Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

Carbon Belch Day

Rate this topic


Seeker

Recommended Posts

Global Warming Skeptics Plot Carbon Belch Day

Conservative grassroots group Grassfire.org wants people to waste as much energy as possible on June 12 by "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars." The point: the group wants to "help Americans break free from the 'carbon footprint guilt' being imposed by Climate Alarmists."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 112
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I had this idea myself. I'm glad somebody made it a reality. But we can all do are own part each and every day to make sure our "carbon foot-print" is as large as possible. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought that's what Earth Hour and Earth Day are for? Why do we need our own special day when raining on their parade is so much more fun? :lol:

Edited by K-Mac
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Conservative grassroots group Grassfire.org wants people to waste as much energy as possible on June 12 by "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars." The point: the group wants to "help Americans break free from the 'carbon footprint guilt' being imposed by Climate Alarmists."

The emphasis is mine. If the actual emphasis of this holiday is on wasting energy, that is, using large amounts energy with no rational benefit, this idea sounds pretty stupid to me. Not only could this be expensive but the goal itself appears to be nihilistic.

Instead, we should focus on a positive. For example, establishing a day where we celebrate the heroic achievements of the industrialists who revolutionized coal, electricity, oil and other vital resources?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to question the motivations of anyone who actually supports this. I'm no fan of environmentalists, but the notion of having a day where you intentionally damage the environment seems nihilistic to me. While environmentalist wackos may go overboard, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that people refrain from going out of their way to pollute the air, for the sole purpose of polluting the air.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to question the motivations of anyone who actually supports this. I'm no fan of environmentalists, but the notion of having a day where you intentionally damage the environment seems nihilistic to me.

What damage are you TALKING about?? Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually the rational point to deliberately expending energy that day would be to piss off the enviros.

Being offensive is not equivalent to stating a rational counterpoint.

I do not recommend endorsing a cause that encourages the mindless waste of resources. I especially would not want such a cause to be mistakenly associated with Objectivist ideals. Such an association will only add to the unfortunately common misperception that rational self-interest means you can do whatever the hell you feel like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought that's what Earth Hour and Earth Day are for? Why do we need our own special day when raining on their parade is so much more fun? :pirate:

Perhaps I should clarify...

I think Earth Hour and Earth Day are the perfect time to illustrate our valid points on the issue of "man made" global warming. I would like to rain on their parade by defiantly not participating, and instead use all of the days' events, news stories and other publicity stunts as examples to point out what their agenda is really about. I am not into wasting electricity, gas or any other natural or man made resource because I cannot afford to waste it and to waste it just doesn't make good, common sense.

Edited by K-Mac
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, I understood you, K., my brain just did a word association rain->acid rain and I remembered that was their big cause of the year back in the early 80s. Just appreciating the irony.

Our local silverback, DarkWaters, succeded in phrasing his point in a way that has made me change my mind. It's not worth doing this just to torque the viros off (OTOH if one has an aneurysm because he gets mad about this...). A rational response is called for; that will probably also offend them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to say that DarkWaters has also changed my mind.

A rational response is called for; that will probably also offend them.

That's right. Actually applying Objectivist principles instead of just being nihilistic is offense enough to environmentalists, and we need not go any further in our pissing-off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to know what you all find nihilistic about "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars?"

DarkWaters covered it in post number five. The problem is in wasting energy for no other reason than make environmentalists angry. That is nihilistic because that would be mocking a value that someone is holding simply because it's a value they're holding. The things you describe are not cases of wasting energy, but using it for a purpose that benefits one in one fashion or another.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is in wasting energy for no other reason than make environmentalists angry.

That's the journalist who used that word, not the group calling for the belch day. The way I read it, they want you to guiltlessly enjoy life. I wouldn't describe that as "nihilistic."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to know what you all find nihilistic about "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars?"

Right. I think these guys are saying "Hey pal, we have the right to live our lives the way we want and to hell with you and your pseudo-science based religion! We're going to have FUN!" It's an in-your-face very American response and I think it's about time this sort of thing happened! These environmentalists are positively asphyxiating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to know what you all find nihilistic about "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars?"

As Ben indicated, none of these activities need to be nihilistic at all so long as they are acted with a rational goal in mind. If we want to consider silly examples, grilling thousands of uneaten burgers would be pretty pointless even though it would surely aggravated the global warming lobby for using all of that energy to power the grill, it would infuriate the animal rights lobby for purchasing all of that ground chuck and it would really piss off the anti-world hunger lobby for wasting all of that food.

Anyway, I am confident that we both agree that there is nothing at all wrong with a holiday that encourages individuals to enjoy life without any unearned guilt. I have not investigated Carbon Belch Day close enough to determine if this is such a holiday. My negative reaction was based on the many Facebook activities that encourage individuals to senselessly waste resources as well as the fact that the original poster (who later indicated that this was a poor choice of words) said that the holiday was about wasting resources.

Edited by DarkWaters
Link to comment
Share on other sites

the fact that the original poster (who later indicated that this was a poor choice of words) said that the holiday was about wasting resources.

I merely copied the opening of the article that I linked to, but I should have used quotes to make that clear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyway, I am confident that we both agree that there is nothing at all wrong with a holiday that encourages individuals to enjoy life without any unearned guilt.

Well, that's precisely what this is, and I don't see any reason to either think or assume otherwise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...