Compassion? What's That?
Today a FaceBook friend was bemoaning the cost of petrol in Canada. This is not entirely unusual, and I left a little sarcastic surprise at the fact that over there they're paying a whole $1.07 per litre, after it went up 4 cents overnight.
And then someone I don't know said the following:
All because people over seas start riots and burn or blow up oil wells over there or they have to shut rigs down because they are being threatened by all those crazy mad people.. So we are left to make up for it and pay the price ...
Um, yeah. Not the sort of comment I'm gonna just ignore. I called them out on it. And I found myself drawn in (yeah, really clever right?) and it seems that for the most part, people care more about the price of fuel than the idea that other people may be fighting to throw off the shackles of oppression. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Where is the compassion in the world? I'm not saying Canada is full of heartless bastards, I'm saying the Western World is full of heartless bastards.
Another comment (or an excerpt thereof):
It's not our fault their government is fucked...
It isn't? We're very happy in our little Western bubbles forgeting about the shit we've imposed on the rest of the world, aren't we? As long as we don't have to pay too much for our oil, who gives a fuck, right? We've built our economies around oil, going to the trouble of propping up corrupt regimes in foreign climes in order to safeguard that oil, and now it's all coming back to bite us in the arse.
I know that up to a point this is me getting angry because I'm comfortable enough financially that the price of fuel isn't a big issue. Although the main reason I'm that comfortable right now is that I've moved to rail commuting for work, and hence the price of fuel doesn't have as big an impact on my finances anyway. But, I hope, that even if I was having real problems making ends meet, I'd not go so far as to say what amounts to "fuck 'em, I want cheap gas". In fact, someone pretty much said that.
the funny thing is I don't care who's rioting or why. I don't care why their life is shitty quite simply because a. It's none of my business b. They don't care about me.
I just want cheap gas
"None of my business". Argh.
Maybe all this rage about the issue is just middle class first world guilt on my part, but the issue *is* fucked up. There needs to be a little more compassion in the world, and a little less exploitation. I know it's not that easy, not that simple, but it's a good starting point.
A bit more investing in alternative energy and electric cars and other such shizzle that breaks the hold oil has over us would help too. But that's a whole 'nother rant for another day.
And then someone I don't know said the following:
All because people over seas start riots and burn or blow up oil wells over there or they have to shut rigs down because they are being threatened by all those crazy mad people.. So we are left to make up for it and pay the price ...
Um, yeah. Not the sort of comment I'm gonna just ignore. I called them out on it. And I found myself drawn in (yeah, really clever right?) and it seems that for the most part, people care more about the price of fuel than the idea that other people may be fighting to throw off the shackles of oppression. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Where is the compassion in the world? I'm not saying Canada is full of heartless bastards, I'm saying the Western World is full of heartless bastards.
Another comment (or an excerpt thereof):
It's not our fault their government is fucked...
It isn't? We're very happy in our little Western bubbles forgeting about the shit we've imposed on the rest of the world, aren't we? As long as we don't have to pay too much for our oil, who gives a fuck, right? We've built our economies around oil, going to the trouble of propping up corrupt regimes in foreign climes in order to safeguard that oil, and now it's all coming back to bite us in the arse.
I know that up to a point this is me getting angry because I'm comfortable enough financially that the price of fuel isn't a big issue. Although the main reason I'm that comfortable right now is that I've moved to rail commuting for work, and hence the price of fuel doesn't have as big an impact on my finances anyway. But, I hope, that even if I was having real problems making ends meet, I'd not go so far as to say what amounts to "fuck 'em, I want cheap gas". In fact, someone pretty much said that.
the funny thing is I don't care who's rioting or why. I don't care why their life is shitty quite simply because a. It's none of my business b. They don't care about me.
I just want cheap gas
"None of my business". Argh.
Maybe all this rage about the issue is just middle class first world guilt on my part, but the issue *is* fucked up. There needs to be a little more compassion in the world, and a little less exploitation. I know it's not that easy, not that simple, but it's a good starting point.
A bit more investing in alternative energy and electric cars and other such shizzle that breaks the hold oil has over us would help too. But that's a whole 'nother rant for another day.