There are things that we all avoid. Things we just can’t stand to be around. Things that just irritate us beyond our ability to play nice.
FOX stupidity is one of mine.
I live with my parents for various reasons right now. FOX is on the big TV in the living room all the time. It sucks.
But more than that, it gives my parents a completely fucked up view of the world. Not a little fucked up – completely fucked up.
The latest point of stupid that Mum has been throwing around is that there is oil forever. Generations worth – all discovered recently here in America and we just don’t have to worry about it. Ever.
Now I might not be an expert on fossil fuels – but I seem to recall something about them running out eventually. And that our constant use of them has something to do with that eventual running out.
I don’t even know how to deal with this level of stupid, much less from my parents. I don’t want to be guilty of “mansplaining” – but there has to be some way to combat this ignorant position.
But damned if I can figure it out. Where did all this “new oil” magically come from? How is it that in a nation where 50% of the population thinks Jesus rode a dinosaur some future generation will magically sort out another energy source IF oil does run out? (Mum’s answer when pushed – they just will because they have plenty of time to figure it out because – magical oil.)
I get the whole not wanting to deal with the problems – I do. But we have to deal with them – we can’t just pass the buck onto other people and hope. Except we do all the time.
My parents regularly mock me for my concern over recycling, the rights of the poor (in their universe poor = brown, nevermind they both grew up pretty poor) the rights of women to control their own bodies, concern for other people in other nations. This is just standard for them and I can ignore a lot of it by remembering I can go back to my kosher, Oregonian, recycling, small space home in a couple months after I get my head back together. But this oil forever shit just makes me insane.
I don’t even know where it came from. I’ve heard of no new discoveries of oil reserves. Just sort of out of the blue my Mum was all –
Oil will last forever so we don’t have to cut back or give a shit – we just need to stop buying it from those EVOL Islamics – we have plenty.
BWAH?
Oh yeah, the oil crisis is a total liberal lie. There’s so much in the US alone that 6 generations can use it and still have plenty left. You’d know that if you watched FOX.
BWAH? The “easy to get” to oil we have is reserved for military use.
Oh, no. We won’t ever run out. And we can just carpetbomb those dirtbags into submission and take theirs anyway.
BWAH??? Who the hell are you and how did I end up your child again? What happens when even we run out?
Oh, we won’t. And they can just figure something out in the future when it might be a problem. Which it won’t be. Because we have enough for us forever.
I don’t think I’m the crazy one anymore. In fact, if this is typical of the region – I’m pretty sure I’m not going to actually get ANY help at all that I need.
So if you know about this sudden discovery of magic Jesus oil that will continually refill because – MURICA – please use the comments to explain it to me. Because I’m lost – and far from home.
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