Outrage against BP is ridiculous.
FiveB247x
Posts: 2,330
I find it rather funny that so many are outraged or similar about the oil spill. Many call for boycotts, others call for their heads, even Obama said something along the lines of "who do I go after to fix this". So much displaced anger over something very simply - our habits and actions biting us back.
Many say boycotting BP would help, but boycotting BP doesn't accomplish anything. After this spill, they'll be fine financially and it will be a result of everyone's dependence and consumption of oil at ridiculously high levels. Our actions and habits are the issue in the oil problem, not solely an irresponsible oil company who doesn't care about the environment or similar. There's plenty of oil companies capable making the same mess, it makes little or no difference if you boycott one as the result remains the same. And in x number of years, another company will have an environmental disaster as well. Just as Exxon in Alaska before, now BP in the Gulf. If the habits and actions don't change, why would we expect different results? And of course it's obvious to say BP should do better, but in all honesty, it's our lack of law enforcement and care that allows for it to not occur. I heard on NPR the other day that it's actually cheaper for a company like BP to have a disastrous spill and pay for the clean up than to simply enforce and practice safer, lawful means of their work. Think about that for a moment. You wouldn't look at a dog and expect to hear a meow, yet we expect companies who are out for their own profit and do not care about the environment or people to act right for our benefit? Unrealistic and impractical. If we don't want a future repeat, don't yell at BP, curb your oil consumption. That's the issue at hand.
Many say boycotting BP would help, but boycotting BP doesn't accomplish anything. After this spill, they'll be fine financially and it will be a result of everyone's dependence and consumption of oil at ridiculously high levels. Our actions and habits are the issue in the oil problem, not solely an irresponsible oil company who doesn't care about the environment or similar. There's plenty of oil companies capable making the same mess, it makes little or no difference if you boycott one as the result remains the same. And in x number of years, another company will have an environmental disaster as well. Just as Exxon in Alaska before, now BP in the Gulf. If the habits and actions don't change, why would we expect different results? And of course it's obvious to say BP should do better, but in all honesty, it's our lack of law enforcement and care that allows for it to not occur. I heard on NPR the other day that it's actually cheaper for a company like BP to have a disastrous spill and pay for the clean up than to simply enforce and practice safer, lawful means of their work. Think about that for a moment. You wouldn't look at a dog and expect to hear a meow, yet we expect companies who are out for their own profit and do not care about the environment or people to act right for our benefit? Unrealistic and impractical. If we don't want a future repeat, don't yell at BP, curb your oil consumption. That's the issue at hand.
CONservative governMENt
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
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i do think BP was particularly bad out of a pretty bad bunch, but you are right. cutting down oil consumption any further than i do is pretty much impossible where i live.
I'll store the rest of your comments with this simple American mantra:
http://www.threadless.com/product/2323/Apathy_Our_Country_s_Leading_Cause_of_Whatever#zoom
It must have been something interesting to live in our nation when people actually participated, were informed, had interest in fixing things... but everyone's illogical, irrational, displaced and impractical illusion of what should or could be means a real lot. I wish I could sleep til noon everyday too.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
U blame the oil company, the govt, the MMS, the public who uses the oil, and the oil itself.
But u are very eloquent, and ride a train, so it's not ur fault.
You could be president.....
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/BP-will-l ... l?x=0&.v=2
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
SOMEBODY JUST STOP IT ALREADY - ALL OF IT
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
OK, I hate doing this, but I'm going to anyway: if you are to criticize someone's work, either by content or structure, please proof your own post before submitting. You used the wrong "there, their, they're"... when talking about "people and there consumption". Are they only consuming in one particular place? Or, are THEY consuming? Just, just don't be a moron yourself if you're going to beat up someone else because you don't like THEIR sentence structure. Jesus, I sound like my mother.
Anyways, anyone have anything to discuss about the topic rather than silly English 101 brain-teasers?
