Against the “ignorance, poverty and backwardness” of Earth Hour
By Norman Leahy | Thursday, March 17th, 2011 | Catch-AllRoss McKitrick on the stupidity of “Earth Hour,” that glorious time when we’re all urged to plunge ourselves into darkness for 60 minutes to save the shrimp, or something:
Earth Hour celebrates ignorance, poverty and backwardness. By repudiating the greatest engine of liberation it becomes an hour devoted to anti-humanism. It encourages the sanctimonious gesture of turning off trivial appliances for a trivial amount of time, in deference to some ill-defined abstraction called “the Earth,” all the while hypocritically retaining the real benefits of continuous, reliable electricity.
People who see virtue in doing without electricity should shut off their fridge, stove, microwave, computer, water heater, lights, TV and all other appliances for a month, not an hour. And pop down to the cardiac unit at the hospital and shut the power off there too.
I don’t want to go back to nature. Travel to a zone hit by earthquakes, floods and hurricanes to see what it’s like to go back to nature. For humans, living in “nature” meant a short life span marked by violence, disease and ignorance. People who work for the end of poverty and relief from disease are fighting against nature. I hope they leave their lights on.
Go read the whole thing…and feel free to turn on a light to do so.
(cross-posted at “The Score”)
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About the author
Norm Leahy has written about Virginia and national politics online since 2002, beginning with One Man's Trash (OMT), and continuing through Bacon's Rebellion (both the blog and the e-zine), Sic Semper Tyrannis, NBC12's Decision Virginia, Richmond.com and Tertium Quids. He is the chief blogger at "The Score" and a producer of "The Score" radio show as well as being a Washington Examiner contributor.
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Comments
One Response to "Against the “ignorance, poverty and backwardness” of Earth Hour"
I disagree slightly with the premise that this is simply a silly gesture. It may be that in one way but it serves a larger cynical purpose for the left in gaining control over people. If the left really believed that these things they advocate were great they would adopt them with enthusiasm in their own personal life. Of course they don’t. They advocate the hoi polloi do it for them whether here or in other countries. In the meantime they live it up the old fashioned way. Just look at Al Gore or the Obamas as examples. Didn’t we see this in the Middle Ages where the local baron told the peasants to do with less while he bought another trinket for the baroness from their taxes?
McKitrick is correct that the solution is better technology not a return to the Dark Ages.
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