Saturday, March 29, 2008

Why Does Conservation Make Some Conservatives So Mad?

What is it about conservation, done voluntarily, that gets some conservatives (note the irony in the label) so upset?

I posted a little item the other day about a worldwide effort this evening - -being carried out willingly by citizens, governments and businesses alike - - wherein people will turn off their lights for an hour to demonstrate an energy savings.

Meaning that for that one hour - - 60 minutes, tops - - a lot of natural gas, oil and other energy resources will be used somewhat more sparingly, leaving a bit more for everyone to access another day.

One blogger calls it the vomit of the day, and writes that the last fifteen minutes of that blogger's day has been spent turning on all the lights in her house.

Why all the anger? No one is forcing anyone to do anything. It's completely optional.

I don't get it.

Saturday morning update;

It's working!

Sunday update:

The blogger whom I cited above has posted an answer.

It's a fascinating read - - headed way out on a tangent, or around the bend, turning a mild-mannered original few words about something voluntary into a screed about freedom.

Where "hate," "bitterness," "disgust" and more anger and emotion almost drip off the screen.

Again, about something that was completely optional.

It's about as rational as finding out that a group of people chose to go on a diet - - their diet - - and you shout, "hands off my salt-and-pepper shaker collection!"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rationalization.

Joshua Skolnick said...

The modern "conservative" is actually radical reactionary crybaby who cannot conceive of losing his/her toys, which are an economy built on waste and maximum throughput.

The old conservative virtue of thrift is out of fashion, however it may have to come back by default, courtesy of a collapsing economy and peak oil.