Live Earth
Some of the biggest stars from the music and recording industry have been coming together for a series of concerts. These intrepid caring souls flew in on their private jets or drove great distances in their tour buses to send a clear message blaring from 5000 Watt P.A systems. This message is that everyone needs to conserve energy to limit greenhouse gas emissions and help save the planet from Global Warming (I hope some of you appreciate the irony). To me the whole thing is patently absurd. It's an excuse for smug, self-satisfied celebrities to pretend that they are making a difference to save the planet (and it's probably a good excuse for former Vice President Al Gore to meet Cheryl Crow and get her autograph). I really can't figure out what these people are trying to accomplish. Do rock concerts somehow magically cause carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to vanish? How will holding a rock concert help the climate change issue? The supporters of this event will say that they are trying to "raise awareness" of environmental issues. Excuse me? Raise Awareness? Are you fucking kidding me? It seems there are headlines addressing Global Warming at least twice a week. That's almost as much coverage as the Paris Hilton incarceration story. If awareness of Global Warming were raised any higher it would graduate from "awareness" to full-fledged hysteria. And since when did "raising awareness" ever solve any serious problems? Only hard work, innovation, and new technologies can do that. Just ask Bob Geldof. He started the Live Aid concert to fight poverty and famine in Africa. That didn't really work. After all the gear was packed away and the money sent to whomever or wherever it was slated to go, folks were still starving in Africa. So then he started the Live 8 concerts with Bono. So far, that seems to have been just as ineffectual as his previous attempt. The truth is that you can't cure all of the worlds ills by playing the guitar. Believe me, I tried. But perhaps "raising awareness" might serve a different goal. It could pave the way for Al Gore's sequel "An Inconvenient Truth 2: This Time It's Super Serial".