USHL provides the opportunity for a player to get recruited by a college and to earn a scholarship. The USHL provides a player access to competitive hockey, recruitment exposure, top coaching, and the chance to develop physically. One of the main objectives of junior hockey is to prepare a player for college hockey.
       The USHL has an excellent reputation for player development. It provides the player a chance to develop on and off the ice. It is very similar to professional hockey. Junior teams practice almost every day and have two to three games a weekend. In addition, junior teams are led by elite coaches who previously played in college or the NHL. The coaches push the player to be the best they can be on and off the ice and ultimately reach their full potential. Most teams also have athletic trainers who devise individual programs for players and help to rehabilitate injuries. Teams have off ice workouts requiring the player to build strength, agility, and cardiovascular endurance. Players develop a very strong bond since they spend so much time at the rink together. Through junior hockey, the player develops both hockey skills and interpersonal skills with teammates, coaches, trainers, and the host family.
        The USHL also is a great tool to develop time management skills. The player learns about organizational skills and how to deal with adversity. The junior hockey player will need to balance practice time, academic responsibilities, and a social life. The ability to make smart decisions off the ice and to say no to drugs and alcohol cannot be overemphasized. Players often learn life lessons. Whether it is an injury, being benched by a coach, or being traded, a junior player needs to react in a positive and professional manner. The chance to play in the USHL will create a hockey player who is both physically and emotionally prepared for college hockey.
      Every hockey player’s dream is to play in the National Hockey League. The reality is that a very small percentage of great hockey players reach that dream. The dream of playing college hockey is much more realistic. College hockey’s impact on the NHL has grown in recent years as the game has become faster. Johnny Gaudreau of Boston College and Jack Eichel of Boston University are two examples of players who played juniors and college hockey and are now excelling in the NHL. Many NHL players attribute their success to how they developed in junior hockey. I believe if a high school hockey player wants to play college hockey, playing in the USHL is the best step toward reaching that dream.