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I'm glad that people in the Rust Belt have now developed an affinity for the environment, conveniently after the general death of industry (and economic prosperity) in that region.
Those of us beyond a certain age remember what it looked like to fly into Detroit in 1970. Or hearing news of the Cuyahoga River catching fire. Or times when streetlights had to be used in the middle of the day in Pittsburgh. Or reading about the heavily polluted, garbage-filled Chicago River. Or, in cities from Buffalo to St. Louis, thinking nothing of soot-covered buildings.
So yes - quite glad that people in the region, now, have boarded the sustainability bandwagon.
Also quite glad the the south got on the "gee, enslaving people is wrong" bandwagon to make their way to prosperity, as well.
Also quite glad the the south got on the "gee, enslaving people is wrong" bandwagon to make their way to prosperity, as well.
You're speaking to a person who was born and raised in Michigan, and spent my college years in Pennsylvania...not someone who is going to defend ante-bellum Southern ways of life. Not that much of the North was ever a paradise for certain groups of people, but I won't go there...
However, I do point out hypocrisy when I find it. Having grown up in a dirty industrial city of the North, I find it beyond asinine and hypocritical for hoity-toity liberal elitists to criticize Sun Belt cities for so-called "unsustainable" practices, when the cities in which the elitists live built their wealth in some of the most environmentally unsustainable ways imaginable. It's a part of the mentality that drove me out of that region long ago.
I'm glad that people in the Rust Belt have now developed an affinity for the environment, conveniently after the general death of industry (and economic prosperity) in that region.
Those of us beyond a certain age remember what it looked like to fly into Detroit in 1970. Or hearing news of the Cuyahoga River catching fire. Or times when streetlights had to be used in the middle of the day in Pittsburgh. Or reading about the heavily polluted, garbage-filled Chicago River. Or, in cities from Buffalo to St. Louis, thinking nothing of soot-covered buildings.
So yes - quite glad that people in the region, now, have boarded the sustainability bandwagon.
Just glad that they're on board. There are a lot of other places in the US and the world that aren't yet.
If you would go through the pain of parting with your soap box you'd see that the US as a whole is the largest polluter in the world and few Americans anywhere could be arsed to have any sort of consideration for the Earth, especially not in the area the US Census Bureau calls "The South Atlantic".
I won't even be bothered to rub together the brain cells to formulate a paragraph on how daft it is that you think the family that you saw typifies Californians. I don't see many people in metro LA living in trees.
Hoarfrost, the gist of my post was to basically call out those who try to act like they care so much about the environment just because they buy a light bulb that last for 3 years or keep the thermostat at 60. That show I saw was about some Berkeley hippies and believe it or not, I realize they don't rep the average Californian. I thought your response was great, I feel like writing a poem now.
You're referring to northern california (specifically San Francisco/Bay Area). Southern Cali is filled with LA trash and smog, although I know that there is a sizable population of movie stars who really do care about the environment.
About your comment stating that there are no environmentalists in the rust belt.... maybe there is not a population that is as sizable as the northeast, but since we naturally lean liberal, so do our views on the environment, especially with the possibility of green-collar jobs being created here. The sunbelt leans conservative, and loves oil, nukes, and Reagan, again, all things that are either dead, being depleted, or are being overused for poitical play by those who only wish to benefit themselves while degrading the rest of the country (ex- auto industry nosedive under Bush killed rust belt more, Halliburton, based in Houston and largely owned by Dick Cheney, grew and prospered). So, you in the sun and humidity have had all of the political play for the past 28 years, and a serious, unbreakable influence since Kennedy. This was also the time your growth took off. Explain to me how these facts are not connected.[/rant]
Most of that my comments were in jest because it's not like people in the rustbelt wake up like "Man, what can I do to make this earth a better and healthier place to live?" as some would like to have you think. That's all. Don't try to dig deep for a hidden message or anything because it's not there. I'm 23 by the way and while I do love my hometown, I do realize that there are better places (I've never wanted to live here my entire life anyway). I'm in ATL and I will admit that there are some things from the Northeast that we should emulate (urban ATL to expand fivefold along with MARTA and the residual effect that comes with people coming back into the city). My mindset isn't like your oldtimer in my region and I think that I'm balanced (I would support things that would make Atlanta better) and those qualities do not describe me. I guess ranting is contagious on here.
Very true...add to that list Chapel Hill, Tallahassee, Norman, Lexington, Durham, Athens, Auburn, Columbia, Raleigh, Atlanta, Louisville, Knoxville, and so on.
Rust Belt. I like water; something much of the Sun Belt is severely lacks.
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