The days are damp and cold and I've begun to think fondly of heated indoor spaces, long nights of deep sleep, and soup. In other words, I'm anticipating the human version of hibernation. I've lit the gas stoves that heat our home until the deep cold of winter arrives and the wood burners are needed.
Thank you for writing this because I have my own suspicions on these subjects but I'm not knowledgeable enough to express them. Among the statements that caught my eye: "The story here is one of mining and manufacturing our way out of a crisis, of solutions that always involve doing more, rarely doing less." I find myself thinking of how most of us are carrying around an electrical appliance in our pocket that we even keep beside our pillow when we sleep. Oddly enough the last several hundred generations of human beings did not require a 24/7 electronic assistant. How the heck did they manage to survive? The forever question: Do we really need all this stuff? The dominant narrative of American life: Technological change is inevitable even when it's unhealthy or unnecessary so you must adapt to these changes if you wish to live here. You must get a new _______ , and a new ______ . You must replace your old ______ with a new _____ . It's not just gas appliances it's everything, continuously, all the time. Changing the subject slightly, the AI thing is what's really blowing my mind. The tech industry, with a straight face, is telling us: Look people, we just invented something that we are concerned might destabilize society if not wipe out civilization but there's a ton of money to be made and isn't it exciting?! Let's go for it!! By the way, I can only cook on a gas stove. I am not giving up my gas stove. If they make me, I will immigrate.
Another dystopian point, is that if everything is "on the grid," then it's possible folks' power/heat/etc could be switched "off" for any reason, via a flick of Big Brother's hand. I do not like this prospect and am also a fan of using existing infrastructure and gas to cook, for the dryer, etc. In CA, I have seen chatter about not allowing new homes to be built with log fireplaces + they're phasing out gas driers, not to mention the excessive push for electric vehicles... feels like a lot more than a so-called love for the planet (which I have, deeply).
Hundred percent agree. In the latest issue of Mother Earth News, which is normally a fine homesteading resource, they printed one of those typical mainstream-narrative scare stories about gas stoves. Hilariously, on the very next page was a piece on winter preparedness, which didn’t at all mention that you can still cook on a gas stove when the electricity goes out!
Thank you for writing this because I have my own suspicions on these subjects but I'm not knowledgeable enough to express them. Among the statements that caught my eye: "The story here is one of mining and manufacturing our way out of a crisis, of solutions that always involve doing more, rarely doing less." I find myself thinking of how most of us are carrying around an electrical appliance in our pocket that we even keep beside our pillow when we sleep. Oddly enough the last several hundred generations of human beings did not require a 24/7 electronic assistant. How the heck did they manage to survive? The forever question: Do we really need all this stuff? The dominant narrative of American life: Technological change is inevitable even when it's unhealthy or unnecessary so you must adapt to these changes if you wish to live here. You must get a new _______ , and a new ______ . You must replace your old ______ with a new _____ . It's not just gas appliances it's everything, continuously, all the time. Changing the subject slightly, the AI thing is what's really blowing my mind. The tech industry, with a straight face, is telling us: Look people, we just invented something that we are concerned might destabilize society if not wipe out civilization but there's a ton of money to be made and isn't it exciting?! Let's go for it!! By the way, I can only cook on a gas stove. I am not giving up my gas stove. If they make me, I will immigrate.
Another dystopian point, is that if everything is "on the grid," then it's possible folks' power/heat/etc could be switched "off" for any reason, via a flick of Big Brother's hand. I do not like this prospect and am also a fan of using existing infrastructure and gas to cook, for the dryer, etc. In CA, I have seen chatter about not allowing new homes to be built with log fireplaces + they're phasing out gas driers, not to mention the excessive push for electric vehicles... feels like a lot more than a so-called love for the planet (which I have, deeply).
Hundred percent agree. In the latest issue of Mother Earth News, which is normally a fine homesteading resource, they printed one of those typical mainstream-narrative scare stories about gas stoves. Hilariously, on the very next page was a piece on winter preparedness, which didn’t at all mention that you can still cook on a gas stove when the electricity goes out!