If God, Phelps, and the whole Westboro Baptist Church hate lady Gaga because she loves homosexuals, then I demand that Phelps' God hate me too. I advocate same-sex marriage, and I'm an atheist. I realize the former is worse in
Thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed... Will he reserve his anger forever?Major chuckle. A call to get real? I gather Phelps isn't trying to be sarcastic, but I feel certain that Gaga couldn't have come up with a better advertisement for her concerts herself.
(...)
Does the simple slut truly think she can change God's standards by seducing a generation of rebels into joining her in fist-raised, stiff-necked, hard-hearted rebellion against Him? Get real!
I hope you encourage your atheist friends not to go to Melbourne next spring, at least those friends from outside of the Melbourne area.
ReplyDeleteI think the atheist community needs to make a stand against unnecessary air travel, and should boycott flying except for family emergencies.
Most Atheists, I think, agree that A. global warming is the single biggest crisis facing the world (besides religion or even including religion), a significant part of which is caused by jets.
I hope that you will put a post on your website, encouraging people not to attend and bringing up the issue of a public boycott of all air travel. There are people like David Suzuki who have already made a public declaration, and there are scientists who are big proponents of this. I think all our new years resolutions should be not to fly except in family emergencies.
Offsets, from what I have read, are more of a public guilt appeasement scheme, than a real counter to AGW.
having said that, Atmosfair.de caculates a flight from New York to Melbourne generates 13,000 lbs CO2 PER PERSON. The carbon offset price would be about $375 per person.
Above comment refers to Global Atheist convention in Melbourne AUS.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting dangerously close to giving up on even the attempt to live an ethical life. It's way too fucking hard. I keep trying to tell myself that I should just do the best I can even though it won't be perfect, but I'm really sick of every single motherfucking action I take every single goddamn day of my life being politicized and riddled with potential guilt.
ReplyDeleteI try to eat only locally raised, pasture-fed animals, but that's not good enough; now my wife decides that she and our son are vegetarians and we are going to have a vegetarian household. I try to limit my driving, but that's not good enough; now air travel is forbidden.
I'm seriously about to totally fucking quit on it. I'm a reasonable man and I do way more to try to live an ethical life than your average American -- and my reward for all that is the planet is still headed for disaster because nobody else is changing, and mostly I just get to feel worried and guilty all the time, while everybody else gets to do whatever they want. And I also don't get to eat meat. Fuck this shit.
James, I hear you. Your frustration seems similar to one people might feel when losing out in a tragedy of the commons type of situation. If everyone gave up what you do, then the world would be a better place, but you going it alone doesn't do squat.
ReplyDeleteYou could try to argue to your wife that it doesn't do much if your family alone do all these admirable things, but that it will make more sense to ease up a little and for her to try to persuade everyone on in the neighborhood to do the same. Eat meat only once or twice a week, fly for leisure only once per year, limit driving a little, don't eat Atlantic salmon, speak only pleonasms, and don't use pesticides, etc. That'll have a much greater effect.
Also, tofu's good (but I prefer rum).
Incidentally, my brother in law (Japanese) pints to a very tall building in Nagoya and says "kono biru suki?" (you like this building?), to which I answer "biiru ga suki" (I like beer).
Cheers.