[lit-ideas] Re: Global warming claims tropical island
- From: "Paul Stone" <pastone@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:34:07 -0500
At 10:55 AM 12/27/2006, you wrote:
What is there to do but to make jokes about it? It amazes me, or not,
knowing what humans are like, that the media isn't making a big deal out of
global warming. Obviously because they know most people don't care about
it; it's not really happening; if it's happening, it's happening to the poor
over there, even though, rest assured, the planet has no prejudices. Most
haven't even spent 90 minutes watching Al Gore's movie. Titanic did
something like 1.3 billion in sales worldwide. Gore's movie did something
like 39 million. And, of course, Gilligan sold his rights so he got not a
dime.
Perhaps one reason that a lot of people don't pay more attention to the
"global warming" is that every time things ARE reported, it sounds
hysterical. There is no sober reporting. For instance, some points absent
from this article:
1) what is/was the elevation of the "island"?
2) the 'disappearance' actually happened 22 years ago
3) how do they know that rising levels (as opposed to erosion) is the cause?
4) these "islands" are basically sandbars in the mouth two very big rivers.
There is no 'science' or 'facts' in this article whatsoever except for 'the
island has been submerged'. Well... give some details so we can make a sound
intellectual judgment. If the environmental awareness activists want people
to listen, maybe they should stop being so f(*&ing emotional talking about
drowning polar bears, displaced species etc. and couch this 'disaster' in
economical terms. Then, maybe people in the WEST will listen.
I watched "Blood Diamond" last night -- it was actually a pretty interesting
depiction of a microcosm of the troubles in Sierra Leone and Africa as a
whole -- in terms of how the continent fits into today's world. Two quotes
stand out:
1) one African says to another (with not only ironic sentiments, ruing the
day diamonds were discovered) "let's just hope they never strike oil here"
2) the main African protagonist says to the main White protagonist "I can
understand you - the white man -- doing this [slavery, murder, pillaging,
raping etc.] to us, but I don't understand us doing it to each other".
The telling theme, and it's very relevant to the "global warming" lobby is
[as Andirene has said]: "it doesn't matter unless you put it in such a way
as it seems to." The obvious reason that USA rarely interferes in Africa is
that there's nothing there [worth money] to interfere with. Until New York
is under water, USA ain't gonna do SHIT for the environment.
p
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