LEAVE ME ALONE. XOXO, OIL [Art 2nd Place]

Joyce Pang - 2nd place in Art

UCSD - Urban Studies and Planning major (double minor in Speculative Design and Sociocultural Anthropology)

“LEAVE ME ALONE. XOXO, OIL”

My piece expresses anger at the fossil fuel industry, billionaires, and those in power who are complacent about the detrimental effects of the climate crisis, deliberately sowing misinformation and delaying climate action, and capitalizing on the climate crisis to seize more profit. Oil is personified as an angsty teen who just wants to be left alone, but is continually moved from its home (the crust) by humans. Adolescent rage and angst is usually looked at as a phase and an inevitable part of teenhood. However, the youth of today are rightfully frustrated at violent systems of profit and the government’s complacency in the continued expansion of fossil fuel drilling, mining, logging, and extractive industries that fuel the climate crisis. A crisis that will impact the youth of today far more than themselves, and disproportionately affects people in the Global South and marginalized groups (people of color, disabled people, queer people, etc). Our anger is not a phase. It is a constant reminder of why we are fighting and who we are fighting for — for a better, liberated world that prioritizes people and the planet over profit.