[Kod]

The girlfriend recently said to me, "I told my mom that you can explain why gas prices are so high, so she's eager to hear it when you come over for dinner on Friday."

Uh-oh! Sounds like trouble.

So how should I go about succinctly explaining peak oil to the lady who's convinced that the evil oil companies are gouging us? I think I also need a refresher course on how (and by whom) the price at the pump is determined.

This should prove to be an interesting evening

[Zardoz]

Start by asking her how much oil she thinks is consumed every day on this planet.

Then tell her the real figure is 84 million 42-gallon barrels every damned day.

Next, tell her that nobody ever really knew how much recoverable oil was out there.

Then remind her that the population of the world is now six billion, five hundred million, and that hundreds of millions of them have suddenly decided that they don't want to ride bicycles anymore. They want to get behind the wheel.

Finally, lower the boom on her and tell her that the oil fields of the world can no longer keep up with the demand, and in fact are petering out, even though the global demand keeps rising. Remind her of the most basic economic principal of supply and demand.

Good luck, though. Sounds like she won't want to hear all this.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kod', 't')old my mom that you can explain why gas prices are so high, so she's eager to hear it when you come over for dinner on Friday."

[Kod]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'T')oo bad this thread is already dated. How did it go, Kod?

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kod', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'T')oo bad this thread is already dated. How did it go, Kod?

[frankthetank]

Yeah... Don't doomer her, she'll tell her daughter your a wacko and should seek immediate mental help!

I stopped talking about PO around family/inlaws because they already think i'm a wack job because i ride a bike/ripe up lawns to put in gardens/use cryptic words like EROEI...

Good luck.

[eastbay]

I say just drop it on her like a ton of rocks.

Start out with, "pleased to meet you."

Then in the next breath say, "did you know that civilization as we know it is soon coming to an end? Let me explain."

Tell her in a loud and firm tone off voice that everything we see, eat, and do is made possible due to oil. Oil production is now peaking and will soon be too costly for most people. When it starts to run out in the next decade or two it's four horsemen of the apocalypse time. Unbelieveable chaos and bloodshed will occur everywhere.

Then ask her, "what's for dinner?"

[Barbara]

... and don't forget to tell her you're amassing toilet paper.

PS Jokes aside, I'd go with the old safe song: too much demand (blame the chineses) too little supply (blame the tightening reserves). Tell her things won't improve in the future, and stop.

[Novus]

Oder a copy of the "End of Suburbia" on DVD and have her watch it. It will be 45 minutes that will change her entire life.

[mekrob]

Don't forget to show her your amazing and beautiful collection of guns and ammo after the toilet paper bit.

[anneliese-nyc]

Replies are so funny.
Best advice was the dvd .
Let her watch and make her own decision.
I have given up on explaining to people .
They are in complete denial. Maybe the reality is just too much for them to comprehend.
]

[ubercynicmeister]

Good Luck.

[Kod]

Thanks for the help, all!

I took notes and planned my angle of "attack". I'm going to make it as least doomerish as possible. Let's hope this goes well tomorrow!

[Doly]

I suggest letting your girlfriend do some of the talking (as much as she will accept doing). Mothers are more convinced by their daughters than by their daughter's boyfriends.

[grabby]

I noticed the girlfriend WANTED you to talk to her mom, this means she thinks it may work . Go slow, you have lots of time.
Tell her the best oil is used up, they are on the cheap stuff now, and they are using 84 million barrels a day which if you stacked them next to each other would go around the equator twice every day.

then tell her the wells are loosing pressure so they cant make as much so the cheap stuff is getting expensive now.

thats all, let her think for a few weeks.


remind her of the thanksgiving early morning sale with 500 shoppers outside waiting to get in to get 50 pant-suits at 10 dollars each, why should they drop the price? they are going to get sold regardless.

in laws always like to talk about clothes.


Keep saying DON'T WORRY WE WONT RUN OUT OF OIL ITS JUST GOING TO START GETTING A BIT PRICEY

if you say run out they will label you psycho.

[Free]

Uh oh...

"And he was never seen again..."

He probably continues to explain PO to the nice doctors in the "Cuckoos Nest" right now...

You see kids, that's what happens if you try to introduce PO to your girlfriends mother...

[birchm]

how did your explanation go? inquiring minds must know

[Kod]

Ha ha ha...

It didn't go. We broke up the afternoon before the dinner.

A strange twist of events, indeed! Sorry for the anticlimactic ending.