So maybe we're not so divorced from the animal kingdom? What a surprise. Herd behavior is the essence of human behavior, from highest to lowest and everything in between. Case in point, plastic water bottles. You know who started the bottled water rage? Madonna, when she appeared on stage with a bottle of Perrier or whatever it was. After that everybody was drinking bottled water; tap water became synonymous with undrinkable, when in fact tap, i.e., municipal water is what they put in plastic water bottles half the time anyway. Municipal water is also rigorously tested. Ecologically friendly water fountains are a dinosaur now. I gotta run. See ya later. --- On Sat, 5/24/08, Mike Geary <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: From: Mike Geary <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The continuation of Realpolitik -- a rant To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Saturday, May 24, 2008, 4:23 PM IC: >>Lemmings are a better metaphor, running off that cliff just because everybody else is doing it.<< Well, in that regard, sheep too just follow the ass in front of them. But they don't do the bidding of dogs or wolves. Apparently most flocking / herding animals (humans?) just follow the one in front which results in the wonderful "braiding flights of birds" (Merwin -- I always acknowledge my sources when I think I might get caught and I know Eric is a Merwin reader and I don't trust him to his mouth shut) and the astonishing ballet of fish schools. Mike Geary Memphis ----- Original Message ----- From: Andy To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2008 11:10 AM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The continuation of Realpolitik -- a rant If you think plastic water bottles are an eco-hobgoblin, then you're not paying attention even slightly. Plastic water bottles are a monster huge problem. What do you think happens to those bottles once they're emptied out? They kind of vaporize and go to hobgoblin land? For Mike, you're right about the sheep. I'll stop picking on them. They're actually cute little fuzzy things who just do their little thing in the world. Lemmings are a better metaphor, running off that cliff just because everybody else is doing it. The metaphor does end with the word 'worship' but if lemmings were capable of worship, and who knows, maybe they are, they'd do it only because everybody else is doing it. --- On Sat, 5/24/08, Eric Yost <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: So it is with the latest eco-hobgoblin, plastic water bottles. Brita Water Filter capitalizes on "plastic waste" guilt to sell their water filters.