Earth Hour, sitting in the dark to enlighten?

Link

First off, I placed it in this forum because it is a social issue. Mods, if I did it wrong, you are welcome to punch me in the throat and place it elsewhere.

(beezzer sighs)

Where to begin? If people want to sit in the dark to protest coal or gas or oil, then I guess they should have that freedom to do so.

I'm just not getting it. Really. Not understanding the whole thing. Look, I like Earth. I think it's a swell place. I'd like to keep it habitable, and have clean water.

But I'm not going to hate the folks that give us electricity so I can power my little laptop and write this.
I'm not going to hate on the folks that give us coal that fires the plants that give us electricity.
I'm not going to hate on the folks that give us natural gas, oil.

Find me an affordable, dependable electric car and I'll be all over it.

But this is just (in my humble opinion) more useless "feel good about yourself" bull-poop.

I can imagine some smug little twerp sipping on his/her mocho-tofu-half-decaf-latte patting themselves on the back because they powered down their iPad for 60 minutes.
MY HERO! (roll eyes)

Instead of feeling smug and good about a useless act that does absolutely nothing, how about. . . . for 60 minutes. . . . come up with an idea that is viable, economic, cheap, affordable, saves the planet, provides electricity for everyone around the globe?

How about it?

Feel good about yourself, give yourself a trophy, then go clubbing for the rest of the night. . . .

Or actually come up with a real idea?

If everyone who participates in this "environmental masturbation" instead, just put in an hour to brain-storm, we might actually come up with something.

Then again, it would take work. It would take effort. It may not get you a trophy. You wouldn't be able to blog about it later.

It would be an actual investment into the future.

Ahhh, who am I kidding.


As always, read, ignore, reply, ask for me to get a trophy for having the best mocho-piercing-latte-frufru, I leave it up to you.

reply to post by beezzer


An hour? Pshhhhhhhhh I do it for days at a time, sometimes even in winter. I call it going camping.

reply to post by TKDRL


In order to be hip and trendy, you'll have to do it between 8:30 and 9:30 tomorrow night.

Then you can get your trophy.

so much free energy that you could not meter it and it blew up transformers 5 miles away when it was turned on how the world could have been but J.P.Morgan and naval explosives changed all that

one hour is not a lot to ask for the cause

reply to post by 999zxcv


Then DO something FOR the cause!

Don't just sit in a darkened room for an hour!

Imagine the power of harnessing all the human minds in a gigantic project to actually redo the (Tesla ?) Tower!

But no.

Somehow it's better to sit smugly in the dark and pat yourselves on the back!

Talk about waste!

reply to post by beezzer


maybe i will go for a walk look at the sky tomorrow night and plot something beezzer what they could do with the trees that were washed down in Washington state as i did contribute to the museum that was bought .

sometimes the smallest things make a big difference

reply to post by 999zxcv


Everything starts small.

But going forward vs sitting in a dark room is a far better move.

I agree Beez...there are "better" things they could be doing, but it's getting people talking about it. Correct? You gave it publicity by posting this thread. I'd bet that is what they really wanted. I bet most of the so-called supporters will be wathing TV and forget what time they were supposed to turn it off.

Oh look.....are those raisin cookies?

What a waste of time I agree people should put that time too use and do some brainstorming for something useful or why not go do something that will actually make a difference for a hour. These people think it's actually going to help or change everything? Yeah in a perfect world maybe. And then these people will be feeling like they have done something good, but they haven't really, it's good that the good intentions are there though. But it's a kick off for a lot of campaigns that people will forget about once earth hour is over. I don't mean to sound so negative but it's just silly in my opinion.

reply to post by beezzer


You know, I get the feels beez. I think something better could be done with the time, at least specific individuals.

The thing I have realized though, maybe these people are simply doing their best to make a difference, a positive difference. We are both probably familiar with the saying about good intentions, and where they can lead, but it seems these people care enough to organize and do something (even if it might be perceived as pointless). The majority of the population isnt even likely to take it that far, but simply complain about their PotD (problem of the day) on the internet somewhere.

