It’s true! We are fossil fuel junkies! The vast majority of us are still beholden/addicted to Big Oil, Big Gas, and Big Coal. As of yet we have not even hit the cold turkey stage of forced withdrawal, but how’s about the level of freaking out going on!
I understand the disease of addiction and find the term ‘junkie’ to be demeaning, but it is a term people understand and do not hesitate to throw at someone in order to denigrate and harm them. So I use the term here in order to throw it back in people’s (our) faces, because we are currently living a perfect demonstration of collective addiction.
Being addicts, ‘we’ don’t appear to care at all about the people who are being murdered in order for fossil fuel companies to continue to gain obscene wealth (is this an Australian value?). ‘We’ don’t appear to give two hoots about people being bombed into pieces during the latest nuclear arms race (Australian value?).
This is not surprising, because the one thing we know about junkies is all they give a f*%^ about is where and how they will get their next fix. Not once have I ever seen someone who is freaking out about accessing any fuel for themselves, or farmers, or businesses, give even a nanosecond thought about the fact people are being murdered because the uber wealthy want more wealth and power … Are we really that indifferent, disconnected and living in a bubble, or are people just compartmentalising? Australian values?
Demanding ‘drill baby drill’ just feeds our addiction and prevents us from adapting. The businesses that will survive this addiction will be the ones who adapt and eventually break free from the fossil fuel barons. This is what ‘survival of the fittest’ means. It has nothing to do with strength or strong men, returning to the past, or keeping the status quo.
It is about those who can adapt the best to changing conditions. Ironically junkies are pretty good at adapting when their addiction needs demand it; so that might mean ‘we’ are worse, more addicted, than junkies!!! We’re uber junkies! Happy to submit to the greed of the uber wealthy!
Many businesses and people have already broken free from their addiction, including businesses operated by fossil fuel barons. Today’s fossil fuel barons are like the drug dealers who do not take drugs, the hoteliers who do not drink alcohol. As long as they continue to make a profit from our addiction they’ll be right mate.
‘Drill baby drill’ is a vacuous slogan. It does nothing to keep our addiction going. In fact, it speeds up the journey to going cold turkey. It doesn’t acknowledge the time line needed to fulfill the slogan’s alleged aim. It ignores the reality that what we pay for fossil fuels is determined by a global market. ‘Drill baby drill’ won’t increase fuel security or decrease prices, but it will feed our addiction and increase corporate profits, Yay!
It’s now more obvious than ever that it is entirely irrelevant whether or not you agree that burning fossil fuels is fuelling global warming (that’s climate change for those of you who do not understand the science of increased greenhouse gases in earth’s atmosphere). We need to weaken and remove the dealer’s access. We are addicted and we need rehab.
It’s interesting watching people complain about Albo and what he is doing to satisfy our addiction. Of course it is to be expected because we are such a tribal bunch (Go the Dragons … puhleeze). While Albo is traveling Asia to secure supplies for his junkie constituents, some people are seriously suggesting he could have done this with a zoom call or email. I mean, talk about people needing to stay in their lane. It doesn’t matter if you like the bloke or not, the Government is trying to stop you having to go cold turkey. We are an angry and irrational bunch right now, so imagine what will happen when/if we have to go cold turkey.
My criticism about Albo’s current travels is that this would also be an opportune time to meet with the EV manufacturers in some of those countries (or their neighbours) he is visiting. Maybe he or someone from his entourage have, I have not heard of it though. Talking with them about what they have to do to increase EV sales in Australia. Talking about what tweaks they need to make to their EV products to increase sales in Australia (e.g. a real spare tyre in every vehicle). Talking about big investments in renewables and EV technology and infrastructure. Talking about easing us off our addiction.
We actually have an opportunity to be one of the world leaders in transitioning to renewable energy. But ‘drill baby drill’ is a scaredy cat looking for a home, it prefers that we do not to adapt. ‘Drill baby drill’ demands that our future be determined by uber junkies …
Ain’t politics fun!
Got something on your mind? Go on then, engage. Submit your opinion piece, letter to the editor, or Quick Word now.