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Sounds like he's ranting on a linguistic or rhetorical peeve rather than combatting actual environmentalism. When someone says we should "save the earth", they
by nollidge 17y ago
Sounds like he's ranting on a linguistic or rhetorical peeve rather than combatting actual environmentalism. When someone says we should "save the earth", they quite obviously don't think that, for example, pollution is going to make the planet explode, or something like that. Environmentalism is not about saving the planet itself - Earth will keep on spinning for several trillion years regardless of what we do.
Environmentalism is about saving ourselves. It's about preserving the environmental status quo insofar as we are able, in order to preserve its habitability for ourselves.
I like Carlin, but in this case he's being disingenuous for the sake of an easy joke.
- jbooth 17y agoYes, but those who are against environmentalism for ideological/tribal reasons are generally in favor of any support wherever they can find it, even if George Carlin is on the record ripping their political party every time he's had the chance.
- roc 17y agoI disagree. Carlin's philosophy, particularly toward the end, was that humanity as a whole is doomed. The thesis is "The planet isn't going anywhere; we are" Note that he didn't say "will" or "may"; he said are. To him, trying to save even ourselves was only slightly less arrogant and ill-founded than trying to save any other endangered specie and just as doomed an effort. His certainly wasn't a hopeful philosophy, but he was consistent within it.