[Kristen]

Yeah but some of them do listen. I work at a law firm as the catering girl and am always ready to clash head to head with the attorneys about energy issues.

Instead of using "Peak oil" because that phrase has been tainted the same way liberal has, I usually say "global oil production going into a slow decline."

Many of them are actually aware of it already, but are more optomistic than I. ( Probably because they make enough money, so it won't effect them)

[Jellric]

It is not a mainstream story.

[pea-jay]

I'd argue PO isnt even in the mainstream

PO is not even talked about like climate change, and that is an afterthought to most people...

Mainstream is people talking about it like they talk about current political events like the Iraq war, world events like the middle eastern conflict of the moment, natural events like a hurricane or the Tsunami a few years back. Dont even get me started on the celebraty-entertainment worship that passes for news these days.

That's mainstream. A reputable newspaper doing a single good article and moving on is not enough. Plus if i remember correctly they stated 4 years. That's enough time for the average reader to conclude (correctly) that it is not a crisis now and to presume (incorrectly) that we'll figure something out by then.

[MC2]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pea-jay', 'I')'d argue PO isnt even in the mainstream

PO is not even talked about like climate change, and that is an afterthought to most people...

Mainstream is people talking about it like they talk about current political events like the Iraq war, world events like the middle eastern conflict of the moment, natural events like a hurricane or the Tsunami a few years back. Dont even get me started on the celebraty-entertainment worship that passes for news these days.

That's mainstream. A reputable newspaper doing a single good article and moving on is not enough. Plus if i remember correctly they stated 4 years. That's enough time for the average reader to conclude (correctly) that it is not a crisis now and to presume (incorrectly) that we'll figure something out by then.

[untothislast]

Both my wife and I are very careful not to talk about Peak Oil, except to close acquaintances who know us better than to think we've been indoctrinated into some sort of JonesTown cult. Which is a bizarre state of affairs, when you consider that the entire subject is rooted in the rational analysis of geological and mathematical certainties - and that the best anti-argument comes from economists who, as in this case, proclaim an inability to understand simple concepts such as 'finite resources'. Maybe the Y2K crowd have a lot to answer for.

As a case in point, she happened to test the waters by asking some work coleagues their views on PO yesterday, and the general reaction was 'what is it? we've never heard of it'. Sensing the 'uh-oh we have a weirdo amongst us' vibes rising palpably, she went out and bought a copy of 'The Independent' just to prove she wasn't making it all up.

I'd like to say two things here (and I'm sorry to again reiterate what I've said many times before);

1. People have become disconnected from real world experience, and from the comfort of their C21 lives, are tending to view world events - even those which directly affect them - as a detached form of entertainment. Where once, the 'news' would be debated, even acted upon, nowadays our attention span dictates that we move on to the next fleeting sensation as quickly as possible. Politicians know how to exploit this to the full.

2. In tandem with the above, our sense of community and communality has been eroded by globalisation and free market economics, leaving us feeling individually weak and exposed - subject to the sudden whims of industry and business ('what if my workplace moves to Taiwan tomorrow?') to the point where we feel safer hiding within the mob mentality ('Crowd Theory'). Even when the mob happens to be particulalrly ill-informed and stupid.

[Madpaddy]

Matt,

You are absolutely right. The article was a lovely lecture to the converted. Almost everyone else will say "yeah right" and go straight to the celebrity gossip column. Maybe 1 in 1000 people that actually read the full article will decide to delve into it further.

The green party have just entered government in Ireland as the minority partner in a coalition. (they have 6 seats out of 84 in the government). They have been given two cabinet portfolios, Environment and Natural Resources. I hope good things come out of this. However, on an interview, one Green MP started talking about how the whole economic model of perpetual growth was unsustainable and they cut him off and went to an ad break.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Madpaddy]

I almost forgot.

SAVE YOURSELF

[KevO]

David Strahan's book is being sent to every UK Member of Parliament by the Transition Town Network and there is local press coverage more and more about the TT movement. I think the Independant story is a result of this growing awareness in the Uk especially in the South West
The Strahan book

[Smudger]

I sent it to a couple of people who i see as v intelligent the resposne was that's what they said in the 70's and its a conspiracy by the oil companies etc. quite depressing - however the more articles that come out on balance the better they will eventually realise. If the article only made 100 people think then they will tell others etc etc.

it would be interesting to see if in the next few days a new poster appears as a result of it.

