4 ms·
It really shouldn't be a point of pride for any kind of "researcher" to have the revelation as an adult that oil has been important in the history of the Califo
by analyte123 2y ago
It really shouldn't be a point of pride for any kind of "researcher" to have the revelation as an adult that oil has been important in the history of the California economy. I could understand this level of naive astonishment and bitter demonization if all your education came from an elementary school textbook, but this author is supposed to be some kind of public intellectual.
From the tone of this article, you would think that oil is some kind of purely toxic, useless substance that fiendish villains decided to dig up for fun and hate, "boosterish paper[s] smirk[ing]" all along. I imagine the state of the world if the oilfields in LA and elsewhere had been "left fallow" as the author's misapplied metaphor desires. It is not good: starvation, deprivation, no modern materials or planes, extremely restricted technology development. On the other hand, those of us who still managed to be born likely wouldn't have computers and we'd be spared from having to read this.
- pixl97 2y agoThe difference between medicine and poison is the dose.
- JohnMakin 2y agoI agree with the first part of what you said, I mean, every native angelino has at one point made a field trip to the tar pits. What did he think the tar was?
- MaxHoppersGhost 2y agoPeople like the writer of TFA that lament the historical and ongoing production of oil really show just how ignorant people are of how our insanely high standard of living came to be. Oil production is a net benefit for the world in ways that can’t be overstated.
- moshun 2y ago*net benefit to humans, certainly not the world
- ctoth 2y agoWithout humans, who cares about the world? Serious question.
- downrightmike 2y agoThose who come next
- linotype 2y agoIf you can believe it, there are people that don’t give a shit what happens to the world after their kids die.
- downrightmike 2y agoI was referring to whatever intelligence evolves after this fifth great mass extinction event finishes.
- ttymck 2y agoI don't think everyone subscribes to sentiocentrism
- ZeroGravitas 2y agoHe doesn't say he's unaware of the history, he says that despite the visible infrastructure he didn't realise it was still an oil town: > But before LA became Tinseltown, it was an oil town. And though the oil wells that loom even today atop the nearby Baldwin Hills should have been a clue, it never really dawned on me that LA still is
- JohnMakin 2y agoI have lived in LA my whole life and it pushes my suspension of disbelief a lot to hear a native say they didn’t realize that oil was still being extracted - the derricks are everywhere, not just on-shore either.
- linotype 2y agoRight? It’s like where do people think Doheny (Greystone Mansion) and Getty got all their money?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]