quiddities and agonies of the ruling class - a rolling new york times thread

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even habits like local consumption and reduced overall consumption are no solution to our environmental problems

― lag∞n, Thursday, March 15, 2012 10:36 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Well, ultimately nothing is.

not really sure what you mean by ultimately but i must disagree

I mean what the original organic movement had in mind was significant lifestyle changes.

They would make a difference, if most people really implemented them.

reduced overall consumption could mean a lot of things... take it far enough and it *might* be something of a solution? I mean except that we've probably passed a tipping point already?

I don't think the organic movement had a coherent political philosophy that involved whether or not people should take planes or eat meat or w/e

the thing is the majority of the worlds population is just trying to get the the level that rich people consider cutting way back or significant lifestyle changes, like people in india just want a refrigerator

right. That's why I'm saying that nothing is going to help, because we can't turn the train around. But in theory, yes, significantly reduced consumption would obviously help.

just weave your own shower curtain on a loom using the organic hemp u grow

reducing overall consumption could involve giving up refrigeration

bathe with a natural sponge and homemade lye soap, in a bog

I guess it's just a vague enough term that it seems like it could be a catch-all

don't shower

well significantly reduced consumption besides being the all time so not gonna happen maybe not even be possible because of the way the world is set up to support its 6 billion people, but its not true that nothing will help, the governments of the world just need to make people use diff fuel is all

stand in the rain and rub yourself with aloe and soap plant, catch the runoff in a handcrafted bucket and sell it as a protein shake

and that company became jamba juice
and now you know... the rest of the story

in the united states of new hampshire ice will be shipped down canals from the mountains, huge blocks of it, covered in saw dust, accompanied by men from the Ice Guild, who wear robes and symbolic chains around their necks and chant mournfully in a dialect of english that is only theirs

this is the sort of out of the big box store thinking we need to avoid environmental catastrophe

well significantly reduced consumption besides being the all time so not gonna happen maybe not even be possible because of the way the world is set up to support its 6 billion people, but its not true that nothing will help, the governments of the world just need to make people use diff fuel is all

― lag∞n, Thursday, 15 March 2012 14:55 (17 minutes ago) Permalink

We don't really have enough "different fuel" capacity in the world to support anywhere near current or projected consumption levels with significantly reduced environmental impact.

We've come too far. Let's go out in style.

We don't really have enough "different fuel" capacity in the world to support anywhere near current or projected consumption levels with significantly reduced environmental impact.

― the prurient pinterest (Hurting 2), Thursday, March 15, 2012 11:14 AM (49 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

sure we dont right now but its not inconceivable that we could create that capacity if the will was there, like one recent study said that half of all necessary carbon emission reductions could be achieved by just eliminating all carbon subsidies world wide

nothing is going to help, because we can't turn the train around

won't won't won't

the future is yet to be written people

I think the more interesting question is whether economic growth even can be decoupled from resource use or if we really would just have to flatline

in the united states of new hampshire ice will be shipped down canals from the mountains, huge blocks of it, covered in saw dust, accompanied by men from the Ice Guild, who wear robes and symbolic chains around their necks and chant mournfully in a dialect of english that is only theirs

― max, Thursday, March 15, 2012 10:09 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is so beautiful

agreed

so can i sign you guys up for the new hampshire plan

gbx have you found the ice guild in skyrim yet

sign me up max, do i have to pay for the ice upfront or can i just pledge my firstborn to the ice guild

max should write a ben marcus novel

ha did that post turn out to be a video game reference smh

whaaaat how dare u impugn my worldbuilding

how can i learn 2 trust u again now that i know u play pc games abt dragons

what on earth are u talking about

life, man

can we go back for a sec and just appreciate the rutger prof's magnum opus, a history of the American baby

in the united states of new hampshire ice will be shipped down canals from the mountains, huge blocks of it, covered in saw dust, accompanied by men from the Ice Guild, who wear robes and symbolic chains around their necks and chant mournfully in a dialect of english that is only theirs

There there, max, GoT Season II will be starting in just a second.

dude Rutgers American Studies department is AWESOME don't knock it

Indeed:

Cory Finley, a recent Yale graduate, applied to work at Bridgewater Associates, a large Connecticut-based hedge fund, during his senior year of college. Mr. Finley, 23, said there was “definitely something tempting” about the structure and prestige of a high-paying finance job. But he ultimately decided to follow his dream of becoming a playwright instead.

“It’s something that fulfills me in a deep way,” said Mr. Finley, who has written a play called “The Private Sector” that is set at a hedge fund corporate retreat. “I don’t judge people who do go into finance, but it’s not for me personally.”

lol trolled

Talk about burying the lede:

The smaller paychecks are only making the decision easier for some students, who no longer view Wall Street as a fast-track to seven figure salaries. Last year, flagging profits at many Wall Street firms reduced some bankers’ compensation from stratospheric to merely generous. At Morgan Stanley, cash bonuses were capped at $125,000; some Goldman employees saw their annual cash payouts cut in half.

eh I really doubt very many potential applicants were like "oh man my bonus is only gonna be 125k and not 150k? fuck that, nonprofits 4 lyfe"

candlebox in the wind for the 90s

eek wrong thread

in the united states of new hampshire ice will be shipped down canals from the mountains, huge blocks of it, covered in saw dust, accompanied by men from the Ice Guild, who wear robes and symbolic chains around their necks and chant mournfully in a dialect of english that is only theirs

Another A+ for this.

my shower curtain gave off a chemically smell when I first unwrapped it

I love that smell.

http://gawker.com/5885705/the-top-1-must-stop-insisting-theyre-not-rich-right-this-instant

easy point but well put

And here we see the fundamental dishonest characteristic of each and every article which advances this particular enraging argument. "Sure, it's an objectively large sum of money," they say. "But it is far smaller after I spend it."

No shit.

Money pays for the costs of life. That is what money does. You can't fucking argue that, hey, your money doesn't go that far after you've already spent it. You used it! Paying taxes and paying bills and paying the mortgage and putting money in a retirement fund and going out to dinner are the things that money gets you. You asshole. Just because you didn't blow it all on jewelry, caviar, and cocaine doesn't mean you didn't get anything out of it. This argument is like a man eating a hearty meal, licking his plate clean, then turning to a starving person and saying, "Look, we're in the same boat. My plate is empty too!"

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/amelias-inter-species-art/