[stu]

Any mainstream coverage is good news in my opinion.

For Non UK readers the Independent can be described as a senationalist paper but only on issues regarding the environment and Iraq.It is popular amongst the liberal-left and does not have a heavy focus on entertainment unlike the hugely popular tabloids in the UK.

Reason I mention this is because people think that readers will just flip to the sports pages. Not so in my opinion. Indy readers tend to be thinking people who don't get too obsessed with gossip news and this sort of coverage will at least plant a seed in a lot of peoples head. Although at the same time the results in terms of PO going mainstream won't exactly be earth shattering either.

[shortonoil]

The US has a 70 to 80% chance of seeing widespread gasoline shortages this summer. If this occurs, it will be the first time that the average American will see the energy crisis up front and personal; they will experience it on a day to day, hour by hour bases. Of course, we will hear all the rhetoric about nasty, conspiring oil companies, and the stupid irresponsible government, but the benefit will be, that the country for the first time, will realize that they are totally at the mercy of a force of which they have absolutely no control. A force that completely controls and dictates every action in their lives. Although the vast majority of people will run in circles, scream and shout, some will begin to look for answers. That will be when we will have the best chance to get this message out; to start the rebuilding of our culture; the rebuilding that must be done, if it is to survive.

[bshirt]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', 'T')he US has a 70 to 80% chance of seeing widespread gasoline shortages this summer. If this occurs, it will be the first time that the average American will see the energy crisis up front and personal; they will experience it on a day to day, hour by hour bases. Of course, we will hear all the rhetoric about nasty, conspiring oil companies, and the stupid irresponsible government, but the benefit will be, that the country for the first time, will realize that they are totally at the mercy of a force of which they have absolutely no control. A force that completely controls and dictates every action in their lives. Although the vast majority of people will run in circles, scream and shout, some will begin to look for answers. That will be when we will have the best chance to get this message out; to start the rebuilding of our culture; the rebuilding that must be done, if it is to survive.

[galacticsurfer]

A price spike and shortages would certainly wake people up but they would probably make wrong conclusions and declare war on Exxon and Saudis/Iran/Venzuela.

It seems people don't want to know FACTS. Same with all the other permanent bad news like housing bust, det bombs(govt. defiicits, soc. cecurity, etc). Everything is personal, visual, superficial. People believe everything is politics. They are cynical in this sense.

I mean even now most people believe the official hjistory books on most stuff and false flag operations,etc. are dismissed for instance or they believe that Jesus really walkedon water or whatever myths we grew up with.

Myth is reality.

[ccricers]

You can't introduce a new paradigm to people without first unsetting their minds from their current paradigm. Exposing them to terse facts results in one of two reactions- both the opposite. Either they face a shock, or they act stone-deaf and stubborn. Although cold, hard facts are great, there needs to be something transitional.

Nobody can clearly explain how an advanced civilization works at the lower-level. You can explain it on the higher level, but implications of peak oil reach all the way to low level. National politics seems to reside on the higher level, and people "get" that more.

[JPL]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Smudger', 'I') sent it to a couple of people who i see as v intelligent the resposne was that's what they said in the 70's.

[Grifter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JPL', '
')
We still have a choice, damn-it, but time is now getting VERY short...

JP

[shortonoil]

bshirt asked:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')here do you get the 70% to 80% chance of gas shortfalls this summer? Not that I deny it, just curious.

[shortonoil]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'J')PL wrote:

We still have a choice, damn-it, but time is now getting VERY short...

[joewp]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', '
')reading the whole thread would be instructive and pay particular attention to pup55, he sits around all day working on these numbers, when he’s not fixing his bike.
.

[SchroedingersCat]

What it means is that if anyone reads and believes the stories coming out in the more or less mainstream press, everything you need to prep will start getting in short supply and more expensive. I have noticed lately that there seems to be a quiet move toward prepping that isn't recognized by the mainstream or the peak oil crowd. Like there is some zeitgiest moving through the land telling people some secrets about peakoil.

We will soon find out what is necessary.