Today, Americans are engrossed in earthquake coverage. The tremor in Haiti bought unimaginable death and destruction just south of our borders. Events related to the recovery and rescues emerge as banner headlines. Haitians Seek Solace Amid the Ruins. For a week now, the struggle to survive, revive the injured, and retrieve the bodies strewn on the streets of Port-au-Prince was also the central theme of most every broadcast. In the midst of the misery, many Americans, felt desperate for a reprieve from the devastation that emotionally drained them. Millions took time to escape in a welcome distraction. Sassy, former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin Made Her Debut appearance on Fox. Tomorrow another reality will replace these stories, just as each superseded the hoopla over Harry Reid's reference to race. Metaphorically, the tales provide persons, policies, and, or practices fifteen minutes of fame. In actuality, these fade from our mind quickly.
One narrative can and will replace another instantaneously. Americans need only an inspiration, a titillation, a temptation, or a tease to turn their thoughts from one subject to another. Over the next months and years, a myriad of yarns will receive quick and ample consideration. Populist positions, presented with flare could captivate the country again and then again.
A prominent person fallen from grace might be the nation's next amusement. A young boy, or girl, might seem to be in imminent danger. Another sexy blonde accompanied by her husband could crash the White House gates. People want "the dirt," that is, as long as it is not toxic waste, or pollution news.
This truth is not lost on regular people, politicians, or the President. Any or each of these individuals might use this "reality" to their advantage.
Mister Obama might, once again, plan to further his own fifteen minutes of renown. On an issue as important as environmental imbalance, the nation's Chief Executive did just that. Mister Obama scheduled "about nine hours" to actively engage in climate change policy negotiations. This might be considered a colossal amount of time. After all, President Obama is, as many Americans are, busy.
Scientists who study climate change would want to be amongst those who roust the people. Their research, while they believe it to be racy, for most is nothing but mundane.
The fact is most environmental research is, in reality, mundane. On Monday, it is snowy. Tuesday brings
rain. Wednesday will be sunny. "Wait
five minutes and the weather will change." What appears outside the window
is merely a matter of natural conditions. Excitement lies elsewhere. Enter
animated images that move quickly across the screen.
Exit purported facts and figures. Data does not deliver delightful moments. Decoration, declarations, drama, any distraction, these are the diversions the Western Press provides, and the people demand.
Possibly, that is why most of us missed previous reports. In September 1998, headlines heralded, what we experience in modern times is the Fastest mass extinction in Earth history. While fascinating, this discovery was nowhere near as delicious as Bill Clinton's testimony about his relationship with a young female assistant. That little tidbit could easily occupy more than the measured fifteen minutes.
Months earlier, the esteemed Washington Post, also examined
the issue. Mass
Extinction Underway, Majority of Biologists Say. However, for most humans, that morsel was nothing in contrast
to the news that a Conservative Group
Buys Reagan Ranch.
That the research reveals humans may be the reason for this horrific destruction is means nothing to these people, since our day of doom cannot be foreseen in the visible future. The 680-acre Reagan spread being bought by Young America's Foundation, a 29-year-old group that teaches patriotism, limited government, and other values espoused by the former President, surely that will have an affect on all of society.
Of course, there was the article published late last August; Study Finds Big Storms on a 1,000-Year Rise. Certainly, this is troublesome for those who understand How Storms Can Trigger Earthquakes, Unfortunately, few appreciate what they likely did not read, let alone realize. No time to waste on climate change, report declares.
Americans are preoccupied with the abrupt, instant, urgent, today and perchance tomorrow, the earthquake in Haiti. What traditionally garners our attention is massive, murderous, moments that miss those of us in the States by mere miles. In times such as these, Americans come out en masse. We donate millions of dollars to a cause. We cry for what has clearly been a crisis for years.
Yet, even as we attend to the plight inflicted upon those in Port-au-Prince, and throughout the Haitian terrain, we do not address the notion that man and womankind have an affect on what for eons ago was the natural balance. In the midst of the mad rush to assist those who were injured during the seismic activity, most overlook what the majority of scientists thought obvious. Research reveals Point to 'Carbon Starvation' as a Cause for Tree Mortality.
It might be said that Americans were consumed with the current circumstances. There was no time, not even fifteen minutes to contemplate columns that appeared alongside news of the trembler. The truth might be that dry statistics do not sway people.
Prowess. Performance. Presence. Power. Pretty. Americans are captivated by what they think cool. Even corny tales can tempt people, or convince them of what is true. Persons who are believed to be capable can also be a source of stimulation. However, nothing compares to the person who falls from grace. In a world full of individuals who watch television, endlessly, the trivial has replaced principled, profound, practical, and all that is pertinent. A planet in peril, for citizens who pine for sizzle, is but a distant possibility. Indeed, most muse; "In my lifetime, I have seen meteorological conditions change." The climate offers no warning. The situation is not critical.
