doom letter #9

Now that green-themed goodness is becoming a component of the status quo there are a lot of really cheesy things that are popping up that are intended to make people feel good. The latest creature of rich man’s guilt is called Earth Hour, which is an international movement dedicated to raising awareness of climate change. The idea is that people will turn their lights off for an hour, and somehow that hour of darkness will help them realize that having the lights on is ruining the planet.

First, and I will try to keep this part brief, IF anthropomorphic climate change is real, stopping the level of pollution we are creating will not turn back the clock to days of a more stable climate. The thing about earth is that it is in a constant state of transition. We do not have the know-how to control the climate as a species. That ability will likely never develop and climates will eventually change. It is a problem that is too big to solve and it is also one I believe TPTB have co-opted and will use to take freedom away from the people.

To get back to the idea behind Earth Hour, I don’t understand the human obsession with raising awareness. There are any number of causes around the world that are constantly getting money dumped on them not to solve the underlying problem but to get people to pay attention to that cause. Tibet, Darfur, AIDS in Africa, Breast Cancer and the rest of them. There is a whole lot of money being blown on flashy ad campaigns that are not making a damned bit of difference. I understand that knowledge of an issue is important, but when you are going to absolutely nothing with that knowledge, especially with an issue so supposedly huge as global warming, what is the point?

It would seem to me that all of the time and energy spent getting the word out about Earth Hour would have been much better directed at explaining some principles of energy conservation to someone or installing some alternative energy products in your home. I didn’t turn my lights off at 8:30 pm last night, partially because I forgot and also because I don’t care.

Just to be fair, I would like to note that I am a guilty party in the Feel Good movement. This past Friday I went for a Critical Mass bike ride in Springfield, IL. I like riding my bike and it gave me a chance to spend an hour with other people that like to ride their bikes too. But, it is a frivolous and offensive exercise. The whole point of a Critical Mass ride when you get down to it is to ride on your bike as slow as possible in a lane that is usually occupied by cars. I do think that car drivers should pay more attention to bicycles. And, once bigger chunks of the American population get priced out of the oil market more people will probably ride – and they too will ride in the street. That day will come and all of the Critical Mass rides in the world won’t help stubborn motorists recognize that bicycles should be treated the same as any other vehicle on the road.

To wrap this up, I guess my point is that buying stock in Feel Good Inc. – whichever subsidiary you wish to invest in – is likely pointless beyond your own enjoyment. So, if you turn your lights off at the same time as other people around the world, or you ride bikes at slow speeds on the roads, just realize that you are doing so for your own entertainment. There is no greater benefit to such activities, and the sooner you realize that the happier you will be.

frivolously yours,

mike