The Oil Drum

" we don't have a problem until the sheeple start feeling the pain of higher energy costs and being forced to use less"

Yes, I suppose we could expect our 'leaders' to take the lead on this, but of course, 'that's JUST what we're expecting them to do!' to paraphrase Lloyd Bridges.  I guess I picked the wrong week to give up amphetamines..

My thought is that people ARE feeling this pain, they just don't know it yet, or at least don't know how much the energy costs are causing any number of the difficulties in 'getting-by in America' these days.(not to exclude all the rest of y'all in the world)

   We're used to having substantial credit-card debts, used to paying the freight at the pump, cuz' what're you gonna do..  I think too many families are just too wiped out getting through the day to think they can fight city hall and exxon at the same time, if either.  The Pain and Fear are a lot like that rattling bearing on the right-rear wheel.. I'll just turn up the radio for now, and I don't have to think about it.  I'll deal with it, I will.. sometime.

But I don't buy the whole 'apathy of the masses' argument.  I think people here are smart, and they're trying, and we haven't killed off the 'can-do' that's built into the American idea,.. but they are just also buried in debt, don't have a second to deal with 'extracurricular projects' what with both parents working, largely to keep up with Mortgage, Health Insurance, Childcare, and oh yeah.. gasoline, heating oil, electric, a cord of wood, new windows(maybe).. > Clearly, the inefficiencies of the system are not only wasting 'Petroleum' energy resources, but human energy as well.. (working an extra job to pay for the corresponding extra daycare, all to lose precious time raising and knowing our own kids) <  

and so we constantly tune out with TV, DVD's, Beer and Wine, 'chatting earnestly on the internet', offroading ..  a lot of 'lifestyle addictions' that get us out of the present moment where we 'should' be, trying to climb out of this hole, but we're just too damn fried.

I do think seeing neighbors coming up with {Visible} solutions, and trying to shed some of this dependency is  a good way to get the others to ask 'what's that thing do, are you saving any money with it? How much was it?'.. as long as we don't plaster our Hybrids, PV's and Evacuated tubes with bumper stickers that tell our neighbors we think they're idiots for not doing this first.  

  If it is a 'Government of the people', or if we just still want it to be.. then we get to take the initiative of adopting some of that mantle of leadership that we hope the elected leaders will adopt.  If our thinking is clear, we can help them come up with the examples, processes and terms to introduce it with, that they can run with.  Barama's speech the other day was a nice try.  You can plaster him with the Accusation of "Politician".. but what the name means is someone who is at a place between many forces in a perpetual shoving match, and I think the Politician has to try to match those various forces up in a synthesis that, at the very least, is a compromise ~most~ of the parties can at least live with.  "Politics, the art of the Possible"