I think that despite my social liberalism I’m kind of a “I don’t give a crappist” when it comes to the planet.
No. Not so extreme. I’m a “roll my eyes at you in your Prius while you wear your hemp shirtist” when it comes to environmentalism.
I love the world. I don’t love people. People are often deplorable to one another for stupid reasons. I’m sorry I didn’t vote to fund more protection of the California Wild Peanut Ant. It didn’t feel important when I lined it up against other things. Stop egging my house with your organic eggs.
I’m the worst member the Green Party has. Because I don’t sign on to the belief that environmentalism is a political philosophy that ought to determine how we behave toward one another (and that’s what it is, in the long run, since it would tell us where money goes, who is lauded and despised, which actions are permitted and which resisted by force). Because I, unlike probably most people on the planet, think that the point is to go out.
The point is to move. Maybe to return here, from time to time, as the sun cooperates and doesn’t annihilate the planet. But the point is motion, the constant rebellion against entropy, the revolution against stasis.
So while it’s cool not to burn down the rainforest, that’s not the top priority. The top priority is survival.
Environmentalists know this too, and they will present their arguments in terms of our own species’ survival. And it’s just true that if we wreck ecosystems we are dooming ourselves, if we haven’t figured out how to leave.
If we haven’t figured out how to leave we will fight population wars as the civilized West Greens itself right into a position of self-defense against countries who over-pollute and over-populate. And all the work we’ll have put in to reducing our waste won’t mean a thing, because now we have to treat other people like animals in order to save ourselves.
…
…
We’re never going to leave, are we?
Oh well. Best get to recycling then, and hope for the best.
Happy Earth Day.
14 comments:
You need to talk to my husband. The 2 of you have very similar viewpoints on a lot of things. It's getting kinda creepy. :)
You are awesome.
You are absolutely right. And in many cases,while the ideals are, in themselves, respectable, Greenism is just another tool with which to bully other people, sell more products, create status, and all kinds of other abuses. Doesn't mean I don't recycle or conserve. It just means I do so for different reasons than some others.
Thank you for saying this. I am a firm believer that the environment is important also, but not at the expense of humans, specifically my little humans. We are wasting so much by "going green," money and resources, rather than focusing on what we have and using it. I bet you can't believe that you have a whole bunch of "conservatives" agreeing with you!
Hmmm. I find your stance... surprising. At least, you recycle. :)
I couldn't agree more.
You know what I rolled my eyes at?
How I read in the paper today yjay Oprah Winfrey won a big poll for "greenest celebrity".
She is a single woman with no children who has about a dozen homes around thh world including an $80 MILLION (!!!) estate in Montecito.
Just f**k off with the bugging me about recyling and using only two toilet paper squares, m'kay?
i am SO sick of this "going green" garbage. so SICK of it. it's so commercialized.
but we need it. and if it makes someone think about recycling, or saving water when they usually wouldn't, then i'm all for it.
and next? going blue. "you're going green? well I'M GOING BLUE!"
let's find another planet, stat, so we can mess that up.
Hm. I don't make every decision in the best interest of the environment, but I make efforts. I think everything we're doing to make this planet continue to support us probably isn't enough, and we're speeding our own demise (or our childrens') but doing more is fucking hard! Cloth diapers? No thanks. Hopefully it will continue to get easier and cheaper to make environmentally sound choices every day. I try.
Hmmm... I think a lot of people are going to misinterpret your post. Do you blame the writer (who knows this will probably happen) or the reader (who doesn't read carefully enough)?
;)
Well said. I love the earth. I like living here and want to continue, but environmental extremism and bullying helps nothing.
You look so goofy when you pontificate.
Really interesting post... I saw your comment about environmentalist nations coinciding with wealthy nations on Canada Moms Blog, and I had to read this post. You make a lot of great points. I love your last line: "We’re never going to leave, are we? Oh well. Best get to recycling then, and hope for the best." Classic.
I don't think we'll ever get off the planet (Wall-E style?) but might as well do what we can to conserve what we can and respect it. That's what I think.
I was very surprised (but not offended) to read your "we will fight population wars as the civilized West greens itself right into a position of self-defense against countries who over-pollute and over-populate. And all the work we’ll have put in to reducing our waste won’t mean a thing," as that is so similar to my lament about we "greenies" from the 70's who limited our families to 2 or fewer children in order to help save our section of the planet from overpopulation, so instead the US "allows in" (effectively allows, if not legally) enough immigrants to take all our "missing" children's places and then most of those immigrants give birth to scads of children.
Dude, very cool blog and I love the post. As a stay-at-home dad, I meet "green" moms all the time. They wax poetic about how green they are, etc., and then jump into their Hummers??? Look, I don't care if you drive a Hummer or roller skates but I hate the notion that somehow you're important or automatically accepted because you "say" you're green. I also despise the hypocrisy of it all. "Greenism" is nothing more than a fascist movement intended to force people to live a certain way. It's just funny that you can belong to this club so long as you carry the green badge. It's irrelevant if you actually live with specific principles or values. If you look at the green banner wavers: i.e. Gore, et. al., they're the biggest polluters in the world and when you ask, people defend them by saying, "Well, I might not like the messenger but I like the message." Whatever happened to leading by example? The "do as I say not as I do" mantra shouldn't work on free-thinking adults.
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