The Ants of Gaia
July 9th, 2007Joe doesn’t seem to acknowledge the kill off of the die off, but I’m not sure that it matters anymore.
Via: Joe Bageant:
The hearts of even our most avowedly thriving cities are just a dead, reduced to nothing more than designated spending zones, collections of bars and banks and overpriced eateries lodged at the center of a massive tangle of overpasses and freeways designed for a nation of soft people hurtling themselves through the suburbs in petroleum powered exoskeletons in search of fried chicken, or into the city for the lonely monetized experience called urban nightlife. Which is no life at all, but rather posturing in lifelike poses amid simple drunkenness and engorgement.
We allow ourselves to imagine the worst is somewhere in yet another future so we can continue without owning decision. Love of comfort being the death of courage, we continue the familiar commoditized life, the only one we have known. Is it not true that our entire understanding of courage as we know it is about braving some unknown? About making the socially unaccepted and dangerous choice? Stepping forward in the face of the wars and evil mechanics of our own particular time?…
…Evil men seeking empire did not make us or the world this way. We made their existence possible through our denial, love of ease and non accountability.
Research Credit: Idleworm
I’m as gloomy as most, and am cognizant of the terrible position in which we find ourselves. But this is rampant Old Fart-ism at its worst:
“The hearts of even our most avowedly thriving cities are just a dead, reduced to nothing more than designated spending zones, collections of bars and banks and overpriced eateries lodged at the center of a massive tangle of overpasses and freeways designed for a nation of soft people hurtling themselves through the suburbs in petroleum powered exoskeletons in search of fried chicken, or into the city for the lonely monetized experience called urban nightlife. Which is no life at all, but rather posturing in lifelike poses amid simple drunkenness and engorgement.”
Sheeeesh….. Haven’t big cities always been places where people flocked to have different experiences, to see things they’ve never seen before? To eat different food, check out the architecture, etc? Even in ancient times, writers speak of the wonders of the cities they visited.
We just spent a week in Chicago (travelling there sans automobile from here in north Alabama). Forgive us, but we had a good time, actually enjoying “the lonely monetized experience called urban nightlife”; it’s a vibrant, beautiful city. What would Joe have us do? Show up in the city with a bag of groceries and a gas stove?
This type of “Hey, you damn kids get off my lawn” bitterness serves no good purpose. Tell people that they need to change and you might have a shot; tell them that their entire way of life is shit (even if it mostly is) and you don’t have a prayer.
I don’t think I understand this Joe Bageant guy. The beginning of the article seems to bemoan the finite nature of humanity and our disconnection with nature. The latter being totally moot because any sensible person, when given the choice between living in a cave and having life expectancy of thirty for the good of the planet or 80 years, running water and internet porn at the expense of the planet, that person would choose the porno. Even if you enslave yourself to altruism, in then end you’re just as dead. . . you just made yourself work harder.
But then our author changes the doom and gloom into a kind of tragic optimism. Get a splash of glory or meaningfulness, which, I’m not even sure how you determine what’s meaningful. You can see through the superficiality of the average American life, but when you do, are you happy because of it? I’m not.
Human life is finite and pretty unimportant in a cosmic sense. . . We all know it, so why, Joe Bageant, should we waste a moment despairing?
Reminds me of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Matthew_Island
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1425883
Speaking of killoff and population growth, has anybody else here read the book “Ishmael” ?
Thats what I keep thinking of when we get to talking about killoff, population culling, etc.
So, that’s humanity’s BIG choice:
living in a cave OR internet porn.
Who’d’ve thought.
You’r either with us, or with the te…ah, forgedit.
Another brilliant piece from Joe Bageant.