Quote:
Originally Posted by Onkel Neal
Yeah, but if we are going to counter global warming/climate change, we have to burn less fossil fuels, and the only way to really slow down consumption is to make it more expensive, with taxes. I don't get it, why are the French opposing saving the planet?
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Because they are short-sighted, and put personal gain before anything else? Because they have other immediate problems, of course. If the french people lived in the US there already would have been a revolution.
I know it's meant funny and rhethorical, but..
and i know no one here changes his mind..
still..
If we did not have a kind of society or social form we would still live in tribes and kill each other.
It took a long time to get the insight that working together as a team increases your chances of survival, health, and later comfort and wellbeing for a bigger group of people.
This takes longer than "make stick, kill neighbour, eat his cattle".
What do you think was the reason they invented catalyst converters. Catalyst converters cost money. Also, cars without them were taxed higher if i remember correctly.
Do you think those devices are useless? A fraud?
Who told the people they should, or have to, use it? Do you think the immediate reaction was "Great, i do something against pollution"? No. But why don't you ask them
now? I guess their minds might have changed, with better education, and seeing that smoke and dust has been reduced.
Or let me put another question. Do you think that there would be as much progress and invention if mankind was not organised in, at least, nations, if not international communities? If anyone would still fight for himself, or his tribe?
No schools, no society-funded universities?
England has built its whole ecomomy aound and within the EU in the last fourty years. So you suddenly take the whole base away, because – nationalism.
Now you can stop using computers, they were not necessary in the 1960ies, so why do we need them now? What do you think happens?
Has any selfish individual, living alone, hating his neighbour, ever done something to improve the overall situation for a people, or society?
Sometimes it needs some influence from 'above', from people who have a glimpse of what really happens, and are not short-sighted only looking at the next day. Climate change denial will make you live better for a year or maybe to the next election, but not for ten years.