<DrumBeat: December 2, 2006 The Oil Drum Ukraine vs Russia: Tales of pipelines and dependence>

88 comments on Reflections on "The Prize"

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expat on December 2, 2006 - 4:02am Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
Yes, times change - most likely, any book written about the oil industry in 1983 which was not purely sponsored by the oil industry (ahem) would have gone into fairly decent depth about oil spills and their danger to sea life and coast lines, for example. Or the fact that air pollution and the banning of lead in motor fuel were leading to improved air quality, spurred on by increased efficiency, and ever stricter EPA standards.

Of course, ten years later, and an Exxon Valdez in the long ago past (you know, the 80s), and with the 'market' poised to replace misguided government regulations concerning emissions, it would be no problem for a book about the oil industry to glide right past that subject.

What still strikes me is how many Americans seem to be rediscovering the commonplaces of 1981, from environmental truths to energy realities. For the briefest of moments, there really was a feel in the air that the American Dream would be finally replaced by something better. Unfortunately, that feeling was completely deceptive, and a sign of anti-Americanism to boot, as so well demonstrated by a former GE spokesman proving that anyone could be president while saying "Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do." -- Ronald Reagan, 1981. Thankfully for America, the number of trees has been reduced in most residential areas, while the number of cars has grown. Driving your way to cleaner air - who knew?

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MicroHydro on December 2, 2006 - 4:25am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
IMO, peak (environmental) hope was in 1975.  When a rather young Jerry Brown became California Governor, he was the closest thing to a Green Party major politician that the USA ever saw or probably ever will see.  Jerry Brown also ran for President in 1976 as Jimmy Carter was perceived as being center right on the environment.  By 1981, hope was long dead.  In effect, Reaganism began in 1979 as Carter moved sharply to the right in his last two years in office.  People forget that even with the backing of David Rockefeller, Carter was barely able to win the 1980 democratic nomination.  Carter was deeply unpopular within his own party.
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expat on December 2, 2006 - 10:15am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Yes, it was quite a problem growing up watching things seem to turn in the right direction, with a president resigning in disgrace because he thought himself above the Constitution while Americans seemed to grasp just what the American Dream meant to the world around them, and then after becoming an aldult, watch the process reverse itself, to be derided as part of the low point of American history.

A part of me, (which I'm not at all proud of, since as an older person, I have some idea of the scale of the suffering which is likely) is just waiting to see how the American Dream will survive this time, now that it will take a bit more than a second rate actor and some 24/7 propaganda to bring it back. And that is an interesting note itself - if you had told an American of 1976 that by 2006, 24/7 would be considered a mark of pride of the strength and success of the American Dream, they would have likely asked politely about where did all the free time go, then? They would also likely have considered 'consumer' an insulting way to refer to a citizen such as themselves, but that is a detour.

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Oil CEO on December 3, 2006 - 5:38am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
You are older? I always figured you for late 30's? How often do you come back to the states?
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88 comments on Reflections on "The Prize"

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