Taming the Dragon
Earth Day, April 22, 2008
On Earth Day I contemplated a defense of the consumer.
There once was a cruise ship powered by a nasty dragon. While providing steam to drive the ship, he also demanded a daily sacrifice of a passenger. He preferred young women.
The people on the ship were entirely dependent upon the dragon as he was the engine of their mobility (and he cooked their food), but as they cruised it became obvious that the dragon's antics were a serious impediment to, not only the continued success of the ship, but to their very survival. What to do? Abandoning the ship meant swimming in the shark infested ocean; while killing the dragon meant starving on a useless tub.
That ship is our economy and the dragon is Industry which demands that we look the other way as it extracts a bloody toll for economic growth. As consumers, we need to take responsibility for the consequences of our choices, but too often we are used as scapegoats and sacrifice while Industry gets a wink.
A recent front page Canadian newspaper article was an excellent example: “Are You a Water Waster?” This article failed to point out that Canada has a majority of the world's fresh water, but did admit that water shortages were only “in certain parts of the country.” Therefore, all Canadians need to use less “in small ways to ensure future generations have clean water to drink.”
And that is false. Reducing our personal water consumption is NOT the solution to future CLEAN water. The consumer is not the Water Waster Monster. We are legitimate water users, though perhaps we use too much as compared to the rest of the world. The real Water Waster of clean water is Industry, as industrial practices waste water by, not only destroying the quality, but wasting a much greater quantity than it uses, by polluting.
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It is in one of those parts of the country where there is a real threat of running short that the Tar Sand Industry wastes water by taking 2 barrels for every barrel of oil produced. The water is wasted because the “settling ponds” won't settle for a hundred years and the water cannot be reused by the industry. They have created the world's largest dam to hold back the poisoned water: an environmental disaster waiting to happen with mere sand separating this from the Athabasca River, an important source of Alberta's clean drinking water.
More importantly, water tests done across North America found almost all samples -including well and creek water- to be contaminated with industrial chemicals such as a popular gasoline additive. In fact ALL samples in the US were polluted; there was no unpolluted clean drinking water found in America outside of a bottle. A situation where the dragon has been allowed to defecate his poisonous wastes anywhere on the ship he pleased. The passengers tiptoe around the steaming piles pretending they are not there. No one knows how to clean up.
Likewise ALL blood samples across North America show contamination by fire retardants and plasticizers (that new car smell) and other industrial chemicals. In fact a recent study in Ontario showed that the blood of politicians had higher concentrations of industrial pollutants than did the greater public. Too many rides in too many new limos, perhaps?
Virgin fallen arctic snow is polluted. Our entire environment is polluted to the extent that our bodies are now contaminated and who do we blame? The dragon? The war against cancer is lost because we are treating the passengers' symptoms and not the ever increasing dragon feces. The consumer takes the hit rather than the Industrial source.
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Again, penny wise; pound foolish. We are told to recycle our fluorescent tubes to prevent minute amounts of mercury from contaminating our landfills. Yet Industry dumps massive amounts of mercury into our environment by refusing to clean up their coal-fired generators. Where American coal-fired plants have tried to clean up, our governments have only winked at these Canadian Environmental Monsters.
And please, for the sake of cheap consumer goods, let's forget the massive dirty coal consumption of China, and the growing attractiveness of America's massive coal reserves against oil prices.
In relation, ALL samples of tuna tested from American sushi bars were contaminated with mercury. The oceans are contaminated. The fish are sick. But still, the front line in mercury pollution control will be with the consumer. The passengers are reminded, only one lake-caught fish or serving of tuna per week as the dragon hides his urate in the fish.
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Similarly, we are constantly reminded to throughly cook our ground beef as if the consumer is somehow responsible for E. coli contamination. The industrial process allows fecal matter to contact the meat, and then fails to properly wash and inspect the carcass before it proceeds down the slaughter line. Where government inspectors once used to inspect each animal, they now may show up once a month to inspect only the process.