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
years and years of voting in these corrupt people
in this corrupt system
it's a money grab
what do you expect?
in this country
if you have the power(money)
you can do anything you want
until you get caught
then, if you have any money
you can get away with murder
this system is broken
we are just slow learners
i think a good way to change would be to stop voting every 4 years in the presidential election
right now, about half of america votes in these elections
which are so corrupt
2 guys, that big business picks, for us to choose from
and people get so excited
this corrupt system only survives by our vote(interest)
stop voting
they've trained us to believe that our vote is powerful
but it only ends up giving them the power
they only got half of us fooled
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WORCESTER 10-15-13
WORCESTER 10-16-13
HARTFORD 10-25-13
I thought that was perfectly clear, as usual. Anyhow, I see your points but my own view is that BP does deserve to be given a hard time over this one, although I can agree that they are not the only guilty party. Corporations get handed much in the way of an ability to self-govern ... There are laws and restrictions, and I think I can agree with you when you say that said laws are inadequate when it comes to big oil. In the absense of better regulations, the onus is on the companies themselves to conduct their operations in a safe fashion ... BP built something that they ultimately could not control in the event of a mishap, and while other oil companies do the same thing in the absense of appropriate goverment controls, this does not and should not let them off the hook. To their credit, they are working on fixing the problem and will largely foot the bill for the cleanup, and this is as it should be: They ultimately let the planet down via gross negligence.
Hard to disagree, as I am not seeing a giant push for change in the oil industry right now ... Such things happen slowly even at the worst of times, and perhaps this disaster will teach people a few lessons. Its sad that this is what it takes, though ... I am a birder and those pics of brown pelicans 1) break my heart and 2) make me want to punch a few oil execs in the face.
we've been poisoning the athabasca and watershed in the tar sands for years now ... with only "pathetic" treehuggers saying anything about it ...
and again - the exact same thing happened 31 years ago in the same area ... no change resulted from that - why would anything be different now?
Possibly the sheer amount of media coverage this time, coupled with some degree of environmental awareness that was missing 31 years ago? ... I don't know. You might be right.
i'm not sure what will come of this.
Your first comment was essentially on grammar...I'll digress...
Many of us do not have the ability to cut our footprints by taking mass transit. In DC, the cost is prohibitive and the system does not reach out into the 'burbs where many of us are forced to live. That said, I would be all for alternative fuels, better use of natural gas and coal (which have their own inherent environmental issues) and a load of $$ going into infrastructure setup to push 100% electric or hydrogen vehicles. But, infrastructure aside, the current cost of these means of transport are largely pricing out the families or individuals who are driving around in their 1994 Honda Accords or new Kia Spectras because it is not possible to spend the 25000+ for the Tesla or Leaf. Even with the current cost of petroleum-based fuel, it is less burdensome on the MASSES bank accounts. You have to take the socio into account when talking about economics and policy. Our politicians are businessmen, even Obama and his crew, they are NOT the statesmen of old who would effect change because it was the prudent thing to do.
The spill in the Gulf is another in a long line of unconscionable insults we have scarred our planet with. It won't stop here either though. Wind, solar and water will not be enough for our energy demands and what do we do? Turn to nuclear power? The vast majority of the plants run hitch-free, and never hurt a thing except for the meadow that is torn up to put them in place...however we get Chernobyl and 3 Mile Island...Even when we are divorced from our "need" for oil, we will find another way to harm our world. We as a species do things because we figured out that we could, not because we necessarily should. We'll react and move on like we always do because the time between huge disasters are great enough that the furor over the most recent dies down...I remember the Valdez spill, but only barely. Should BP fix the well, clean up their act and invest in safeguard measures that are actually followed? Absolutely. Should they be made to make restitution to the folks along the Gulf coast that are losing their livelihood, if only for a short time? Yes. Massive rehabilitation of the animals which can be saved? Yes, all at their expense. But, let's face it, WE are all going to end up paying for that ultimately...stock holders (of which nearly any of you who have a retirement plan are at least partially invested, even if you don't know it...) won't stand for a bottom line in the red...
