3
The difficulties of conservation
8 Comments | Posted by guest in Environment, General, Politics
gimme a break on celebrities talking about conservation. This reminds me of barbra streisand when she talks about how we should all conserve power by putting our clothes out on a clothes line… but she her self didn’t have a clothes line and wouldn’t ever put her clothes out there. Roger ebert drives home in his S500 or limo in his climate controlled house and turns off the lights? Good talk.
I assume you saw that silly website talking about Al Gore’s energy consumption when making trips to give speeches for this movie. With his own private jets, his CO emissions are 10000 times more than a normal citizen.
This is my problem with conservation as a cause. It is a perfectly honest and very honorable cause. Getting back to basic economics again, what is the incentive for me to conserve? If it isn’t my cause, then I don’t get any buzz from saving the earth and conserving is actually causing a decrease in my utility. George, you may get enough of a buzz from conserving for it to be a positive personal utility. These preaching celebrities and politicians are already living beyond the means of any normal person. They have multiple houses, multiple cars, personal jets, all of which contributes to that celebrity or politicians own personal life and utility. If we want to save the earth through conservation, then everyone has to do their part. But what is the incentive? If I turn off the lights in my house and save 5 bucks a month in electricity costs, it isnt going to save the world if George Clooney or Johnny Depp’s jet is putting out more emissions than my car would in 1000 years.
Then you get into the idea that these people, the actors and politicians preaching but not necessarily following their preaching may be worth more than the average US citizen. Where is the line then? If I make more than 100k a year does that entitle me to leave the lights on? If I make below the poverty level does that leave me with no power at all? If I make a movie on conservation, then that makes it ok that I can jet all around the world to promote it? If I make a movie about a cartoon fantasy world, and lots of people see it do I get the right to make comments about politics or religion?
This isn’t about what is right and wrong for the environment and my grandkids, its about playing the system. If I convince 999,999 other people to conserve, and I don’t conserve, then I can tell my grandkids that they live in a much better world and I have lived a great live by utility measures. If I can convince those people I can drive around in a hummer, smoke cigars, club baby seals, and the world is still better than when I started.
8 Comments for The difficulties of conservation
Shaniqua | June 4, 2006 at 10:28 am
Author comment by george | June 4, 2006 at 11:24 am
Jon,
Good article, you do raise a couple of interesting points here. Obviously it is pretty ironic that someone like Al Gore or any other hardcore conservationist would go out and use as much energy as they do just because they can. I agree that’s a bit messed up. However, I’ll offer a few criticisms.
1. There are tons of celebrities that use way more energy than the average person. However, there are so many people in the world that even making a small difference per person can be multiplied by billions and offset the celebrities by far. This does not mean the celebrities should keep doing what they’re doing, but it’s still perfectly worthwhile to do what you can do personally.
2. In terms of practicality, it’s pretty difficult to promote one’s film without flying around the world.
3. Are celebrities people who we should follow blindly? No way! Al Gore is not someone I want to model my life after. But there are so many people out there that are just like these celebrities. They say that they want to make a difference, yet refuse to do anything themselves. Those people make me sick. I can’t stand it when people claim they care about the environment, yet commute to work ALONE in an SUV even though they have plenty of money to buy a little car.
The point is, what you do still makes a difference. Just because celebrities are disproportionally negatively impacting the environment doesn’t mean you won’t make a difference in the long run and by influencing those around you.
Overall, this is a very interesting article and I appreciate you writing it, Jon.
jon h | June 4, 2006 at 12:34 pm
well…thanks for the praise…
I guess looking back at the thing I wrote, the idea I am trying to get at is that conservation is fine, and me being a fairly conservative guy financially, I’ll be living within my own means.
What you point out, is that some people live well beyond their means…unfortunately this is a societal problem. I will agree with you on that…
Waco Kid | June 5, 2006 at 6:37 am
wow shaniqua wow, way to make this about the war.
David Cameron (the head of the conservative party in the UK) commutes to parliament every day on his bike
…..His aston-marton (or whatever ritzy car it is) drives his papers and clothes in for him each morning.
Jon H's Mom | June 5, 2006 at 10:27 am
Well done my son! I’m so proud of you! Remember to unplug your nightlight tonight, save some extra energy! I think you have outgrown it now! Sniff, my little boy is all grown up! Thats ma boy who wrote that article! Thats ma boy!
Shaniqua | June 6, 2006 at 8:30 am
wow shaniqua wow, way to make this about the war.
You mean way to make this about George, Johnny and celebrities?
Consumption doesn’t exist only in a consumer vacuum, but also is a result of politics. How many politicians will promote wanton consumption and destructive actions in order to get some political or economic output? Very few I’m sure, but I seem to gravitate to all the scumbags so to me they look omnipresent.
Talking about global warming as if it’s an academic subject is fun. We have awareness but unwillingness to change because it’s disadvantageous for us to personally take action unless everyone else takes action. But we’re also against mandated behavior changes.
The polarization in this country gets more pronounced by the day.
Waco Kid | June 6, 2006 at 9:22 am
Well it was his article and it was about celebrities, which is why the discussion focused on them.
If you want to discuss the relative merits of the Iraq War in reference to global warming then write an article on that. The discussion will then move forward along those lines.
If you merely wanted to make a statement about negative externalities and the free rider problem and how it relates to political decisions then you could have done that without bringing up the war (i.e. your latest post).
Either way bringing in the War was a cheapshot and demeaned the topic.
Shaniqua | June 6, 2006 at 9:51 am
It was his article; I was just asking if their (lefty celebrities) consumption/carbon footprint equalled or surpassed the consumption/carbon footprint going on over in Iraq and the upcoming Iran thingie.
It’s the standard of some bloggers to blame George Clooney or Sean Penn (or maybe even Babs Streisand and her clothesline) in a dismissive argument that they don’t have a right to raise awareness because of their celebrity. Clooney makes political movies like Goodnight and Syriana that do influence politics more than just his checkout line hotness would. Penn ain’t afraid to look retarded or take risks in public. The governator parlayed his celebrity to drive California — I’m very glad that leftie celebrities are willing to put themselves and their money to counteract ma and pa kettle fundies.
If you merely wanted to make a statement about negative externalities and the free rider problem and how it relates to political decisions then you could have done that without bringing up the war (i.e. your latest post).
I’m too ignorant to discuss negative externalities and the free rider problem so there it is. I’ll try to read up, but probably would never catch up with formal training. You can charitably think of this as an opportunity to elevate Shaniqua out of trailer park life. (Ahhh, so wants the good life that I sees on TV…I’s entitled to it as soon as some whitebred folk gives it to me…)
You: Either way bringing in the War was a cheapshot and demeaned the topic.
Yeah, sorry about that — my demean-o-meter is on the fritz. In the meantime, I don’t mind you telling me when it starts pegging for you. Really, I’m cool with it and will crank it down.
If I turn off the lights in my house and save 5 bucks a month in electricity costs, it isnt going to save the world if George Clooney or Johnny Depp’s jet is putting out more emissions than my car would in 1000 years.
You think they’re causing more damage than the thousands of air sorties that the military runs every day? The miltary may be “defending freedom” but so are George and Johnny.