Discussing with parents is not a new territory for adolescence. But for Violet Affleck, things were a little more complicated.
Affleck, daughter of award-winning actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, looked back on her tense interaction with Garner during a Los Angeles wildfire earlier this year in an essay on May 18th.
“I spent my time in Los Angeles discussing the January fire with my mother in a hotel room,” writes 19-year-old Affleck. “She was surprised by the scale of the destruction of the neighborhood, where she raised herself and my brother.”
A series of 14 wildfires, partially caused by the winds of Hurricane Force Santa Ana, devastated the Southern California area in January, causing tens of thousands of acres of extensive property damage, mass evacuation and burning. Many celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Milo Benchmilia, were lost to the devastated flames.
“I was surprised by her surprise. As a lifelong Angelana and a literary member of Generation Z’s climate, my question wasn’t whether Pallisard would burn; when“Affleck continued.” But when we chatted with adults at a hotel we went to escape the smoke, I discovered that my position was unusual. Odd numbers There was an overall situation. ”
Two of the largest two Pallisards and Eton fires in California wiped out the Pallisard and Altadena regions of the Pacific Ocean, killing at least 29 people and burning 37,000 acres (over 57.8 square miles). According to Cal Fire, the fire, which was fully contained in early February, ranks as the second and third most destructive wildfire in California history.
Garner previously said she had lived in the Pacific Palisades area for 25 years. Although her home was not destroyed, the actress revealed in an interview on January 10th that one of her friends had died in a wildfire. Garner’s family church was also burned out in flames.
“I feel almost guilty when I walk around my house,” Garner told MSNBC’s Katie Tar. “You know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What should I offer with these hands and these walls and the safety I have?”
Violet Affleck supports public health measures
Affleck has previously spoken out about public health. In July 2024, she made comments on Covid-19 pandemic precautions in the Public Comments section of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Meeting.
In her May 18 essay, Affleck compared the “bewildered” public response to the LA wildfires to that of the community pandemic.
“Climate disasters cannot be prevented or mitigated as easily as airborne disease transmission. However, experiences with chronic diseases are also relevant here,” writes Affleck, citing the active health strategies of individuals with long covids as a possible model.
“Just as people with a collaborative consciousness and disabilities celebrate each broken contagion chain, climate scientists recognize that each degree of warming we avoid is a victory.”
Contributors: Brendan Morrow and James Powell, USA Today
