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106 comments on Our Toughest Foes: Apathy and Cynicism

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Yankee on February 12, 2006 - 12:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
I too had the best luck with women over 40, but I doubt it was because they were interested in building a sustainable food source. Farmers markets (greenmarkets) in NYC are trendy, are publicized by the fact that the best restaurants feature their food, and the produce is usually somewhat tastier than the grocery store. Oh, and people on the UES are sick of going to Union Square to go to a Greenmarket, so there's probably a competition factor, too.

Every time I think about PO in general, and how to sell it, it raises the question of whether to jump right in with PO, or tell them about other problems that will conveniently be solved at the same time. Usually, the latter is better, since those reasons are more palatable. Take the bike lanes issue: for most people, it's not about reducing oil use, it's about reducing traffic congestion. I suppose that if we get the outcome we want and change people's habits for the future, it doesn't matter if they don't know why they're really doing us a favor for the future.

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Agric on February 12, 2006 - 1:59pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I've been disappointed by the response I've had when attempting to raise peak oil with friends. It has been almost universal lack of interest or denial, only about 5% have been sufficiently bothered to even discuss it or read anything about it.

I've probably tried to raise it with fifty people in real life, at least fifty more online outside the peak oil community. Perhaps 2 or 3 of them actually took it seriously at all, so I guess it will take some shock event to bring even a decent minority out of their torpor. It doesn't bode well for humanity waking up in time to do something effective to mitigate.

Fortunately there is beginning to be a little mention of the subject in the more serious UK media. Though relatively few people actually pay attention to that and the content hasn't been particularly good yet, I hope the steady drip of that low level background noise will eventually impinge on mass consciousness.

Perhaps the best route, for now, would be to target populations that are more likely to be interested and aware - leafleting farmers' markets, green and ecological meetings maybe.

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AustinElliott on February 13, 2006 - 10:52pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
The price will shock.  Don't worry, once oil get to, say $1000 per barrel, they will be all ears.
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Engineer-Poet on February 13, 2006 - 11:48pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I doubt that oil is valuable enough to be worth an (inflation adjusted) $1000/barrel.  Economies will collapse before the price gets that high.
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Oil CEO on February 13, 2006 - 11:50pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Are you inflation adjusting for that $1000? What the hell does that mean? They'll be charging for air before oil reaches $1000. And you and I will be dead, so who cares?
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Oil CEO on February 13, 2006 - 11:51pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
That's really weird, Engineer and I posted the same thing at the same time. That is really weird.
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