Oligarchy, What's it mean? An Earth Day rant.

Oligarchy is rule by the few, according to Webster's Dictionary. A number of folks think that's where the U.S. is headed, if it hasn't already become one. Plutocracy - rule by the (necessarily few) rich is more like it, I'd say. Earth Day, of course, is the day each year we celebrate the protection of the earth and it's environment. The question is what do the Oligarchs and Plutocrats have to do with Earth Day?

Not much I'd say. The primary focus of Plutocrats and Oligarchs is power and money. Any feeling for earths environment is usually centered on how it can be exploited. If you have seen the results of open pit mining:

   Barrick Goldstrike mine, Nevada --  Credit: Earthworks

or the devastation caused by Tar Sands extraction:

Alberta,Canada Tar Sands extraction site

there's not much more to say about Plutocracy and Environmentalism.

Democracy, on the other hand, is rule by the citizenry. Do you think the majority ruled in favor of this kind of reckless environmental exploitation? Well I don't either!

Can We Save The Earth? Some say no.

There are some in the environmental movement who think we have already lost the battle against Climate Change. We should admit defeat - that collapse is inevitable and we should prepare for a different and more limited world. I'm not sure about admitting defeat, but people like Paul Kingsnorth and The Dark Mountain Project may have something to teach us about the new world of deteriorating climate and the rampant disregard for a whole world's ecology.

Most of us know we need to reverse the flow of greenhouse gases. Some even know of good ways to accomplish this reversal. The question is, of course, why we have yet to make any significant start on making that reversal happen?

There are many technological things we know will have some effect. Renewable energy, mass transit, conservation are some that come to mind. Why aren't they all being pursued vigorously many ask? It's all about politics or economics or cultural differences most would say. Where Kingsnorth and others have something to say is the suggestion that human cultures just aren't up to the task of saving the whole world. I think they might be right about us not being up to the task. If you and I aren't ready to change things, how can we expect the rest of humanity not to slide towards extinction?

We have many excuses, of course. The science isn't complete or is just plain wrong is one I hear from those who haven't read or bothered to understand the proofs of climate change. I say, "read the reports - check it out for yourself". When you have knowledge you are half way to solving the problem. Big business profits from the status quo. Well yes it does, but only if you are willing to live with the status quo. The really big excuse is that the problem is just too large and complicated to be solved by you and me. OK that one is what moved Kingsnorth to start his Dark Mountain Project. He decided he couldn't attack the problem directly.

Moving the world culture is just too difficult and complicated so he decided on a project to change individuals instead. I agree with the basic precept here. We really do need to change people if we want to change the world.

 I'm not quit ready to give up the idea of us being able to reverse climate change; however. What you and I can do individually may be small, but just think about how much can be accomplished if all 7 billion humans each did a little. Worldwide collective action might not be possible yet, but each of us must take responsibility for doing what we can.

When warming causes oceans to rise, lawns are hard to mow.

Zombie Ideas

I've never been much interested in Zombies, The Walking Dead, etc; however, I came across the term "Zombie Idea" in recent Robert Reich and Paul Krugman opinion pieces.  Never heard the term before?  According to Krugman, Zombie Ideas are policy ideas that keep being killed by evidence, but nonetheless shamble relentlessly forward, essentially because they suit a political agenda.  There are lots of them out there like the idea that no one likes single payer health care even though almost every industrial nation in the world embraces it. You can see that there might be lots of uses for such a useful term.

I suggest we expand the usage a little and include ideas beyond the strictly political.  The global warming debate comes to mind.  There are folks out there who say that there is no consensus among scientists about this problem.  Well of course a 97% majority doesn't sound close to consensus to some, but most of us might agree that the "no consensus" idea is a Zombie and 97% is pretty much unanimous.  The earth as a six thousand year old orb looks like a Zombie as well.  We would have to throw out all of geology and archeology as well as nuclear physics and astronomy to breathe life into that Zombie Idea.

Like the movie and novel zombies many of us would like to see these Zombie Ideas bite the dust.  They take up space and use resources that Real Ideas need to become useful and prosper.  They allow liars and the lazy to pretend to being experts and they take us away from real debate about real problems.  Just like the movie zombies, we need to search out these Zombie Ideas and kill them.  Their parts need returning to the compost piles of our minds to be used to fertilize real ideas.

The problem, of course, is searching them out amid the mess and noise of modern life.  They sometimes disguise themselves as real ideas, shining themselves up to look new and important.  They're spottable by their lack of evidence or data.  Most are attributed to some expert who remains anonymous or is from another area of expertise.  Many use proof by assertion, (it's true because I say so), and if anyone begs to differ they say so again.

What I'd like would be a list of the most outrageous Zombie Ideas you and I can find.  Let's all start thinking and searching - let's expose these Zombie Ideas and see if we can make them crawl back to the compost pile.  Yes, you will find some ideas that look like zombies, but aren't.  We all have some zombies in our minds that we think are real live ideas as well - don't worry, someone out there knows the truth and will tell it to you even if you don't want to hear it.  If you want to be a part of this Zombie Idea Round-up just click on the pencil icon at the end of the blog and we can start rounding up Zombie Ideas before they overrun us.