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My Conversation with an idiot

General discussions of the systemic, societal and civilisational effects of depletion.

My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby harlanater » Tue 04 Oct 2005, 23:13:59

I was outside the other day with a classmate and he was complaining about oil prices. When I mentioned to him about peak oil this is what he said..

"Well maybe they should drill in alaska. those stupid enviromentalists need to let go."

I responded by informing him that even with alaska the problem is still emninent.

"Well maybe the iraqis should give us oil for giving them democracy and rebuilding this country. I drive a V8 truck and i deserve my oil. Who cares if the us is better than everyone else"

Deserve? people are efin retarted. The Us if a big bully pushing everyone around. Unfortuanetly this seems to be the attitude of the general public

brainwashed Zombies..

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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby rogerhb » Tue 04 Oct 2005, 23:19:33

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('harlanater', 'b')rainwashed Zombies..


...and they are allowed to breed and vote.
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers." - Henry Louis Mencken
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby backstop » Tue 04 Oct 2005, 23:27:59

harlanater -

a word to the wise -

save your time and effort for those with the openness of mind to assemble a coherent train of thought . . . .

As the enforced learning curve gets steeper, there'll be some real anger looking for scapegoats, so discretion may be doubly worthwhile.

regards,

Backstop
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(from "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold, 1948.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby gnm » Tue 04 Oct 2005, 23:35:18

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('backstop', 'h')arlanater -

a word to the wise -

save your time and effort for those with the openness of mind to assemble a coherent train of thought . . . .

As the enforced learning curve gets steeper, there'll be some real anger looking for scapegoats, so discretion may be doubly worthwhile.

regards,

Backstop


Indeed.... I think the term is "kill the messenger..."
8O

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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby MicroHydro » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 00:00:10

Idiots are everywhere, from Thule to Tuva to Tonga. But, your American idiot classmate is a perfect explanation of why so many look forward to the end of US hegemony.
"The world is changed... I feel it in the water... I feel it in the earth... I smell it in the air... Much that once was, is lost..." - Galadriel
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby NeoPeasant » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 00:46:36

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('tinosorb', 'I')t seems that they are in the majority, too, which is a ceaseless source of distress for those of us on the other side.

I recently started a position which requires driving, a modest commute by most standards but too far to ride my bicycle, which is an agony for a number of reasons:

-I think of somebody losing a body part in Iraq and every time I hit the road, I think-- there goes somebody's finger, or 1/10 of a leg, or something like that. My thoughts on this issue are very graphic.

-I also think of those in other countries who are forced to do with less.

-I hate the physical act of city driving. Even if it were free non-polluting, and not dependent on a finite resource, I'd still rather not do it. It's time I can think of ten thousand ways that could be better spent, and it only means I have to spend extra time exercising, which is stupid and crazy.

-I ponder of the quantity of emissions I produce, down to the gram.

-It's a horrible waste of a finite resource.

-It's money that I'd rather not spend on gas.

-I resent having to pay for insurance, maintenance, repairs, tag fees, etc.

In short, it is mentally, morally, emotionally, and viserally abhorent to me.

It's hard to imagine that there are so many people out there who feel entitled to much more.

I will work my way towards a transfer ASAP, even with a cut in pay.

In the meantime I am bearing it because the total package is better than being jobless. The annual grand total is still only a small fraction of what most people drive. And yet it makes me crazy.


I am on an assignment where I have to move lots of stuff from work to home and sometimes to a remote site. I have had to drive because of this despite my preference to walk or bike. It's been going on a couple months and I can feel the stamina and health improvements I gained by walking slipping away. I can't wait to finish this POS assignment and get back to my self-powered commutes.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby Colorado-Valley » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 00:59:22

I'm with MicroHydro, the people in this country really need to learn about the laws of nature, the laws of treating other countries with respect and, oh yeah, that little story about how pride goeth before the fall.
Last edited by Colorado-Valley on Wed 05 Oct 2005, 03:04:17, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby jmacdaddio » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 01:17:37

I'm not surprised by the idiot comments. In the US high school graduates can barely balance a checkbook, let alone comprehend the intricacies of supply and demand, the physical limits of resource extraction, and the complex web of geopolitics. Even intelligent people are prone to remarks like "we'll just bomb those m--f-ers and take their oil". One of the more intelligent fellows I've worked with fell for the "it's a refining crunch problem" and stated that "we need to convert old bases to refineries".

Save your energy for those who can be converted. Start learning self-defense and marksmanship to protect yourself from the morons who would rather nuke another nation than give up their F-150s.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby Ardalla » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 01:43:00

Sadly it never seems to get much better. I grew up with people who thought Eisenhower was a communist (Birchers) and George Wallace was the savior of civilization.

You would think that, with more and more people getting college educations, the level of knowlege would be higher.

Ever listen to "Jay Walking" on the Tonight Show?

I should take a poll at work: In what direction does the sun rise in the morning? I'll bet at least 20% of the people would not know.

God knows what I would get if I asked how many moons does the earth have? :)
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby Chocky » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 02:05:51

Don't just blame Americans, people are that stupid all over the world. I've heard similiar comments myself.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby VinceG » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 03:38:46

Correct me if I´m wrong, but I have a feeling that the general attitude in this topic (actually in most topics) towards the concept of peakoil is:

* We are really smart and intelligent because we know about peakoil and try to learn as much of this concept as possible....