Life is a bitch. On topic enough for you?
There has to be a forum on which the American people can speak their voices concerning this crisis.
I remember back when we had something called "Congress" which used to represent us, our fears, and our concerns. :?
Also, my stay on topic comment was directed at Mama poster.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
No one is saying WTF as BP and its public affairs office and its political cronies have started threatening the American public with $10 at the gas pumps if off shore drilling doesn’t resume shortly.
BP is at fault because ‘they knew’ the potential of such a disaster and took the ‘gamble’ that it wouldn’t happen, especially, off the U.S. coastal waters. You’re well come to spread the blame wherever you wish, but the fault of this disaster lies squarely at the feet of BP. The public didn’t set in motion the events that killed 11 people, BP did this.
i can promise you something.
it'll be huge & for a longtime.
do you all realize how bad we fucked up?
we're in deep shit.
that i can promise you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMeVgJA4Ey0 michio kaku
@ 2:20 michio comes on.
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
BP is in the business of ‘extracting oil’ and in BP’s eyes by accomplishing this – it has fulfilled its corporate expectation. BP would not be in the oil business or have been as successful at ‘extracting oil’ if it were impractical, unrealistic, or more importantly unprofitable. Even as we discuss this, BP makes money on every barrel of oil they collect in those tankers, again, proving that ‘extracting oil’ is neither impractical nor unrealistic.
I find your logic skewed because BP is under pressure for its procedures – procedures that BP never had in place – procedures that BP never thought they would have to engage.
I find your logic skewed because the failure of expectation - was the failure of BP to ‘gamble’ that no major incident would ever happen and, thereby, not be prepared to handle such a disaster.
I find your logic skewed by the failure of expectation - whereas no other oil company has stepped forward with a viable solution to cap this oil well- which clearly demonstrates that the oil industry, as a whole, has been ‘gambling’ and remains unprepared to handle such a disaster.
I find your logic skewed based on its implication that corporate rights should outweigh the right of the public’s expectations. That’s not asking for blood from a stone, it’s asking the public to give up its right of free will and allow corporate entities to stand in judgement of the people as the victims of our own making for buying their products.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scorpion_and_the_Frog
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
I cannot for one minute understand the logic behind this premise. It seems cleverly disguised as "meh, let's do nothing, cause it won't do anything anyway". It all starts grassroots. Outrage begets action. Action begets progress. Progress begets a plausible solution.
Why is it so impractical of humans to expect the best out of business? We elect government to oversee such things, so things of this nature won't happen, or at least won't happen again. We might as well not have government if we go by your logic. Why elect anyone if we "know" they won't do anything moral? As a society is our duty to have expectations, and high ones. When they are not met, it is our job to make it known.
With your attitude, Rosa Parks would still be sitting at the back of the bus.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
how constructive. by posting such nonsense you are making yourself look worse than any bad grammar or sentence structure possibly could.
And I actually found nothing unreadable about the OP. Maybe you need some glasses? :geek:
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
You're standing on your soapbox again, telling us that we're all 'ridiculous' for using oil while expressing outrage at BP. Us silly mortals.
I don't know if I'm understanding your premise correctly....reads like you're saying 'don't blame BP for this, they're just doing their jobs. Why would we have any expectations of them to do anything but turn a profit?....YOU are to blame for driving a car and not changing your habits'....am I reading that right?
Am I the only one who likens this to blaming a sex assault on the victim for being provocative? I mean...we're taking part in the immoral act of consuming oil....so we should just shut up and recognize our own role in the problem when something goes wrong.....???
It's unrealistic to expect alternative energy sources to be implemented over night....so, in the interim...what's the answer? "Change your habits" is an impractical response, and in practice, often impossible. Outrage has spurred the 'what's next' discussion, which is good...not ridiculous.