I have to say, that doing something like this might just be a step further than most would ever take it. And maybe thats not such a bad thing.

sheepslayer247
I agree Beez...there are "better" things they could be doing, but it's getting people talking about it. Correct? You gave it publicity by posting this thread. I'd bet that is what they really wanted. I bet most of the so-called supporters will be wathing TV and forget what time they were supposed to turn it off.

Oh look.....are those raisin cookies?

I felt obligated to at least post the link to what I was complaining about.

My issue is that this is what TPTB want.

Absolutely nothing, yet have people feel good about doing.. . . nothing.

Instead, we should all get together and actually come up with solutions that will change the world.

Or we could just sit in the dark and feel good about ourselves.

reply to post by Serdgiam


My guess is that power companies plan things like this.

It makes people feel like they are doing something.

But in reality, they are doing absolutely nothing.

beezzer
reply to post by Serdgiam

 

My guess is that power companies plan things like this.

It makes people feel like they are doing something.

But in reality, they are doing absolutely nothing.

Well, they might be accomplishing nothing, but they are most certainly doing something.

I mean, its not like I am going to participate in this or anything, and technically I would consider it a part of the whole "bread and circus" thing, but there is a chance participants simply dont know what to do, so they do this.

It shows at least an intent to change things for the better, and while the guidance and organization isnt quite leading them to productive ends... it means there are people willing to participate.

People have great ideas on how to better this world, the problem is participation. Perhaps the issue lies in the leadership positions, rather than the people who are simply trying to make a difference for the better, but have no direction on "how."

reply to post by Serdgiam


Participation in doing "nothing" is passive participation at best.

It doesn't require effort or thought.

Weak sauce, in my book.

beezzer
reply to post by Serdgiam

 

Participation in doing "nothing" is passive participation at best.

It doesn't require effort or thought.

Weak sauce, in my book.

I agree, but they are lacking leadership to guide them in a productive direction. I think I might have a completely different perspective on this, but thats neither here nor there.

Since this is something that is obviously concerning you, perhaps you could try organizing that event you speak about?

Baby steps. Doing something, even something that might appear passive and wimpy to some is better than doing nothing at all. Doing something small doesn't always seem like it's making a difference, but enough small things can really add up and influence in ways that aren't always readily apparent. Plus this isn't mutually exclusive of the other things people are doing as well. There's that.

reply to post by Serdgiam


Me? I'm just a sad bunny on the interwebz. I write and annoy.

But there's always next year. . . . . . . . .

reply to post by beezzer


Yeah, I would say that if someone shuts off their breaker, they are probably aware of electricity.

Now, if someone isn't aware of the earth, they have bigger problems.

We're a little too reliant on tech & electricity, shutting it all off for an hour isn't a bad idea, it could inspire families to do it for longer periods (such as camping, or just turning the breaker off for the evening entirely) I think a Night's Sky Night would be far more productive than one mere hour, to be honest. Granted it would have to be a community effort to coordinate private, public and commercial lights' out (except for police, fire, hospitals and such, obviously) to see what we're drowning out up above with light pollution, I don't think it would be a bad thing. One night a year to look up with much less light pollution, to listen to the outdoors without the hum of electricity. Maybe people wouldn't be so high strung if they could decompress a little like that for a few hours? Can't say just get out of town to the boonies, not all of us have a vehicle, and some can't afford the gas.
Not that any city or town would actually do it, but it's just an idea. Even Mother Nature likes to send weather our way to enforce that idea from time to time.

Unlike Earth Day and Arbor Day which actually do have things that can be done on them that achieve a real purpose in some small way, this observance is a complete waste of time.

It's like saying you performed charity by voting for more social programs.

You could be out picking up litter or planting trees ... instead you're sitting on your butt in the dark.