State of the World

Wall E and a Lack of Transparency

My nephew was one of, presumably, millions of children who recently acquired the Wall E DVD. I caught the last 30 minutes, while eating lunch. Wall E appears to be the latest in a string of popular entertainments that focuses on two things: The Bad Side of Technology and The Environment.

Let's not mince words, here: Global Warming may be happening. What? "May be"? Don't scoff. The facts aren't at all convincing. Oh, the proponents will tell you all sorts of things; but the facts must be interpreted to see those things. Which is fine, except that those exact same facts lend themselves to the exact opposite interpretations, as well. The general consensus is "Global Warming is happening" but anything, anything at all, more than that is controversial- though, often, popular. The temperature rose, roughly, 1 degree over the last century. The hottest year on record was 1998- that's a decade ago, now- and there are indications that 2008 may end up being "less warm" than 2007.

But the (potential) controversy of Global Warming is a backdrop. The important issue is that the climate, in general, is extremely popular- much like Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys once were. Wall E supposes that (1) The Earth becomes too polluted to live on [notice, that it's not too warm or too cold, thereby avoiding a potentially laughable concept should either prove true/false in coming decades], and (2) technology will lead to the fat-assed immobility of all of humanity. Convenience equals laziness, apparently.

This sort of "now sucks and the future isn't gonna be all that great comes from a number of places. The first, and most obvious, is the "Those Were The Days" mentality that everyone has. Look to the names of generations for a clue: "The Greatest Generation", "The Baby Boomers", "Gen X", "Gen Next". Words for modern society are just as telling "Slacker Culture", "Nerd Couture", etc. References to how the hardy generations of yesteryear overcame their struggles, while subtly or overtly criticizing the current generation(s), are almost daily features in newspapers and online- in light of the current financial Ragnarock.

We like to talk about how good it was yesterday, back in the "good ol' days", and we often do this while utilizing the technology and advances of today- like computers and the internet. It's so common most people do it without even thinking about the implications of their statements. "They don't make 'em like that anymore," is a common refrain.

Damn right they don't, I say! Good Riddance!

The world has more people on it today than ever before. This is due, in no small part, to better technology. Better efficiency, better knowledge, and better convenience; and there's nothing wrong with any of that!

100 years ago, the Billions of people alive today wouldn't have had enough food, water, shelter, or other basic neccessities. There are those today who don't have any of the modern conveniences, as well- most of those through no choice of their own. Do they look happy to you?

Progress is a good thing. The future sucks, mainly, because by the time we get there the little steps we took along the way will make the giant leaps seem so much more mundane and uninspiring. 100 years ago most people didn't have cars, tvs, indoor plumbing, electricity, and they'd never been on an airplane. You are viewing this on a machine that an optimistic futurist, 100 years ago, might not have conceived as possible. We've put men on the moon, and there are 10 people something like 300 miles above your head floating in an international space station funded by the US, Russia, Japan, Italy, The UK, Canada, etc.

You've probably tasted food from Southeast Asia, Mexico, Italy, Spain, France, and many other countries- something your grandparents' parents probably didn't ever get a chance to do (at least, not regularly). I can remember when they paved the street in front of my house. My father can remember when his grandpa got indoor plumbing and electricity.

Progress is a good thing, and inspiring. If you don't believe me, take a look at what the Hubble telescope has recently shown us, and keep in mind that just 20 years ago these images were impossible. Photo of the Orion Nebula's Trapezium cluster, "more than 300 fledgling stars and brown dwarfs surround the brightest, most massive stars [center of picture] in Hubble's view of the Trapezium cluster's central region."

Humans are naturally inquisitive, naturally warlike, and naturally social creatures. Unless women and men collectively start really digging fat lazy shitbags, the human race isn't going down the toilet. As a matter of fact, look back through old pictures. Today we're healthier, taller, better fed, and smarter than those sorry saps of yesteryear.

It's only been 30 years since we've had a reasonable expectation of adequate nutrition in the US. In the 60s, in rural America, you may not have gotten all of the vitamins and minerals needed for healthy development. The Internet allows us to instantly accumulate information our parents had to go to the library to find. Not to mention our better understanding of damn near everything, which is then reflected in what we're taught.

I know, I know, Wall E is just a movie- and a kid's movie, at that!

But it's symptomatic of our culture, today. The Earth isn't going to 'splode. Yes, we need to watch out for pollution, especially, because it (by definition) poisons our environment. But these ideas that humanity isn't natural (what are we, then, supernatural? subnatural?), that we're dooming ourselves and our planet with every step forward. This silly nostalgic bullshit where we gloss over the bad things that happened yesterday (part of how our memories work) and remember only the good, exciting things, is about as useful as tits on a bull.

Today, despite what you might think, is objectively better for the whole than was yesterday. We're moving into the future, and we're dragging all you bastards with us.