The meat from one contaminated carcass is mixed in with thousands of animals in the processing. Recently the meat from hundreds of thousands of animals was dumped into landfills because of this Industrial Wastefulness. What was wrong with the economic model of a small local abattoir, where each carcass was individually washed, inspected and processed? It wasn't cheap enough.
So maybe the consumer does bear some responsibility: we want it cheaper (that's why we built the dragon ship); our desire for consumer goods is insatiable; we consume our crappy meat well cooked (and shipped a thousand miles). We admire that new car smell; we are proud of our new air tight house filled with industrial pollutants given off by all that new stuff. Our baby-boom middle class real estate investments and all their trappings are dragon boats destined to be worthless in 25 years.
So a blessing then for the poor who live in a 40-year old drafty house. We are much better off with old flooring, cabinets, cars and furniture that has long stopped giving off those noxious chemicals that pollute our bodies and those of our children.
This Earth Day summoned a Nancy Regan realization. CONSUMPTION: Just Say No! Remember how we used to speak of two-car families? Well now we have 4, 5, or 6 car families. And if we include recreational vehicles, we have 6, 8 and 12 vehicle families, an absurdity of consumption. And an indication that a consumption peak of sorts has been reached in the face of a world economy slowing because of approaching Energy Scarcity.
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In the final tally, whether our concerns are Health, Environmental, Climate Change, or Energy Scarcity, the solution to all these issues is to throttle consumption before Progress Traps (Ronald Wright: “A Short History of Progress”) throttle us. Consumption was last century's economic model; in a post-Modern world we must convert to a Recycling-based economy. Growth will come from New Energy, not consumer goods. Home Depot, like Walmart, is obsolete.
But of course, in a capitalist model where growth in consumption is not only desirable but necessary, sustained consumption reduction is absurd, for it creates a serious economic issue -a depression. So, lacking a revolution in economic thinking (or an Energy Scarcity crisis) and for the sake of the continuation of the last century's economic model, we are effectively addicted to excessive consumption. And thus also to the ongoing wasting of our water, health and environment in order to sustain and encourage economic growth, even as we are addicted to cheap soiled meat.
We cannot live without the dragon even though he will kill us all. A Progress Trap.
Finally, this is where Dr. Feelgood environmentalists such as Bob Stanford of Water for Life Decade essentially become industrial apologists telling consumers that things will get better if we but run the dishwasher less than 3 times a week or do only one load of laundry per week. They, like the newspapers that give Dr. Feelgood front page, are economic false prophets massaging our wallets comfortingly: “It's okay to consume, just cook your hamburger thoroughly, recycle those light bulbs and shower a little less.”
As consumers of the dragon ship, we need to take responsibility, but much too often we and our children are sacrificed while the dragon gets a wink and a nudge.
Copyright: Coyote, blogger
You are free to distribute this article as long as its writer is properly acknowledged.
Discuss
sciencesaves on May 25, 2008, 9:15 AM
Coyote, Bravo! Excellent article. Are you a writer? Your insight is incredible!
We can argue in circles forever about meaningless feelings and faith/belief viewpoints, but the reality is that people have become ignorant and closed-minded in regard to the very real effects that our actions have upon the environment. (Does religion promote this?)
Those in power hope that the ignorance continues, as they sell the dreams of future generations for instant gratification.
Slay the Dragon!
Rock on baby!
Musycks on May 25, 2008, 11:40 PM
SS.. religion that promotes belief that this world is worthless is hardly helpful I guess… and the environment will be a huge battleground in the near future…. an Australian doctor Tim Flannery (wrote ‘The Future Eaters’) said on radio the other day that the ice melting rate of the poles is even worse than what they predicted even 3 years ago… policy can’t keep pace with the rate of change, so it’ll be a close run thing as to whether our grandkids inherit anything other than a complete shit-fight!
as with Dr Feelgood, we firstly ask, who funds his research? As usual with the power of the monied capitalist lobby groups they’ll spin the picture until everyone learns to luxuriate in the glow of a chemical sunset! never mind the toxicity, enjoy the view!
