Read me >>> sharing illuminating journalism

[ericpmoss]

Having lived for years in NC, this one particularly pisses me off -- "my side" took 57% of the vote and got what, 4/13 representation. This fucker is at the heart of that theft.

Master of Gerrymandering

[guido]

Cycling for Climate Justice | The New Yorker

[Walter Sobchak]

What if We Stopped Pretending the Climate Apocalypse Can Be Stopped? | The New Yorker

Shut the eff up, Jonny.

He's out of his element. Maybe it would be worth publishing that crap in the New Yorker if he wasn't wrong on the science, wrong on the politics, and wrong on the psychology. But at least it's entertainment.


Way to go, Franzen!

[guido]

Shut the eff up, Jonny.

He's out of his element. Maybe it would be worth publishing that crap in the New Yorker if he wasn't wrong on the science, wrong on the politics, and wrong on the psychology. But at least it's entertainment.


Way to go, Franzen!

Or maybe you are out of yours?

[ides1056]

Thumbs and Ammo?

I think the notion that what we are witnessing in the world now qualifies as entertainment is tiresome.

[thollandpe]

I think the notion that what we are witnessing in the world now qualifies as entertainment is tiresome.

I don't know if Jonathan Franzen considers himself an entertainer, but he is kind of a pain in the ass. Isn't that what contrarians do?

New York Magazine: Jonathan Franzen's Climate Pessimism Is Justified. His Fatalism Is Not.

The Guardian: Don't despair, the climate fight is only over if you think it is

Popula: The Case for Climate Rage

Medium: Home is Always Worth It

I'll nominate those as journalism more illuminating that that piece in the New Yorker on the subject of climate change.

[ides1056]

The portion of the article that I quoted is what was material to me. I don't really need to read about climate change, or engage in the debate. That humankind is turning the world into a toilet is apparent.

I asked Alan Weisman, a local author who wrote The World Without Us, whether he was optimistic. The answer was no, but he is hopeful.

Kimmel, Noah, et al are able to make light of where we are. If this makes people hopeful, so much the better. But entertainment minted from the turd that is the daily twitter feed still tastes like, you know.

[guido]

Sure there is a lot of push back on Franzen's piece. But that is sort of the point. It's a whole lot easier to grumble about the messenger than it is to make real change. We have been aware of the climate problem for 50 years now and the rate of climate destruction is still getting worse, not even slowing down. The left continues to play small ball about the biggest issue of our times. Look at the climate change portion of last nights debate... And the right refuses to recognize a problem let alone work on solutions..
And once (if) we get our house in order enough to provide any real leadership, the rate of carbon emissions from China, South Asia, Brazil and the emerging nations will have been continuing to grow exponentially putting us even further behind any chance to fix things.

Franzen is an optimist...

[bcm119]

I think a lot of these pieces fail to put a point on the fact that we can't really do-good ourselves out of climate change. It's a point that many on the far left miss: economic forces are the only chance we have at curbing emissions. You can't convince people to change their ways if the alternative isn't significantly cheaper or more convenient. We can't keep framing this as an ethical or political problem, it is a technology problem. We need sustainable energy and transportation technology to be clearly cheaper and more convenient first, then we can focus on the politics of allowing it to replace the status quo, which won't be difficult if the technology exists. We will fail at forcing it on a society before it makes economic sense, especially now with such huge income inequality. Until the technology exists, we are largely powerless; the best we can do as individuals is curb our procreation. Most of the opinion pieces I read on climate change feel more like therapy for the writers, who don't want to face their powerlessness.

[guido]

It's not just powerlessness. A quick thought experiment:

Imagine all carbon fuels are impact/remediation priced. Gas goes to $15 a gallon. Airfares go up by a factor of five. etc.

How many Americans would take this with out significant protest?

In the words of pogo "we have met the enemy and he is us"

[thollandpe]

Did we send Apollo 11 to land on the moon because it was cost effective?

Did we build this beast because it was cheap and easy?



Complacency and apathy can be overcome. Climate change is not an ethical or political problem, it is an existential one. If we leave this planet to the next generation with that problem unaddressed, or even exacerbated, then our generation has failed. And spectacularly.

I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. To quote one of the links I posted previously, "I barely know your kids and I feel like I would jump in front of a bus to stop this shit."

[ides1056]

To your point, TH: it took political will to send a man to the moon. It will take government action, the sort that a country like China can muster, to effect change on the scale necessary to make a difference.

I am not throwing in the towel at all. I know, having seen firsthand what is possible, that "quitting smoking now greatly reduces, etc." This applies to the problems that are baked into the climate cake already. We are in for a rough ride, but the point of Franzen's piece, as I read it, is that we have more in common than not, and are in it together, and the sooner we begin to work together, all together, the better.

I learned in this last election cycle that while I knew there are some who are motivated by the desire to have more than others, there are those who are motivated by this desire for others to have less. I live in a small town, and if you are inclined to beggar your neighbors you had better find another place to live. There isn't room enough in the world anymore for those who want to deny others the basic right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

[guido]

TH, I love your optimism.

[ides1056]

Exploring a Timeless Wilderness, Before the Drilling Begins - The New York Times

"The time is now."

[guido]

J. J. Sempe’s “Our Sunday-Morning Outings” | The New Yorker

[guido]

Opinion | Republicans Don’t Believe in Democracy - The New York Times

[ides1056]

true: " you aren't the boss of me."

[guido]

Money Is the Oxygen on Which the Fire of Global Warming Burns | The New Yorker

[prcrstn8]

Now this guy can write.

What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max? - The New York Times

[theflashunc]

Now this guy can write.

What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max? - The New York Times

William Langewiesche is always appointment reading. His story about the sinking of the Estonia is a must: A Sea Story - The Atlantic