An interesting article from last Friday's Belfast Telegraph reporting on an act of eco-vandalism that has divided the USA into two factions.
A poor ( intentional ironic pun ) chap has had his Hummer severely beaten up by a gang of eco-warriors who caused $12,000 worth of damage to his pride and joy.
The really odd thing is that although polls in the US show that more and more Americans are becoming environmentally aware, the hardest thing for them to give up is their gas-guzzlers. As the New York Post put it - “We buy gas guzzlers, but we vote for gas sipping.”
And, yes, you've guessed it, the sale of Hummers is still on the way up - "in June, according to the latest figures from General Motors, the world’s largest car manufacturer, Hummer sales were up by 11 per cent."
I bet Arnie's glad his runs on Hydrogen! Mind you, imagine the bang if they managed to split the fuel tank on his with a baseball bat!
1 comment:
Sadly, I can see little to smile about.
I long ago had cause to caution that the establishment of iconic 'baddies' such as 4x4s or Evian bottles would simply play into the hands of extremists... and hence lead to acts that would create major divisions (exactly as outlined) that will serve the cause poorly.
I don't know what the Hummer's (bl**dy awful) footprint is as it drives around, but by trashing it they are just getting another new one made. And at 15-25% of total impact I'd say they served the planet poorly. But, oh, maybe it's all about 'awareness'.
What next? Some nitwit rams me up the jacksie at a roundabout and they claim it was a climate protest. Great. Let's destroy everything to show how much we despise owning stuff.
I think some of these eco-warriors (waaay too noble a term - especially as these are just anarchists who have probably moved on from vivisection to vent their anger as it was getting a bit hot with that cause-du-jour) might get a bit less enthusiastic when some view their symbols of self as 'unnecessary'.
That there are two factions is a real worry, and I can bet the media are stirring the pot as we speak.
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