* Everybody else is really stupid because they keep driving their SUV´s, keep consuming and don´t know anything about peakoil....

Sounds rather arrogant and....euh...stupid to me... :cry:

To know about peakoil means you have a basic understanding of how our society works, how capitalism, consumerism and (cheap) oil are the driving forces behind our economic prosperity, and more important: how rising oil prices form a serious threat to our current lifestyles.

However, that doesn´t make us superiour to the ´unknowing sheeple´ who have no idea of how our society works and why they can watch their DVD´s on their plasma screens and drive their Jeep Rangers.

Peakoilers have to understand that it is not just the attitude of the unknowing towards the concept of peakoil that has change, but also OUR OWN attitude towards these people....
"In the U.S., fears are so exaggerated and out of control that anxiety is the number-one mental health problem in the country.", Barry Glassner
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby Falconoffury » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 04:11:36

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')owever, that doesn´t make us superiour to the ´unknowing sheeple´ who have no idea of how our society works and why they can watch their DVD´s on their plasma screens and drive their Jeep Rangers.


That just depends on how you define "superior". Most of us on average have superior future plans compared tto the fools. I would even go so far to say that we have superior critical thinking skills.

Most people in the matrix are not ready for the blue pill. They are so completely indoctrinated and brainwashed, that they will fight to the death for the matrix. We can't free minds that are unwilling. We can only show them the door. It is they who must step through it.
"If humans don't control their numbers, nature will." -Pimentel
"There is not enough trash to go around for everyone," said Banrel, one of the participants in the cattle massacre.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby bobcousins » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 05:15:06

To be fair to Americans, their assumption of a God given right to be better than everyone else is normal for people at the top. It is equally normal for people at the bottom to whine about oppression and argue for cooperation and equality. The people are the same, but the opinions they express depend on where they are in the hierarchy.

I think you could find pretty much the same opinions expressed by people at the height of the Biritsh Empire, or the French, or many others. "We are better than them. We are bringing them <benefits of civilisation>. Why should we not be rewarded/plunder their resources?"
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby bobcousins » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 05:29:59

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('VinceG', 'C')orrect me if I´m wrong, but I have a feeling that the general attitude in this topic (actually in most topics) towards the concept of peakoil is:

* We are really smart and intelligent because we know about peakoil and try to learn as much of this concept as possible....

* Everybody else is really stupid because they keep driving their SUV´s, keep consuming and don´t know anything about peakoil....

Sounds rather arrogant and....euh...stupid to me... :cry:


I don't think what you observe is arrogance, just a statement of the facts. To say that we are more deserving than the sheeple would be arrogant, but you haven't made that case.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')owever, that doesn´t make us superiour to the ´unknowing sheeple´ who have no idea of how our society works and why they can watch their DVD´s on their plasma screens and drive their Jeep Rangers.


Having not made the case, you then assume it. You need to demonstrate that people here generally think that they deserve to survive more than the sheeple. I can't recall anyone making that sort of statement. People say the smart are more likely to survive, but that is still a step away from deserving to survive.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')eakoilers have to understand that it is not just the attitude of the unknowing towards the concept of peakoil that has change, but also OUR OWN attitude towards these people....


Having demonstrated the above, please then explain why we need to embrace these stupid people.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby Macsporan » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 06:05:33

There are plenty of swine on this forum to cast your pearls before without bothering civilians.
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby Antimatter » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 06:41:01

So how many of you guys can honestly say you weren't ignorent retarded stupid consuming etc sheeple before you stumbled accross those neat little graphs on dieoff.org? :roll:
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby some_guy282 » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 06:42:21

Yesterday I was at the bike shop having some adjustments done. I mentioned the recent story about bike sales sky rocketing due to oil prices, and added my own 2 cents that it would only get worse. This winter also has potential to be very bad for oil prices I observed. Why? Because 20% of the nation's refineries are knocked out due to hurricanes of course!

"If you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you" is what I got in response from my bike shop owner. I shut up immediately. He's not a dumb guy, but he just immediately thinks oil scarcity is a conspiracy of the evil oil companies, like so many others.
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule. – Nietzsche

Time makes more converts than reason. – Thomas Paine

History is a set of lies agreed upon. – Napoleon Bonaparte
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby Chocky » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 06:56:03

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')eakoilers have to understand that it is not just the attitude of the unknowing towards the concept of peakoil that has change, but also OUR OWN attitude towards these people...


Why?
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Re: My Conversation with an idiot

Unread postby o2ny » Wed 05 Oct 2005, 09:53:38

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chocky', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')eakoilers have to understand that it is not just the attitude of the unknowing towards the concept of peakoil that has change, but also OUR OWN attitude towards these people...


Why?


The 'us vs. them' and 'people are stupid, but I'm smart' mongering is defintely problematic- the similarities between this attitude and racism, sexism, class division, etc. are fairly obvious. All it really does is breed fear, paranoia, anger, and fences you off. I know it's fun to trash on all the 'stupid' people out there to get your frustration out, prop yourself up and feel superior- 'bitching' seems to be a way of life for so many of us. Problem is that it doesn't help anybody, and actually makes you feel worse. I'm just as guilty as anybody- but sometimes it's good to stay constructive. All of us were ignorant at one point. Earlier this year, I still held a lot of these clueless views about the oil situation and I suspect I'm not alone- we're all just getting up to speed, and you have to go through some stages of denial, bargaining, etc. Try having a little compassion.
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