"An SEP is something we can't see, or don't see, or our brain doesn't let us see, because we think that it's Somebody Else's Problem...."
...from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Basically the SEP theory -- we don't see it so it doesn't exist or to take it a step further -- we chose not to see it because it would damage our notion of ourselves and our superior "green" stat
us.
The SEP theory also holds in other areas. Again on the CBC a documentary ran called Canada's Ugly Secret wherein it was exposed that to keep the Thetford Asbestos mines and the commerce that comes from that going in Quebec, that Canada, exports asbestos to India for them to use in their building projects. Yes, that's right -- something that we know to be deadly -- Canada exports just so that we keep a few jobs going and make a few bucks. I guess from the government's standpoint they value the life of those in other nations less than those of Canadians.
I find these two things totally morally and ethically reprehensible but it definitively shows that what Ford Prefect theorized many years ago is true -- when it becomes somebody else's problem it ceases to exist -- in other words it becomes invisible.
Well, I guess to a certain extent that may be true -- when all those people in China and India die -- they cease to exist -- in other words they become invisible.
I was reminded of Ford Prefect's theory again yesterday when I was watching a documentary on the CBC network last night. Called the E-Waste Dumping Ground it first aired in October of last year, but the issue has been around a long time and certainly I have mentioned it before in this blog. Basically our e-waste -- computers, cellphones and the like, end up in poor regions o
f China where they take apart and salvage any of the pieces within this equipment that may have value. Although those working on the salvaging are able to make money on it (note the poor peasants make meager wages, while those orchestrating this become middle-class or more entrepreneurs) -- there are significant health hazards just as lead poisoning just to mention one. Yet we pat ourselves on the back and say look how environmentally friendly we are "recycling" our outdated equipment.
f China where they take apart and salvage any of the pieces within this equipment that may have value. Although those working on the salvaging are able to make money on it (note the poor peasants make meager wages, while those orchestrating this become middle-class or more entrepreneurs) -- there are significant health hazards just as lead poisoning just to mention one. Yet we pat ourselves on the back and say look how environmentally friendly we are "recycling" our outdated equipment.Basically the SEP theory -- we don't see it so it doesn't exist or to take it a step further -- we chose not to see it because it would damage our notion of ourselves and our superior "green" stat
us.The SEP theory also holds in other areas. Again on the CBC a documentary ran called Canada's Ugly Secret wherein it was exposed that to keep the Thetford Asbestos mines and the commerce that comes from that going in Quebec, that Canada, exports asbestos to India for them to use in their building projects. Yes, that's right -- something that we know to be deadly -- Canada exports just so that we keep a few jobs going and make a few bucks. I guess from the government's standpoint they value the life of those in other nations less than those of Canadians.
I find these two things totally morally and ethically reprehensible but it definitively shows that what Ford Prefect theorized many years ago is true -- when it becomes somebody else's problem it ceases to exist -- in other words it becomes invisible.
Well, I guess to a certain extent that may be true -- when all those people in China and India die -- they cease to exist -- in other words they become invisible.
1 comment:
"Well, I guess to a certain extent that may be true -- when all those people in China and India die -- they cease to exist -- in other words they become invisible."
It's called a self-correcting problem, just as you described it and corporations love self-correcting problems. After all, such problems are intrinsically cheap.
The politicians of these countries? They're just temporary hired help, engaged by corporations to provide a screen of nonsense, doublespeak words and to take the blame if anything goes too obviously wrong and citizens get upset.
If you think these sorts of problems have only been established for profit in the Far East, check out the sour gas wells and the tar sands in Alberta. The horror in Alberta is way worse than anything you described, in my personal estimation.
The good news is, to a certain extent we're all self-correcting problems for Gaea.
Just review the news and watch the
weather and think about what you're seeing for a change.
Oh, yeah, sorry kids and grandkids.
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