I think that I'm lost here, lost in a place called America...

[greygirlbeast]

Yesterday, we drove to Athens to visit an old friend I'd not seen in many years. Lately, it occurred to me how very odd it is that I've lived in Atlanta for more than four years and not once made the hour+ drive east and north to Athens. Yesterday, I found out why. Too many memories there, of one sort or another. A memory minefield, and I

Comments

Only because you asked for it...

[stsisyphus]

Also, my thanks to jtglover for the link to this article, which boldly, sensibly states why yesterday should be the last Earth Day.See, I thought this was a great article, but for me, it really only succeeded in inspiring despair than action. I have a hard enough time applying personal ecological responsibility (recycling, using public transportation, diminishing energy usage), how in the hell am I supposed to take responsibility for the rest of the damn nation (much less the world?). I concur that it is the profit systems which must be reformed in order to allow progress - but how in the lickety fuck is the individual to affect the megalithic structure? Earth Day's slacktivism won't, conscientious consumers won't, advocacy and political action appear gridlocked into impotence, and rhetorical and symbolic manifestos of protest (such as the call to "action" in this article) weigh in so anemically with regard to practical action/effort/work as to be functionally irrelevant. So what the hell is the answer? Is there a roadmap? A plan? An

Re: Only because you asked for it...

[greygirlbeast]

See, I thought this was a great article, but for me, it really only succeeded in inspiring despair than action.

Truthfully, I have passed beyond everything but despair, at this point.

So what the hell is the answer? Is there a roadmap? A plan? An outline? Some notes on a postcard? Anything?

You're asking the wrong nixar. I see the problem, and I at least imagine that I see it clearly, but no solution. No, that's not true. If I had the power the sterilize 99.99% of the human population, I'd do it immediately. But I don't. And I'm not likely to in the future.

Where's Klaatu when you need him...

[stsisyphus]

You're asking the wrong nixar.

I know. I was going to keep my impotent rage to myself, but you did ask for comments. I'm just frustrated by all these calls to action which rarely do more than neutralize the desire to be active. What the green movement or whatever you want to call it really needs, what would really get people up and moving and being active and giving a damn, is a concrete demonstration that all that effort would make a difference. Us monkeys, we like results.

Where's Klaatu when you need him...

Probably in lockdown at Gitmo or some secret CIA/African prison.

TMI

[stsisyphus]

f I had the power the sterilize 99.99% of the human population, I'd do it immediately.

Well, if it helps (and it probably doesn't), this breeder male did sterilize himself. 6.5 billion doesn't need my contribution.

[stardustgirl]

Sprawl. *sigh* I'm not sure how to explain that I can actually feel the claustrophobic atmosphere it causes here, as I sit in my house and can't even see it, but I can. I can feel it as if it were so close as to be visible from my window. I am aware that it's out there, just a few blocks over. I can no longer slip out the back entrance and be surrounded by corn. The concrete is here, and it is crushing. Bigboxes filled with crap from China. Chain eateries with lousy food. It all looks the same no matter where you are. I wonder if someone has done a study on how many people go bonkers from too much sprawl-induced stress?

We don't have many crazy Jesus signs. There is one between here and Richmond on I-70 westbound. Maybe they figure the eastbound people are beyond help.

[corucia]

It is almost eerie the way in which bacterial or fungal populations growing in a rich medium resemble current human population growth rates... the more I've thought about it, the more I think that there's some intriguing extrapolations that can be made. Some organisms have some interesting adaptations to changing media conditions - if you're not familiar with some of these data/concepts, I can email you more details - that, when applied to human populations, lead to some rather offbeat possibilities for pre- and post-apocalyptic humanity. Not that I think we're really likely to possess such adaptations, but if present they'd lead to some grand old weirdness - biofilm formation, cellular quiescence, pseudoplasmodium formation, all sorts of funky fun.

[greygirlbeast]

if you're not familiar with some of these data/concepts, I can email you more details

I'm not, really. Familiar with them, that is. But I would like to be. So yes, please. E-mail them my way. Thanks.

[corucia]

I'll put something together and email it to you...