Since you're here I suppose I should have some explanation of where I hope we are going...
A little about me, I'm professionally a computer programmer, and in my private life I'm into many hobbies including aviation and music, which I consider to be my defining interests. I am a licensed private pilot and play primarily guitar and bass guitar with a leaning to heavy rock, and metal.
The idea is to use this blog as an outlet for myself and perhaps educational tool for you. And the reason I've set this up is that I'm concerned about the directions our society is headed. I don't necessarily mean in a political sense. What I'm concerned about is the complacency of the public.
Periodically I may rant about something in my personal world. It wouldn't really be a blog otherwise, but I don't consider myself to be especially interesting, so you probably won't see much of that.
Today we won't dwell too much on any one topic, this is meant to be an introductory post. I'm not ever going to tell you not to eat meat, I love steak. I'm not going to tell you that all corporations are evil, or that you should only ride your bike because cars are evil. That is not my intention at all. And I'm not going to tell you that a political party is right or wrong. Belonging to one party or another doesn't make you automatically immune, or at fault. I have no interest in that kind of politics.
The general public, yes me too, have developed a nasty tendency to lay the blame at the steps of government, or on the motivations of some big evil corporation. But we have forgotten that these institutions are our very own creation. Government makes bad decisions because we allow it to be that way. Corporations develop questionable ethics because we keep bringing them money.
We can not go on passing blame. We have to demand better, and soon. And if people can simply take on this small responsibility we can get back on track. But we have to be willing to make our opinions clear, and we have to make this concept important to people who normally don't pay attention to whats going on around them. These are people you know, friends, co-workers. They see you change, and they will want to know what you're doing. You change, they change.
It can't be an overnight thing, and even if I start doing everything right today, I know I have to wait for you, and all the people you can affect. It takes time to build a majority. It takes time to grow a voice out of people who otherwise don't have anything in common.
Just in the last few weeks, our complacency has been evidenced in several food recalls, drug recalls, the Gulf oil spill, and a case of the media causing the firing of Shirley Sherrod from the USDA.
These things don't seem related on the surface, but they are. We have created this situation ourselves. And the first thing you can do to correct it is accept that YOU caused it just as much as I did, and that guy next door, and the President of the United States (not just one man, the office). We are all guilty of allowing this to happen. And we are the ones who must correct it, we can't pass it off on a government agency.
It should bother you that the media has the power to fire someone without there being any evidence of wrong doing. Reporters are supposed to check references before publishing a story, but those days have been allowed to pass, because the public wants shocking news and fast. If the ratings weren't there, reporters wouldn't behave this way. Its completely cause and effect. We are the cause.
Similarly, the food industry feeds you what you ask for. You ask for more eggs cheaper, you and I are the ones forcing unsanitary production, we personally mistreat those animals and turn them into nothing more than biological egg machines that exist only to make your breakfast. And all you need to do to change this be responsible about knowing where your food is from. If you buy your eggs from a local farmer, you know the source, you know the animals are not abused, they are healthy and well treated. But if you buy them from a corporation you can be certain they are not.
Sure, you live in a city, so that's hard to do right? Wrong. I live in one of the largest cities in America and I know where to get local farm food. Its not hard, you have the power of the internet to help you. It is a longer trip than running down to the Vons, or Ralph's, or Safeway.. But its not like I have to drive for an hour to do it.
My intention is to point to the things you could do that would make a difference, and I understand that it doesn't fit everyone's lifestyle. But, don't excuse yourself by saying 'that sounds hard'. Change is hard. And if you're not willing to change, government will also never change, and corporations will never change, and you will have a long string of environmental disasters, food recalls, and cases of an irresponsible media hurting real people.
It has to start with you, and with me.
That's all for now, we'll dig in deeper next time.
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