I started to read the book after I had finished another of O’Rourke’s books for two main reasons – a. he is funny, and b. I don’t agree with him a whole lot and I wanted to hear the other side.
The book is all about the problems that he sees with the world. However, I think a rider is necessary – it is all the problems that the liberals dwell upon. No mention is made of the compulsive conservative obsession of the erosion of Christian state or the liberal agenda of empowering willful women bent on abortion. Though I think this might be because this book was written just before 2000, and I am not aware of the intensity of the feelings about the above two at that time. So I am going to cut him some slack, especially since I believe that even when I don’t agree – he seems to have a modicum of sense underlying his arguments.
So the problems that he says we worry unnecessarily about are overpopulation, famine, the environment, the environment and the environment (all categorized under a slight semantic variation), multiculturalism, plague and economic justice.
The one view I categorically disagreed with were his opinions on overpopulation. He slickly equates it to a kind of racism of the well off westerner not wanting more of the poor people on his piece of earth, or on any piece of earth. Fascinating as this view point is, I can’t help but think this is a spurious reasoning stated so that you can’t possibly object without appearing like a card carrying Ku Klux Klan member. But, I disagree with every sophist argument stated in this chapter. I understand there are parts of southern California with denser population than Bangladesh. But, he does not consider the infrastructure that is already present in SoCal which for Bangladesh to achieve would require a lot more money than is realistic. Also, he completely glosses over the micro economic effect – the fact that one person with $1000 has a far greater discretionary spending abilities than if that 1000 had to support five others. I think it is simple division that is overlooked. What are compromised in these large families in the third world are often education, savings, and basic comfort. All of which leads to a perpetual cycle that keeps the poor families poor. How is that racist to worry that a whole section of society is mired in such a situation?
After completely rejecting the first section, I was more open to the arguments about famine- that it is caused more often by inefficient, corrupt, closed governments than any true food shortage. I think that makes sense, even if it seems over simplified to state that better logistics and transparency would cure food shortages. After all if the Sudanese government had shown the least bit of humanity and common sense I don’t think the country would have been reduced to the state that it now is. However, he counters, and I agree, that the solution is not really a bunch of peaceniks running around trying to solve all the world ills through aid or donations.
The next three chapters deal with environment, ecology and saving the earth – all more or less the same thing. I think it is a refreshing change to read someone not go on about how the world is going to hell in a hand basket or how we are losing all the fish/ birds/ animals/ plants blah blah. There were two ‘facts’ tht he mentioned that tickled me pink, I haven’t had time to research if it is true, but I hope it is.
The first is this: “Making paper cups requires 36 times as much electricity as making a Styrofoam cup, and generates 580 times as much waste water.” And as far as biodegradability? He states that “biodegradables break down and form leachate and methane gas” which of course plastic and Styrofoam doesn’t.
The second: a study that states that “damages from even a horrendous splash of crude in the briny is relatively modest and as far as can be determined, of relatively short duration.” And a study of the effect of a ship Amoco Cadiz which ran aground in 1978 off the coast of France showed that “marshes where no attempt was made to remove the oil were restored by natural processes within 5 years, whereas in cleaned areas, restoration took 7 to 8 years” !!!
It made me wonder what of the effects of the recent oil well blow out in the gulf. Much as I would like to think that this was a bigger disaster and not comparable, I think that a lot was made of the spill. The first reaction one has is to think ‘oh my God! Look at the oil flowing into the ocean!” But, I think maybe the ocean is big enough to take care of itself. Look at all the studies now showing that there are oil eating bacteria that are cleaning the ocean beds.
All in all, I think I am a reluctant convert to his way of thinking – one that he mentioned throughout in the book “Eat the Rich” too. That capitalistic thinking concentrated on wealth creation creates enough wealth to spill over to the entire population, even the poor are getting richer. Not because of altruism, but because of working towards a better future for the self and there is no point in stressing about things that are beyond our control.
Overall I agree with this summary:
"The grave worries facing the world today mostly don’t have solutions. That is, they don’t have solutions outside themselves…. We have to accept the undramatic and often boring duties of working hard, exercising self control, taking care of ourselves, our families, and our neighbors, being kind, and practicing as much as private morality as we can stand without popping."
