« Shampoo | Main | Lifelong Attention Span »
Duckstop FAQ
Q: Dude, why are you always getting down on hippies? What did they ever do to you?
A: It is true that I have been giving hippies more heat on my blog in the past year. The truth of the matter is: I'm doing it out of love, not because I have a thing against hippies. On the contrary -- I used to BE a hippy (vegetarian, sandal-wearing, long-haired, easy going - the whole bit) and to this day some people say that my trimmed hair, business ownership, and button-down shirts are but a thin veil over my true inner hippyness.
The reason I get on the case of you hippies is that YOU HAVE BEEN RIGHT ALL THE TIME. You CAN make a difference but it takes a LOT more than wishful thinking and a noticeable amount more than the "eco fest" celebrations because that kind of thing is blah blah blah we've heard it all before.
The world does listen to those who have applied themselves seriously to science, chemistry, agriculture, etc. The world listens to experts, and if it doesn't, the experts (not giving up) come up with creative ways to succeed anyway.
So all I'm saying is that you can change the world but you'll have the most serious impact if you can break out of your small peaceful communes with more than a war protest sign and start shaking hands with businessmen/women and coming up with solutions that can sell. Idealists are, and will always be, unimaginably outnumbered by pragmatists, lazy, uneducated, and cheap people. Sorry.
Here are a few projects that the world could use a hand with:
- Hydrogen power to replace fossil fuels
- Organic farming of crops on a larger level
- More free-range animals
- Socialized health care that works better than it does in Europe (the overall quality of health care is less there and citizens oft. ending up shelling out big money when it comes to serious operations and the like)
- ( fill in the blank )
Also: It's okay to keep doing the The Mermaid Parade, burning man, and making folk music - sometimes you've got to take a break from the hard work and let off some steam.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on May 22, 2004 07:30 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)