Summer's Discontent:

Summertime Weather Is Not Everyone's Favorite

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In a strict, literal sense, summer begins on the summer solstice, June 21st of every year. In a more practical sense, at least in the United States, summer begins every Memorial Day Weekend¹, ending on the last Monday of May. Many regard this as a time for celebration, not just because of the three-day weekend, the barbecues and get-togethers, the beach getaways, and so on, but also because it heralds the beginning of summertime and the hot weather that comes with it. Summertime seems to be the favorite time for many, if not most.

I generally regard the season as my very least favorite. I cannot say I hate summertime categorically. There are many nice things about this time of year. Weekends and vacations either by the beach or by a lake offer a nice respite from the hot weather, provided one takes proper precautions to protect from skin damage and sun poisoning. Swimming in the ocean with temperatures in the high 80s or higher is one of life’s great pleasures. Few are able to retreat to such desirable locations for the entirety of the summer, however. Whether at a barbecue or on the sidewalk or terrace of a favorite restaurant, the summer offers an excellent time to enjoy delicious meals outdoors, as does late spring and early fall. Authentic, artisanal gelato is particularly satisfying on a hot summer evening.

But, at least on this continent, there are probably more things I dislike than like. Unless I am on a beach, 90-degree weather is unpleasant, with the degree of misery only compounding the hotter it gets. Anything above 75 or 80 degrees is hotter than I would like. Air conditioners are a modern convenience we can all be thankful for, at least in this part of the world, but over time the droning of the air conditioner, even ones that run quieter than most, becomes agitating, to say nothing of higher energy bills. While frequency varies, depending on where one lives, air conditioners must be cleaned regularly because of the buildup of toxins and pollutants. This is particularly true in urban environments.

The hotter climate in much of the United States is further exacerbated by other external factors, notably the automobile culture, as well as suburban sprawl and the scarcity of trees that often characterizes Amiland (a pejorative German term for America). Those giant parking lots that mar so much of suburbia rarely have trees planted to a sufficient degree. If a car is parked either on the street or in a parking lot so typical of Nirgendwo, the heat is oppressive, even with a mylar window shield that insulates the dashboard from the summer heat.

While the climate in the United States, exacerbated by cultural and societal externalities, explain this aversion in part, considerations concerning race and how different races are best suited for different environments are fundamental to understanding my aversion to summer weather in this part of the world. Ninety- or 100-degree weather is not optimal for fair-skinned people, just as prolonged exposure to the sun can be disfiguring and even cancerous. Fair-skinned people can easily get sun poisoning during a day at the beach, a country club Gulf course, or various other outdoor environments if certain precautions are not taken. Such precautions include sunscreen with a high SPF, an umbrella for shade at the beach, a sun hat, and other accoutrements to help avoid sunburn and sun poisoning.

Less-than-ideal temperatures in the 80s, or worse yet, the 90s or even 100-plus, are compounded by the “heat island effect” that torments urban dwellers. Anyone who has spent a summer in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, or similar American cities will attest to this. Even with air conditioning and various other countermeasures, there are many restless nights during the hot spells of July and August.

The disfavor I have for summer, at least in much of North America, stems largely from my complexion and race, and the climate I find myself in as an American citizen. Summertime in Germany, and more particularly Great Britain and above all Scotland, is much more temperate than summers in many parts of the United States. Summer temperatures in Scotland rarely get above much higher than 70°F, and England and Wales do not get much higher. That perfect, temperate summer weather is invoked by one particular line in the seminal synth-pop anthem “Fade to Grey” by Visage:

“Feel the rain like an English summer / Hear the notes from a distant song.”

The phrase “English summer” conveys a feeling of temperate warmth, not sweltering heat, even suggesting the sweet embrace of the ancestral motherland with the sprawling green meadows of the English countryside. The line evokes a certain presentiment of English Gardens, either as a bouquet or along English cottages and mansions alike.

Summer in Germany is somewhat less temperate than Britain, but, while more common in Southern Germany, temperatures in the 90s and higher are much rarer than in the States. These considerations demonstrate how those of Northern European descent belong in that more hospitable, temperate climate that characterizes our sacred, ancestral continent.

While in Germany in the springtime, I also noticed that pollen allergies had no effect on me, whereas pollen allergies are almost always a torment during that time of year in the United States. Other Americans of European descent have often recounted similar experiences, particularly members of the Irish diaspora who travel to their ancestral homeland during the springtime. They have recounted how, for the first time in their lives, they did not suffer pollen-borne allergies. Whereas pollen allergies are typically a yearly rite of torment in North America, they could enjoy the Irish spring—that is, Ireland in springtime, not the cheap soap—free of Claritin D or antihistamines.

One observes similar principles in comparing and contrasting the temperate and climate preferences of different races, at least in the aggregate. Those who have worked in challenging office environments have probably witnessed or even been involved in disputes concerning air conditioning or thermostat controls. There are, of course, always outliers, but blacks and other dark-skinned people are prone to insist on higher thermostat controls in the winter (to a degree that is uncomfortable for a fair-skinned person such as myself). They are similarly very often unfazed and unbothered in the sweltering heat of a July or August afternoon in the dog days of summer. This is even true in a building or office setting where there is either no air conditioner, or the air conditioner is not operating, or not operating at full capacity. Indeed, one reader of this publication recently confided this experience in private correspondence:

“[During one past place of employment,] I shared the floor with several implementation managers, some of whom were from Haiti and Trinidad. Every summer, it would get unreasonably warm, and I finally said, ‘Why is it so hot in here?’ One of the managers from Trinidad explained that she had her heater on in her cube.”

This is just one anecdote of countless proving race is not just skin deep, and it has a direct, profound impact on the temperatures and climate any given person prefers or disfavors: that among other, more pressing issues.

So indeed, while many rejoice at the beginning of summer, I must lament, at least in part. With any luck, those of us in the United States will hopefully enjoy a comparatively mild summer, as has been the case in the past couple of years. But there is always that specter of the dog days of summer in July and August with the punishing, sweltering heat. Cover the windows and ready the air conditioners, while yearning for an English summer.

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1. This essay was originally intended to be published on Memorial Day Weekend, but unusually temperate weather in much of the country made this essay less topical at the time.