Comments on: Red-herring? http://www.justice.net.nz/justwiki/red-herring/ Standing Just Where We Are Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:22:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ant http://www.justice.net.nz/justwiki/red-herring/comment-page-1/#comment-262 Ant Thu, 02 Aug 2007 02:47:55 +0000 http://justice.anglican.org.nz/environment/red-herring/#comment-262 But if you are living in the penthouse, wouldn't you be able to afford to fix the leak/turn off the tap? Don't you care that your $5000 bath is going to disappear? And aren't we much more prone to give first aid than avoid accidents because it costs less, or at least, it seems to, and ultimately, through the gift of mortality, becomes someone else's problem. I think Gull are very wise to get ahead of the game. Let's face it Jolyon, the low income family has enough on its plate most of the time (metaphorically) without the hassle of climate change - who's got the time/energy? And the middle classes make themselves feel better by 'doing their bit' - or not - but the tap keeps on pouring out water.... We are fat, lazy, and addicted to a political economy so hell bent on maximising our happiness, but one at the same time that has lost any strong social morality, and one which seems to equate, by default, consumption with happiness. And why not? It does feel nice to consume...it's flattering to us...tells us we are okay. And if those things don't, who will?! So why don't we just get on and live it large, and find ways of ensuring that 'the poor' can aspire to / achieve the same kind of living (or not)? Or in other words, let's catch more red herrings and attend Red Cross regularly to ensure that someone, somewhere, knows how to do first aid. But if you are living in the penthouse, wouldn’t you be able to afford to fix the leak/turn off the tap? Don’t you care that your $5000 bath is going to disappear? And aren’t we much more prone to give first aid than avoid accidents because it costs less, or at least, it seems to, and ultimately, through the gift of mortality, becomes someone else’s problem.

I think Gull are very wise to get ahead of the game. Let’s face it Jolyon, the low income family has enough on its plate most of the time (metaphorically) without the hassle of climate change – who’s got the time/energy? And the middle classes make themselves feel better by ‘doing their bit’ – or not – but the tap keeps on pouring out water….
We are fat, lazy, and addicted to a political economy so hell bent on maximising our happiness, but one at the same time that has lost any strong social morality, and one which seems to equate, by default, consumption with happiness. And why not? It does feel nice to consume…it’s flattering to us…tells us we are okay. And if those things don’t, who will?!

So why don’t we just get on and live it large, and find ways of ensuring that ‘the poor’ can aspire to / achieve the same kind of living (or not)? Or in other words, let’s catch more red herrings and attend Red Cross regularly to ensure that someone, somewhere, knows how to do first aid.

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