Reflections on the BP oil leak
I won’t waste any of your time telling you what you already know about the BP oil leak. Instead, I want to take a moment to ask you to consider the reality of our American lifestyle. No matter how hard we push for environmentalist policies, we have to face the facts: we are a corporate, consumer nation. “The health of the economy” is considered a valid reason not to deplete resources and destroy our planet. And why not? We all worry for our jobs, and lust after that next Jonesian item. Far easier than challenging the capitalist notion of business “rights” is the incorporation of our desire for a healthy environment into the system which prevents it from being healthy. Rather: it is easier to consume the idea of a healthy environment than it is to dismantle the system which drives us to consume and produce far more than we need. And why not? The success of green marketing shows that all a corporation has to do is appeal to both our environment-destroying guilt and our unwillingness to dismantle capitalism. Corporations like BP can successfully sell—sell—themselves as environmentally friendly with a simple, pretty green label yet continue to do what capitalism makes them do best—cut corners at the cost of everything that even the most secular person would consider sacred. “Eco-friendly” logos and claims are lies: every corporation is willing to destroy our oceans to make a profit. Drink the pretty green logo in, folks, because “green” logos like this one are the new face of consumer complacency.
Much of the spill is in open water, but winds are moving the oil toward shore, he said. Healthy Lifestyle
Humans won’t do anything until we hit a brick wall. That day won’t be until we run out of affordable oil. No telling how many more disasters we will have to endure. In the end, it would be a sight to see the roads full of bicycles. No more car payments or auto insurance!