Resource consumption, a true problem facing the world. This kind of goes with the post below. Today's society has become a 24-hour-a-day, meet anyone's schedule, way of living. From late-night pizza shops, Speedway, Duke, WalMart, movie theaters, 3rd shift businesses to college coffee shops (remember the Insomnia Club). There is always somewhere to spend your money, no matter what time it is.When you turn on the TV and tune into today's popular TV shows depicting single moms working and making a living while raising kids, the viewers are influenced by these programs. Wanting to live the glorious life of 90210, Days of Our Lives, The Young and Restless (chest less), Drew and all of the other shows. Mom gets the idea to get a job and buy a beautiful SUV that mirrors the ones on TV. So little Johnny has to eat breakfast at school because no one is at home to cook for him. Mom took a third shift job to help pay for her new SUV. Also the after-school events become the new baby sitter.
On top of that, every time a new 24-hour store chain opens up, more electric is used, more fuel for the massive SUV and the trend begins. So not only are schools becoming our new day care centers but mom falls away from the family and more coal is burned to provide power to the 7/11 she works at. Unless mom has a skill or ambition to work a factory job, she is working the 24-hour fast food chains or gas stations. If mom has a skill she nails down a factory job filling the spot of a family man. So dear old dad has to work the 7/11 circuit and his wife has to work at the local burger joint to help him make ends meet. All the while more gasoline is being used and coal is being burned to power up the lights and hot dog cooker.
We did this to ourselves, that is the truth. Plain and simple. Imagine if everyone stayed home one day and turned off all their electricity, just for one day a week. How much would we save in electric, gasoline and a country-wide day of green house gas reduction.
But we can't, we are a very spoiled people. So spoiled we would rather destroy ourselves and the world around us. So I guess the problem is just a little bigger than mom not cooking little Johnny breakfast before school.
We are doomed.
Great post. On the SUV topic, I was just talking to Farmer Sam, our new blog contributer who has yet to post, and he told me that Hummer, makers of the big gas guzzling behemoths, are closing up shop either for good or to retool into a new line. The SUV is dead, thanks to the gas prices.
ReplyDeleteIf you'll recall, the 70's gas shortage was what made us invent 4-cylinder engines (of course you remember the Mustang II first used 4-bangers in the 70's). Now, hopefully, this gas crisis will prod us into creating hydrogen-fueled cars and electric vehicles.
It takes a major resource problem to change society. Otherwise we all sit around fat and happy without a care in the world.
(And of course I remember Insomnia. We should go out again sometime!)
It's sad but labor workers like me are going to lose everything and suffer for a long time until this problem is fixed.
ReplyDeleteBuy what are my problems compared to saving the world. Just like all those firefighters who die in the line of duty, I shall take one for the team and suffer.
Job loss her I come!