By Craig P. Dixon, southcoast247.com correspondent Social Commentary 112
May 24th, 2007
Like most Americans, I get my news from varied sources. I read the paper,
listen to NPR, watch the nightly local and national news, and glean what I
can from the Internet. The news, like advertising, is everywhere. And, like
advertising, ubiquitous newscasts aren't exactly a good thing. With that
much news, the shit inevitably passes through the filters.
Occasionally, I
see a really stupid, "no shit" headline. One that makes the reader think,
"Gee, I've just wasted ten minutes of my life." Perhaps last week's MSNBC
headline, "Zen and the art of dealing with high gas prices", is the best example of a "duh"
article in recent history.
It goes a little something like this: Despite
gas prices nearing or eclipsing the four dollar mark in some places in the
US, demand for fuel hasn't fallen off. People are still driving.
Wow. What
a revelation. No matter the cost of gasoline, people are still going to buy
gas. Un-fucking-believable.
Here's the crux of the thing. Gas can be 10
dollars a gallon, and it still won't matter. People have to get to work. And
according to the US Census for the year 2000, the average travel time to
work in minutes is 21.5 for New Bedford residents, below the 25.5-minute
national average.
So, why do people keep buying gasoline? Because they have
to. A 20-minute commute measures about 16 miles. And you're not biking 16
miles in 20 minutes. American roads aren't bicyclist friendly. You'll get
run over if you try to pull that Lance Armstrong shit on Route 6.
We're
stuck. We're a gas dependent society with a shitty public transportation
system. Gone are the days when one walked, rode a horse, or hitched a
carriage to get to work. Hell, gone are the times when communities were
small enough that you could live and work within a mile of each.
Unless, of
course, one lives in a big city. But you make up for transportation costs by
paying astronomical rents. We won't even get into other necessities, like
trips to the supermarket. And then there's the fact that, when the cost of
fuel goes up, everything else follows.
We're fucked, ladies and gentlemen.
By the time someone comes along with a real solution to our oil dependency
problems, it'll be too late. The cogs of government move painfully slow in
this country, especially when it comes to high-paying lobbies like the big
oil lobby.
Well, that's enough frustration for this week. I've got to toss
forty bucks in my tank and head to work. The system's got me by the
balls.
Like most Americans, I get my news from varied sources. I read the paper,
listen to NPR, watch the nightly local and national news, and glean what I
can from the Internet. The news, like advertising, is everywhere. And, like
advertising, ubiquitous newscasts aren't exactly a good thing. With that
much news, the shit inevitably passes through the filters.
