Article Reflection No. 2 (4/8/2022)
- Mary
- Apr 8, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 23, 2022
Reflection:
The last time I’ve been to Joshua Tree was two years ago. I don’t recall a single modern building, or even house-like tents. But, it is a very large park, stretching across over 800,000 acres of land and the natural attractions were eye-catching: layers of sedimentary rock compressed into strata and shining mutely in waves of red-brown-yellow-pink shades. Joshua Trees swaying in the sharp wind, their thorny heads puffed up like a pufferfish. Celestial clouds, fluffy in the blue atmosphere and shining like pearls in the morning sunshine.
Through the article “Are 1,818 Airbnbs Too Many in Joshua Tree?” by Heather Murphy, I gained a perception that I am normally not very engaged in: economics. There are so many perspectives in this debate on whether or not the construction of home-like properties should continue and also on the views of those who own these homes. For example, property-and-land-owners are thriving: between 2019 and 2021, the demand for short-term rentals jumped by 54%. In 2021, Yucca valley (a nearby town) and Joshua Tree issued 958 permits—at least 800 more than in 2019. In contrast, people who do not own this property and are not economically thriving as these land-owners view this sharp increase as harmful because it turns Joshua Tree into a “ghost town”. As more renovators invested in creating rentals and profiting off of them, neighborhoods near the park were forced out, and the people in those neighborhoods had to move—even if they couldn’t afford it.
Although earning money does bring ecstasy to lots of people in reasonable ways, people must consider deeply before making a move towards wealth that involves others. It is unfair for those who are unjustly forced out of their homes for the sake of another person’s profit, especially when those forced out are financially struggling. To help those who face this oppression, the state should either pass a law that allocates aid for those who have no freedom of choice than to exit, or pass a law that limits the power of these entrepreneurs. That way, America will hopefully become a more just, insightful country where more people consider the perspectives of minorities and those in nearby communities.
Works Cited:
Info about Joshua Tree National Park size (over 800,000 acres)