Nice post Coyote.
sciencesaves on May 26, 2008, 10:10 AM
Herein lies the problem. Some will claim that we cannot change the fact that we are doomed, thus a great deal of people will do very little except to look out for themselves and their immediate needs. There is already a rise in survivalists here in the states, but that is due in part to the economy taking a nosedive recently.
Will people come together to correct the short-sighted ways, or will they cluster in groups maintaining their lifestyle until the worlds environment is ruined?
I think a complete overhaul of the way we operate as a society is necessary in the 21st century. What that new system will be, I don’t know, I only hope that it will be realistic and rational.
Religion has not served us well…
Mary Coyote on May 27, 2008, 3:11 AM
Hey guys! Thanks for your great comments.
This was published in the newspaper of question, but I have been shy of promoting it further. I like anonymity and speaking through the mask of Coyote. Attaching my name to this and sending it to more newspapers makes me nervous. I am not a writer, sciencesaves, in that I don’t make any income from writing. I would be honored to do so, but am afraid of deadlines and failure.
I am sorry if this argument drives you to pessimism, roakes, but that was the intent. We are trapped between a capitalist argument and the GREAT SUCCESS this argument has wrought for us.
We need a Saviour, a prophet; someone with a Great New Economic Idea; an idea that works and not a Utopian fantasy. And that is almost impossible. Until then, I suggest that we TEMPER CAPITALISM, that we accept limits on growth (growth only in New Energy and Recycling) and that we find a more humane way of dealing with the losers in a shrinking economy.
We are rapidly realizing that great change faces us. Already we are seeing evidence of approaching Energy Scarcity where energy is cheap no more. Sciencesaves points out the resurgence of a new generation of survivalists. These people see Peak Oil as a devastating event and are preparing for it. Many experts predict permanent damage to our economies, realizing that we are effectively addicted to cheap energy and the excessive consumption it allows. SEE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olduvai_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornucopian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_argument
So, when I suggest that we temper capitalism, I mean that we MANAGE CHANGE rather than allow cruel unthinking market forces to do so. The problem is that market forces behave like the pendulum swing and the extreme reaction of the market pendulum to Energy Scarcity and Climate Change will be much more than Creative Destruction. It will be devastating wealth destruction worse than the Dirty Thirties. The age of Consumerism as economic policy is over.
The Bush administration’s promotion of consumption in answer to the Tech-wreck and 9/11 was a serious error (in hindsight); the orgasmic thrashing of a doomed economy. Here we are facing the greatest challenges of our civilization and flat broke.
So we MUST manage change and for reasons other than purely economic. And that is the essence of my argument. I believe that hope is found within the human capacity to sacrifice and react appropriately to the crises of the 21’st century. We need appropriate ideas, leadership and education, and we need to start real soon. Waiting for George Bush to step down in January 2009 may be too late.
Musycks on May 27, 2008, 9:41 PM
Coyote… don’t be afraid of failure as a writer.. with a brain as sharp as yours, you have nothing to worry about… keep swinging!
a small aside.. as bad a polluter as the US is.. China and India loom large as you would know… and a small sub-plot, given the Tibet fiasco re the Olympic torch, which western leader met with the Chinese leader Hu and in a face to face meeting told him he had a human rights issue?! what’s more he told him in fluent mandarin.. the new Aussie Prime Minister.. he may be a Xtian and personally conservative, but that was a huge effort!
So small blows for progress here and there…
Luke Allen on June 5, 2008, 1:01 AM
Coyote your post in Jesseeker’s idea of Whatyll got against baptist was brilliant!!! I look forward to reading and getting to know you more through your ideas!
Luke Allen on June 5, 2008, 1:04 AM
Brilliant Post Coyote… The reason that industry gets away with it is a little known legality fact called: Corporate Personhood. This is the root of negligence that allows these atrocities to occur.
Mary Coyote on June 5, 2008, 9:41 PM
Thank you Luke for the kind comments :)
sadv XZV on August 7, 2008, 11:08 PM
I agree corporations are whores but if things are so bad why do we live longer than any generation in human history? Do you suggest we go back to the stone age w/c would make today’s toughest society look like a vacation. Today’s world is far from perfect but as a whole, these are the best of times.
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