Green

Rorschach Test without an Inkblot

This is a Rorschach test without an inkblot. What do you think of when you see the color green? Is it the color of spring? The color of Kermit? Or does it have something to do with envy or money instead? Or maybe it’s Peter Pan, the Wicked Witch of the West, Oscar the Grouch, the Incredible Hulk, or the Jolly Green Giant? There is no right answer here, it’s just fun food for thought. I bring it up now because spring has sprung and I am always astounded at this time of year by how many different shades of green there are in nature. Equally amazing is how much information can stem from researching this one word!

Come along to hear about the genetic determinants of green eyes, to ponder Kermit the Frog’s skin tone, to think about being green environmentally, and to hear about the controversial Green M&M. I’ll start by saying that green is my favorite color because…

Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Kate Middleton, Emma Stone, and I all have green eyes.

According to The Little Book of Colour, there is no green pigment in green eyes. Instead, they are an unusual blend of light brown and yellow pigments. Thanks to “Rayleigh scattering,” which is the dispersion of light as it bounces off of air molecules, we think we see green. But it’s an optical illusion!

More trivia about green eyes comes from Kugler Vision:

• Green eyes are very rare existing in only two percent of people in the world.
• Sixteen separate genes contribute to eye color. No matter what eye color your parents have, yours could end up being any color.
• The highest concentration of green eyes in the world is found in Ireland, Scotland, and northern Europe. In fact, when considering green and blue eyes together, 86 percent of people with these eye colors are found in Ireland and Scotland.

*****

Having green eyes is one thing, but how about being green literally?

Kermit the Frog famously sang, “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” Sesame Workshop reminds us that this kids’ song allows us to tackle all the universal questions about personhood. What is hard about being you? What’s easy? What do you wish were different? What do you want to change? How can you learn to accept and even be proud of yourself?

This song, originally performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, is considered to be Kermit’s signature song. Its overriding message is that we are all perfect just the way we are. So compelling is this message that many artists have recorded it:

• Frank Sinatra
• Ray Charles
• Van Morrison
• Diana Ross
• Audra McDonald

Hopefully this beautiful song makes things happier for all aforementioned green characters. May they all be like the Jolly Green Giant, able to ho, ho, ho through life.

*****

From being green literally to being green figuratively, is that any easier?

What I’m talking about here is being environmentally friendly. Lots of people struggle with this concept including me. I often forget to bring my reusable bags into Kroger and walk away with a new supply of single-use bags instead. Argh!!!

These facts from Georgetown University remind me to try harder in this regard. In honor of the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020, they created a list of 50 facts. Here are a few items of interest.

• That plastic Kroger bag I just mentioned is in use for an average of twelve minutes but it takes 1000 years for it to decompose.

• 25% of the bottled water we buy is municipal tap water. Knowing this, perhaps we should pass on the plastic bottle?
• What if we add the fact that in the U.S. we throw away enough plastic bottles each week to circle the earth five times?
• And when it comes to total trash, the U.S. is the number one trash-producing country in the world. We produce 1609 pounds per person per year.

This last point includes something else of which I am guilty, the use of paper towels. Evidently, we throw out one and a half million tons of them annually.

My daughter addresses this issue by using cloth napkins and by wiping up spills on the floor with kitchen towels. I’m thinking this produces lots of extra laundry for her family of five, and I’m not rushing to follow in her footsteps for my family of one. What can I say…

It’s not easy being green. Well that’s a downer. Shall we end with something sillier?

*****

How about the controversy over the Green M&M?

When M&M introduced “spokescandies” in 1990, there were four. The Blue, Yellow, and Red M&Ms were considered to be male, and Green was the token female. Due to this fact and the fact of her sexy, white, go-go boots, the Green M&M has been thought of as an aphrodisiac.

Fast forward to 2022, when Mars, Inc. announced they were changing their spokescandies, giving them more nuanced personalities to make them more inclusive. In this makeover, Green switched from boots to sneakers, a wardrobe change considered to be more empowering for women. Mars didn’t think anyone would even notice. Instead, there was a media firestorm, caused in part by Tucker Carlson who said he found the Green M&M without heels to be “deeply unappealing.” The story was covered in Forbes, the Today Show, Bon Appetit, and Rolling Stone, to name a few.

And now it’s even mentioned in my blog!

All thanks to my free association with the color green, ever and always the color of spring for me. Let’s go forth and enjoy its many shades this season. Joyous spring to all!

*****

(NOTE: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase on Amazon. Thank you for supporting my writing in this manner. More details here.)

If I have made you think of M&M’s click here to buy some on Amazon.

*****

If you would like to read my most recent book, Love, Loss, and Moving On, click here to buy it on Amazon.