Spoiled Americans: so much waste during the blackout!

[booksenkatz]

I always keep plenty of extra water, food, batteries, and we've got a nice cold, finished basement to sleep in, so I didn't have a thing to complain about these last coupla days. And I've spent this time observing human response to this inconvenience. We are in a gasoline emergency here in Michigan, have been asked by the governor not to use any gasoline unless we have to, yet some folks were going boating. The Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit is going forward. I've seen pictures of people who were watching television in their cars while waiting in line for gasoline. Some of my neighbors had their sprinklers going full blast, even though the authorities have begged us to conserve water. Many of my neighbors had their A/C condenser units going full blast from the moment our power was restored. (I personally am only running one appliance at a time, and right now it's the computer's turn! A computer is not necessary to one's existence, so I'm just as guilty.) It just seems to me that we've become a nation of total wimps who can't come up with creative ways to do ANYTHING unless it involves the use of electricity or gasoline. When I think of what the people of Iraq are going through...! And yet we can't get through TWO inconvenient days without fisticuffs and bitching and a total inability to get anything done. People die without "cooling centers," which is wild, because our ancestors survived in this country without ANY of this. When the oil and gasoline eventually do run out, and they will, Americans will be ill prepared and are doomed for extinction. At least that's my conclusion after two days of observation.

And for the record, I'm only a little better (I try really hard to be a good citizen), but I'm just as bad.

[The Blue Flower]

1. "Connections"

This would be an excellent time to take another look at James Burke's PBS series, "Connections," intro (from the 70s).

[bicentennial_baby]

8. Yes!

Best PBS series ever!!!! I've watched those over and over and it never gets boring.

[MuseRider]

2. Trying hard is the first step.

If we would all just try a bit at a time we could make some headway. A gasoline crisis? I had not heard about that. Keep it up, hopefully others will follow.

[unblock]

3. 'our ancestors survived without any of this'

um, no, our ancestors had a proportion of the population die during hot summers without a/c. that proportion is greatly reduced these days thanks to a/c.

also, we've changed our lifestyle due to a/c. we work in buildings with windows that cannot be opened because now suicide prevention is more important than heat control.

also, there's been a mass migration south due to a/c. thank goodness this blackout didn't happen there, there would have been a lot of deaths.

[booksenkatz]

5. Good point

My grandmother, who was born in 1901, used to tell me that they'd cool themselves simply with washrags dipped in water. I guess it's just that we've all become accustomed to having nice, cold air anytime we want it, and I'm wondering if that is such a good thing!?

[pansypoo53219]

9. i do not like AC

and a wet towel does work, but getting my hair and shirt wet work even better.

[Boomer]

4. Yeah, I'm embarassed in the extreme....

by all the media mavens and politicians crowing about how well Americans are dealing with the "crisis" of being without electricity for 24 hours. As if undergoing this minor inconvenience is some extreme hardship that has shown proof of our national character. What it has shown the rest of the world -- which routinely deals with far worse conditions for long periods of time -- is that we are a nation of spoiled, self-centered, clue-less brats.

Throw in urban-centric, too. A few years ago I went three days without electricity, hemmed in by snow-melt that flooded all the roads to my house. Newsworthy? Of course not, because I live in West Virginia. It's only when urban city dwellers lose electricity that anyone pays any attention. Granted, I went nuts having to go 3 days without internet access, but at least I recoginized that I was petulantly missing a luxury. I never fooled myself into thinking I was in a crisis situation.

Our nation has completely lost perspective on what true hardship consists of. And not even a small touch of the experience seems to increase our ability to empathize with others, such as the Iraqi people who have gone months without electricity. In fact, after 9/11 our ability to empathize with the horrors of thousands of dead seems to have been blunted entirely. Our sympathy was turned entirely inward -- our hurt, our pain, our vulnerability. All of which gave us license to inflict similar damage tenfold on people who had nothing to do with 9/11 in the first place.

How well would this country cope with the damage we have wrought on the Iraqi's? If the last two days are any test at all, we would fail that test miserably.

--Boomer

[newyawker99]

14. Hi Boomer!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[rocktivity]

6. Did you notice how New Yorkers were being asked to conserve energy

By reporters standing in times Square with the lights going full blast?


rocknation

[TruthTeller]

7. yes, when the power came back we turned on the TV and that is what I

saw too. I thought maybe I was seeing things, but no...there was a lot of power going to the signs.

TT

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

10. Nice hair shirt post

My neighbors are horrible citizens and I am a bad citizen. We Americans are so clueless.

Hit me with your rythym stick. Hit me! Hit me!

[booksenkatz]

11. I already said that I am no better

...while I am sacrificing in the water, A/C and gasoline departments, I am nevertheless using a computer, which is a non-essential item. Meanwhile, Detroit Edison workers are busting their asses trying to keep our grid going, as it is still not up to 100% output yet. My point is that I see little evidence of people sacrificing in order to "promote the general welfare." Right now, the majority of my neighbors, in the middle of a gasoline crisis, are outside mowing with their gasoline-powered lawnmowers. Keeping a green lawn is a priority for them, and to hell with the rest of southeastern Michigan. It's fascinating, that's all. Some communities around here got power, then lost it, because of greedy assholes like that. The system is not ready for Full Greed yet.

I'm not saying we don't have a right to complain about our discomfort; I'm saying that it is intriguing (at least) how quickly we can be reduced to caring only for ourselves and our families and saying to hell with everyone else when things get a little uncomfortable. Amazing how fast we Dems can become Republicans when it gets too hot!:-)

[aquart]

12. Excuse me?

A complaint that the government entrusted to protect our energy supply failed is "becoming Republican"?????

Since when was grin and bear it a Democratic characteristic. Dems do NOT put up with crap. We didn't put up with ten hour six day work weeks and unsafe working conditions. We didn't put up with unsafe food and drugs.

The salient characteristic of our party is we ain't good darkies, we bitch to high heaven.

I thought it was Republican to endure whatever God decreed: famine, plague, flood, corrupt government. Because complaining isn't nice, and we always want to be nice, right?

I don't feel guilty for being pissed as shit at having to empty my just-stocked refrigerator. I haven't had a complete or decent meal for three days and I'm in the heart of Manhattan. I'll shop tomorrow.

I know I'm lucky to be sure that there will be food tomorrow. I never take it for granted and I never feel guilty for it.

[booksenkatz]

13. I meant the greed aspect

I think that liberals are more likely to feel that they ARE their brother's keeper, and that altruism comes more easily to a liberal, but that feeling is often quickly cast aside when there's a gas shortage and your lawn is too long. Or there's a gas shortage and you personally would rather be boating. Or there's a water shortage, but darn it, you'd rather fill your pool so you can swim in this unbearable heat. It's interesting to see how quickly altruism gets cast aside when personal discomfort looms. I've simply been seriously amazed at what people consider personal discomfort these last few days. I mean, this one guy can't go 2 days without a TV so he has to run his car in order to watch TV, even during a gas shortage? Sheesh.