How to look like you give a damn about anyone other than yourself in your local social group while enjoying every indulgence at the expense of the paupers you will never see

I've often said that it's easy to have a strong opinion on something when you're poorly informed.  As a resident of California I've had more than the occasional run in with the nouveau riche, débutante, and idelic socialist each with wild and unsubstantiated claims or solutions to the salient en vogue problem.  It's never been clear to me how they can exist in an intellectual bubble where their behavior is always correct and free while all other behavior must be curbed and corrected.  I imagine I both boggle and vex them with my Cheshire smile and commentary as they lament global warming while commuting 40 miles daily in cars & trucks that get 10 to 15 miles per gallon.  "No other car supports my lifestyle! How else can I get to the mountains, go surfing, or car camp at the national forest?"  Taking your privately owned vehicle, acquired to fit your personal tastes, and using it in the manner you deem fit without restriction or otherly consideration? What a capital idea!  

Enter the Electric Vehicle (EV) a panacea for all environmental concerns, though perhaps not an economical solution it's clearly a magic bullet for the environment.  As long as you're ok with all the pollution and toxic chemicals being dumped somewhere else in the world, that's somewhat accurate. "Fuck the poor, you're rich: How to look like you give a damn about anyone other than yourself in your local social group while enjoying every indulgence at the expense of the paupers you will never see."  Just drive a hybrid or EV.

All this is to introduce you to a lovely article entitled "Unclean at any speed" which reviews the Unequal impacts of constructing and operating an EV, inclusive of the heavy industry required, and conventional vehicles and notes that perhaps the most environmentally sound form of transportation is walking, followed by bicycles and mass transit.  Not that anyone with means would ever consider those options for more than a moment, but who really cares in the end? (from the article):

moving from petroleum-fueled vehicles to electric cars begins to look more and more like shifting from one brand of cigarettes to another. We wouldn’t expect doctors to endorse such a thing. Should environmentally minded people really revere electric cars? Perhaps we should look beyond the shiny gadgets now being offered and revisit some less sexy but potent options—smog reduction, bike lanes, energy taxes, and land-use changes to start. Let’s not be seduced by high-tech illusions.

 Fat chance of that, environmentalism is crushed by mindless capitalism in the hands of self-proclaimed environmentalists!  What's really on sale here is the perception of positive regard for the environment rather than actual regard as actually taking action that positively effects the environment is generally undesirable.  Maybe you should use your powers for good instead of awesome.  No?  Awesome it is.

Be sure to buy my book "Why Capitalism sucks" available at market price.