What are your unpopular opinions? (Vol. 2)
Discussion
otolith said:
Buses and trucks with ICEs, which would be travelling less were there fewer people? I didn't just say cars.
The climate change issue and the extent to which individuals are going to have to change their ways is entirely related to the number of people who are emitting.
It's all well and good to say that Malthusian predictions of starvation didn't come to pass because, weren't we clever, we figured out how to turn air and fossil fuel into ammonia (and CO2) and thus boosted our ability to grow crops - but the chickens are now coming home to roost on the idea that we can indefinitely increase our population merely by extracting more coal, oil, and gas and the effects on ecosystems of us artificially fixing more and more nitrogen and digging more and more phosphate out of the ground are becoming plain.
Hopefully we can pivot to generating ever more energy from renewables - point is, as originally made, the reason we will increasingly be unable to have nice things like V8s is because there are so many of us.
It does rather look like the family who defied the warning that they could not afford 5 kids and were actually fine because of an unexpected inheritance from granny have concluded that this proves that they can support infinite children - despite granny's cash now starting to run out.
But there is no question of indefinitely increasing the population, in a few decades population collapse will be the fashionable panic. What's the issue with V8s anyway? Would a straight 8 be OK? Or a V10? Or is it just that people enjoy V8s and therefore they are inherently bad?The climate change issue and the extent to which individuals are going to have to change their ways is entirely related to the number of people who are emitting.
It's all well and good to say that Malthusian predictions of starvation didn't come to pass because, weren't we clever, we figured out how to turn air and fossil fuel into ammonia (and CO2) and thus boosted our ability to grow crops - but the chickens are now coming home to roost on the idea that we can indefinitely increase our population merely by extracting more coal, oil, and gas and the effects on ecosystems of us artificially fixing more and more nitrogen and digging more and more phosphate out of the ground are becoming plain.
Hopefully we can pivot to generating ever more energy from renewables - point is, as originally made, the reason we will increasingly be unable to have nice things like V8s is because there are so many of us.
It does rather look like the family who defied the warning that they could not afford 5 kids and were actually fine because of an unexpected inheritance from granny have concluded that this proves that they can support infinite children - despite granny's cash now starting to run out.
Austin Prefect said:
otolith said:
Buses and trucks with ICEs, which would be travelling less were there fewer people? I didn't just say cars.
The climate change issue and the extent to which individuals are going to have to change their ways is entirely related to the number of people who are emitting.
It's all well and good to say that Malthusian predictions of starvation didn't come to pass because, weren't we clever, we figured out how to turn air and fossil fuel into ammonia (and CO2) and thus boosted our ability to grow crops - but the chickens are now coming home to roost on the idea that we can indefinitely increase our population merely by extracting more coal, oil, and gas and the effects on ecosystems of us artificially fixing more and more nitrogen and digging more and more phosphate out of the ground are becoming plain.
Hopefully we can pivot to generating ever more energy from renewables - point is, as originally made, the reason we will increasingly be unable to have nice things like V8s is because there are so many of us.
It does rather look like the family who defied the warning that they could not afford 5 kids and were actually fine because of an unexpected inheritance from granny have concluded that this proves that they can support infinite children - despite granny's cash now starting to run out.
But there is no question of indefinitely increasing the population, in a few decades population collapse will be the fashionable panic. What's the issue with V8s anyway? Would a straight 8 be OK? Or a V10? Or is it just that people enjoy V8s and therefore they are inherently bad?The climate change issue and the extent to which individuals are going to have to change their ways is entirely related to the number of people who are emitting.
It's all well and good to say that Malthusian predictions of starvation didn't come to pass because, weren't we clever, we figured out how to turn air and fossil fuel into ammonia (and CO2) and thus boosted our ability to grow crops - but the chickens are now coming home to roost on the idea that we can indefinitely increase our population merely by extracting more coal, oil, and gas and the effects on ecosystems of us artificially fixing more and more nitrogen and digging more and more phosphate out of the ground are becoming plain.
Hopefully we can pivot to generating ever more energy from renewables - point is, as originally made, the reason we will increasingly be unable to have nice things like V8s is because there are so many of us.
It does rather look like the family who defied the warning that they could not afford 5 kids and were actually fine because of an unexpected inheritance from granny have concluded that this proves that they can support infinite children - despite granny's cash now starting to run out.
deeen said:
Landlubber said:
otolith said:
Life is a temporary change in entropy riding on the flux of energy like a ship tacking upwind. Enjoy it while you're here.
More jibing than tacking.
On ship-rigged vessels, it was called 'wearing', and was done to reduce stress and the need for speed (and hence manpower) in coming about.
deeen said:
Definition of gybing (or jibing): turning the stern of the boat through the wind. At the point of gybe, it's pointing downwind.
Meow, splash... kitten overboard!
But you can go upwind only by gybing - as handpaper says, you turn the vessel through roughly 270 degrees on each turn, and so still zig-zagging towards the wind and your course-made-good will still be upwind. Meow, splash... kitten overboard!
Yes, at the moment of the gybe/wear your vessel will be pointing downwind, but you absolutely can use gybes and no other manoeuvre, to go upwind.
Your not special.
Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
A500leroy said:
Your not special.
Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
Well we could teach them spelling and grammar for a start.Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
A500leroy said:
Your not special.
Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you wish they had, and that you are unhappy with what you've got. We all make our choices, work with whatever abilities we have, and react as we think best to whatever opportunities come along. Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
I would point out though that not everyone who does the jobs you describe is unhappy with their lot, and that many of those who are doing something else took active steps to get there.
If you don't like your life, what are you doing to change it?
A500leroy said:
Your not special.
Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
My not special what?Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
My not important what?
My not impressive what?
Pretty sure that nothing I do will change the world but that doesn't make it not worthwhile. Otherwise, I agree that a little more managing of expectations would not go amiss.
ETA: by which I mean that if you have a dream and are prepared to work hard to realise it then bravo! Go for it and I wish you the very best of luck. If, OTOH, you simply expect your life to be something that you have seen others or previous generations have or had and somehow expect that to be handed to you because you're entitled to it then you can FRO. No, keep going, further than that.
Edited by Strangely Brown on Monday 20th April 15:00
A500leroy said:
Your not special.
Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
I see things aren't exactly improving for you. Find the solution in yourself instead of attacking others.Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
otolith said:
A500leroy said:
Your not special.
Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you wish they had, and that you are unhappy with what you've got. We all make our choices, work with whatever abilities we have, and react as we think best to whatever opportunities come along. Your not important
Your not impressive
Nothing you do is worthwhile.
Now can we teach that to today's kids who all think they are entitled to something other than a mundane hard life. High time they were told the truth that 90% of them will be a cleaner, binman, cafe worker, shelf stacker etc instead of all the you can be anything you want to be crap.
I would point out though that not everyone who does the jobs you describe is unhappy with their lot, and that many of those who are doing something else took active steps to get there.
If you don't like your life, what are you doing to change it?
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