Sort of a related thread to the Global Warming thread.
Today I was listening to NPR and they were discussing bees. There were people on the show who had given TED talks about bees, bee culture, everything relating to bees.
There was a woman talking, and the hostess asked her, "What's it like to think like a bee?"
The beekeeper responded, "Bees are much more quiet and respectful of their environment than we are. They also don't think about thinking, which humans do and I think it sets us back."
I changed stations right there. During this woman's response, the show started playing some very sublime ambient music in the background as if what this woman was saying was some sort of deeper wisdom.
This is a beekeeper and researcher mind you, talking about bees being "quiet" and "respectful". What the fuck? You think bees are even remotely aware of the concepts of "quiet" and "respect"? Humans thinking about thinking holds us back? Why not start criticizing our ability to reason and capacity for abstract thought?
Prior to her, there was another beekeeper, a guy, saying, "We should consider playing a more submissive role in the environment and not always be so concerned with being the dominant species." Self-loathing much?
It's appalling these people would consider themselves scientists, and I can only imagine the millions of listeners, completely enraptured by these intellectual-sounding pundits offering neatly-packaged sound bites and pop-wisdom to help them through their day.
As I see it, here's the fallacy:
It is only in our self-interest to maintain a healthy and diverse biosphere. We need bees and insects to sustain the world's agricultural cycle, and too a much much lesser extent, for honey. That's it! We have no further moral obligation to them! Just like they have no obligation to us! They're fucking bees. Little 6-legged robots buzzing around and pollinating shit and feeding their own puke to their queen. I don't understand this need to glorify certain species and start producing radio segments about "what can we learn from bees". It's incredibly infantile, and reeks of self-loathing towards our own species. Do I think we should invest in technologies and practices that are less damaging to the environment? Hell yes, for the same reason I think it's important to keep a clean house. But not out of any obligation towards any creature. But that comment about "being concerned with being the dominant species" is so completely ignorant. There's not a human on earth that gives a shit about being dominant. We're concerned with self-preservation and comfort, and it's our pursuit of those two things that unfortunately creates a drag on our environment.
Part two of the fallacy is species-ism. There's a huge awareness about the endangered rhinos and tigers and whales and what have you. All big, majestic, beautiful animals. Well, what about the 1000s of others endangered species that people don't know about? Right now there's a bird in the Amazon somewhere, the last one of its kind, with a red throat, green eyes, sparklers shooting out of its ass, and it's about to get mowed down by a bulldozer. What about that bird? Noone gives a shit. Why?
Because tigers and rhinos and whales are beautiful creatures, we admire them and it's only for our selfish desires that we strive to keep them around. They're basically the prettier species. I'm in that camp; I think wild cats are beautiful creatures and I'd like to see them protected. I'd like to see a few out in the wild at some point in my life, and I acknowledge it's only because I think they're pretty to look at. This whole moral obligation to preserving the world's species is horseshit, and noone wants to admit that we only want to save the pretty ones, unless you're an entomologist or other specialist.
We create massive cities of animal slaughter; we've got chicken aushwitz and pig aushwitz and cow aushwitz, entire plants where horrifying acts of animal slaughter take place. Don't those animals lives matter? Why don't we get radio shows about "what we can learn from chickens"?
The thing is, is I think bees are massively fascinating. I do think we should be concerned with their declining population. There should be radio programs talking about this. But not in the way they're doing it. What really pisses me off is if anything, I think they're hurting the cause for whatever it is they're trying to make people aware of. The progressive voice distorts genuine concerns and modern issues into convenient little sound-bites of propaganda that neglects any journalistic integrity and denies the listeners of relevant and key information. The radio program today is just one small example, but it's a daily routine, whether it's politics, environment, psychology, social studies, etc.
This rant was brought to you by a fairly intense hangover.
Today I was listening to NPR and they were discussing bees. There were people on the show who had given TED talks about bees, bee culture, everything relating to bees.
There was a woman talking, and the hostess asked her, "What's it like to think like a bee?"
The beekeeper responded, "Bees are much more quiet and respectful of their environment than we are. They also don't think about thinking, which humans do and I think it sets us back."
I changed stations right there. During this woman's response, the show started playing some very sublime ambient music in the background as if what this woman was saying was some sort of deeper wisdom.
This is a beekeeper and researcher mind you, talking about bees being "quiet" and "respectful". What the fuck? You think bees are even remotely aware of the concepts of "quiet" and "respect"? Humans thinking about thinking holds us back? Why not start criticizing our ability to reason and capacity for abstract thought?
Prior to her, there was another beekeeper, a guy, saying, "We should consider playing a more submissive role in the environment and not always be so concerned with being the dominant species." Self-loathing much?
It's appalling these people would consider themselves scientists, and I can only imagine the millions of listeners, completely enraptured by these intellectual-sounding pundits offering neatly-packaged sound bites and pop-wisdom to help them through their day.
As I see it, here's the fallacy:
It is only in our self-interest to maintain a healthy and diverse biosphere. We need bees and insects to sustain the world's agricultural cycle, and too a much much lesser extent, for honey. That's it! We have no further moral obligation to them! Just like they have no obligation to us! They're fucking bees. Little 6-legged robots buzzing around and pollinating shit and feeding their own puke to their queen. I don't understand this need to glorify certain species and start producing radio segments about "what can we learn from bees". It's incredibly infantile, and reeks of self-loathing towards our own species. Do I think we should invest in technologies and practices that are less damaging to the environment? Hell yes, for the same reason I think it's important to keep a clean house. But not out of any obligation towards any creature. But that comment about "being concerned with being the dominant species" is so completely ignorant. There's not a human on earth that gives a shit about being dominant. We're concerned with self-preservation and comfort, and it's our pursuit of those two things that unfortunately creates a drag on our environment.
Part two of the fallacy is species-ism. There's a huge awareness about the endangered rhinos and tigers and whales and what have you. All big, majestic, beautiful animals. Well, what about the 1000s of others endangered species that people don't know about? Right now there's a bird in the Amazon somewhere, the last one of its kind, with a red throat, green eyes, sparklers shooting out of its ass, and it's about to get mowed down by a bulldozer. What about that bird? Noone gives a shit. Why?
Because tigers and rhinos and whales are beautiful creatures, we admire them and it's only for our selfish desires that we strive to keep them around. They're basically the prettier species. I'm in that camp; I think wild cats are beautiful creatures and I'd like to see them protected. I'd like to see a few out in the wild at some point in my life, and I acknowledge it's only because I think they're pretty to look at. This whole moral obligation to preserving the world's species is horseshit, and noone wants to admit that we only want to save the pretty ones, unless you're an entomologist or other specialist.
We create massive cities of animal slaughter; we've got chicken aushwitz and pig aushwitz and cow aushwitz, entire plants where horrifying acts of animal slaughter take place. Don't those animals lives matter? Why don't we get radio shows about "what we can learn from chickens"?
The thing is, is I think bees are massively fascinating. I do think we should be concerned with their declining population. There should be radio programs talking about this. But not in the way they're doing it. What really pisses me off is if anything, I think they're hurting the cause for whatever it is they're trying to make people aware of. The progressive voice distorts genuine concerns and modern issues into convenient little sound-bites of propaganda that neglects any journalistic integrity and denies the listeners of relevant and key information. The radio program today is just one small example, but it's a daily routine, whether it's politics, environment, psychology, social studies, etc.
This rant was brought to you by a fairly intense hangover.