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Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights.


A farewell to Summer. Opossum Bay, February 2010.

Above is a 'farewell to summer shot' that I took earlier this year. I am anxiously and eagerly awaiting the 'welcome of summer shot'.

But first...

Things That Annoy Me #3,432,237

Number 3,432,237 on the list of things that annoy me is people who carp on about how terrible everybody apart from they themselves is concerning the protection of the environment. Generally, the target of most bile in his regard tend to be a) “the government”, and b), “the lower classes”.

People that exemplify annoyance #3,432,237 typically choose to
  • drive their car everywhere, print out every e-mail they receive;

  • switch on every light in the building and leave them on upon leaving;

  • buy pre-packaged meals each day;

  • purchase new and innovative gizmos and gadgets (that they cannot use) before quickly discarding them for even newer and more innovative gizmos and gadgets;

  • assuage all potential guilt for their wanton and reckless consumption by scrawling a 1 next to the name of a particular political party once every three years.

Often, but not always, their culpability in contributing to the World’s ills is also avoided (it seems) by sporadically ruing the death of whales and dolphins coupled with a vaguely ‘yellow peril-esque’ tirade against the Japanese.
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Comments

Roddy said…
You are right!
You do know that the beginning of summer heralds the end of another year.
22 September 2010 at 08:58
smudgeon said…
I agree - there's a certain smugness about people who think voting Green and slapping a Wilderness Society sticker on the back of the Rav means they're "saving the environment/whales/Daintree/etc".
Very annoying.

Excellent rant, by the way.
22 September 2010 at 11:36
Kris McCracken said…
Roddy, if it is not one year, it's another.

Me, a very slap-worthy trait...
22 September 2010 at 13:27
Carola said…
Yes, Kris you are right, and comment from "me" tells it all. In Germany it is the same. Show how green you are by buying certain products, and then driving all the time with the car. They have allways a reason to drive with the car. But pretend to be totally green, haha.
And I wait for your summer welcome shot.
22 September 2010 at 14:27
Kris McCracken said…
Carola, Tasmanians all drive far too much. Also, it seems that for many to be ‘Green’ is more about looking like you’re doing the right thing, more than doing the right thing itself!
24 September 2010 at 10:04
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