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You, Madam, Are a Self-Important, Selfish Idiot
July 17, 2007
So, I'm browsing around CNN, and find an interview with Trilby Lundberg, who publishes a national survey of gas prices.
Clearly, this woman and her company are knowledgeable about the petroleum market, and the factors influencing it. But in the litany of reasons for higher gas prices, all of which are somewhat valid, blame/reasoning is placed on everything from the aftereffects of Katrina on refining capability, to the trespassing and ravaging of power stations by renegade raccoons and possums (I sh*t you not). The list also cites the apparently silly promotion of non-petroleum fuels and apparently pointless environmental regulations. Nowhere does she have any criticism at all of petroleum industry, which has posted record profits as a result of higher prices, while still receiving handouts from our government.
This Renaissance woman's expertise is far-reaching, though. She's also a climatologist, philosopher, ethicist, and cultural anthropologist. She has the following to offer on climate change, personal responsibility, and other cultures:
I'm hoping that consumers will see through the rhetoric about consuming less, demanding less, as faulty. It is not a given that consuming less will be good for our economy or for our personal freedom. It is not even established for our environment that we [should] deprive ourselves of gasoline for our personal mobility as well our commerce. And to suppose that it is good to do that, and pretend that we have consensus and put our heads together to deprive ourselves of this great product that makes the country go around, commercially and individually, I think is flawed. I'm hoping consumers and voters will see through that and be able to ignore some of the most extreme suggestions.I think that there has been friendly as well as unfriendly brainwashing taking place. And when I say friendly and unfriendly, I'm talking about decades of extremist views that have now achieved mainstream acceptance. And the No. 1 item among those affecting current oil politics in Washington is the boogeyman, also known as global warming.
I don't accept it as established fact, nor do I accept that it would be caused by petroleum consumption, nor do I accept that the human species should not affect its environment. So even if it were someday to be shown to have some small effect on the environment, I see no crime. In fact, taking into account the many, many millions of people around the world that envy our way of life, it would seem more humanitarian to wish them the kind of plentiful petroleum products and vehicles ... that we enjoy ... to lift themselves out of [a] backward, poor way of life.
Why would CNN bother interviewing this woman? Despite the claim of being an independent survey group, take a look at the Lundberg Survey's website. While they provide information to the media, including CNN, their customer base is almost completely the oil and gas industry, and Lundberg's rhetoric on her site (see: "Trilby's Take") is definitely what the congregation wants to hear:
It is demand, not price, that many politicians, self-proclaimed consumer advocates, and sympathizing journalists want to see come crashing down. This is the clear agenda of many public voices who wish to pipe the popular flute. When more consumers challenge the direct and sometimes hidden presumption that their thirst for gasoline and personal travel should be curbed, a groundswell of demand for a realistic policy to promote petroleum product supply can then rise.
I'm not suggesting that all of her arguments are logically insupportable. For example, there are indeed serious issues with the negative impact of ethanol production.
And, there are gaps in our philosopy about oil consumption, even if the bottom line is the same. Burning through our supply of oil is also not the same as driving a species to extinction. A lack of oil is not intrinsically lamentable. The true concerns are pollution and politics, and neither of those are natural and necesary consequences of petroleum consumption. We can continue to find ways to burn petroleum more cleanly (up to a point). And when it comes to politics, burning less oil isn't the solution. Demanding change in our foreign and domestic policies are real solutions that directly attack the actual problem.
Oh, I guess there is the issue of what happens when oil reserves dry up. I assume, from her comments, that the solution to that is so simple it's not even worth mentioning - drill for new reserves in the Alaska wilderness, and when we run completely out and devolve into utter chaos because we didn't want to accept the responsibility and cost of preparing alternatives, well, hopefully we won't be around and it'll be someone else's problem. In fact, the illegals and other "backward" people will probably have taken us over at that point, so who really cares?
I don't suppose I'm even that annoyed at "Trilby". After all, she's had to live with that name. I'm not even surprised by her point of view - I can get that at the dinner table at my parent's house. But I am annoyed and disappointed at CNN for even bothering to publish an interview that is really just giving this oil industry shill of a windbag a forum for her opinions, the motivation and self-interest for which are transparently callous, and ego and ethni-centric.
Sorry. It just really annoyed me. I expect this kind of crap from Fox. Maybe CNN should stick to reporting on Paris Hilton.
Posted by Rob at July 17, 2007 12:37 PM
Comments
I completely agree. If gas prices weren't a hot issue, no one would know who this woman is. She wants gas prices to stay high so she can be profitable reporting on it. simple as that.
Posted by: Jim at July 17, 2007 01:50 PM
I sometimes wonder if Trilby and her ilk actually believe this BS or if they just have no morals and say whatever they get paid to say regardless of the facts. Which would be scarier - that someone could be that close to the situation and not see the reality, or that someone could sell their soul (and the planet) for cash? Wait, don't answer that - I don't want to know.
Posted by: Joey at July 17, 2007 03:18 PM
Yeah, I imagine that even oil company execs reading this are saying, "Damn, that b*tch is crazy. Diane, send her a check, a thank you card, and one of them there spiral-cut honey baked hams."
Posted by: rob at July 17, 2007 03:46 PM
I agree with on this, but I was sort of hoping that the link for 'devolve into utter chaos' would have jumped to road warrior or another mad max movie.
Posted by: jenn at July 18, 2007 09:25 AM
Screw it. I am convinced. I am going to buy a Hummer H2 so I can help serve as a role model for those poor backward folks around the world. I just hope the cup holders will securely hold the many disposable plastic bottles of water I insist on each day. Global climate change. Good Grief.
I for one have not seen any evidence of extreme/uncharacteristic weather in my 37 years.
And anyway, who cares if the weather gets really bad. I will have my Hummer!
Posted by: Chris at July 20, 2007 01:40 PM