September 4, 2019

"Many people who take pride in their green lifestyles—perhaps they bike to work and always carry a travel mug—also happen to be frequent flyers."

"This incongruity grows in part out of cultural factors. A certain type (and I count myself in this category) aspires to be both worldly and socially conscious. We would never think of driving an SUV, say, but we’ve been known to drop the names of far-flung capitals we’ve visited. To be sure, our portable bamboo utensil sets and canvas grocery bags accord with our principles, but they also accord with our self-image, our aesthetics, our personal brands. In other words, those choices are not sacrifices. Opting out of flying, by contrast, requires actual renunciation.... Changing our lifeways means reassessing not only conference design but also our personal customs. It might mean some amount of sacrifice.... Renunciation conveys to those around us that the situation is serious. Especially in the case of climate change—where the effects are dispersed, gradual, and tenuously linked to the causes—this kind of social cue is crucial.... Universities that boast about their LEED-certified buildings but encourage excessive flying among their faculties; governments that neither tax jet fuel nor invest in low-carbon ground travel infrastructure—the people behind these decisions are the ones who really ought to get acquainted with flygskam."

From "Flight Shame: The Climate Hazards of Air Travel" by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow (NY Review of  Books).

64 comments:

Swede said...

Why are people with hyphenated names so predictable?

tim in vermont said...

The problem is that it’s hard to make the kind of money to drive a high consumption lifestyle without being willing to travel for work.

Sydney said...

To be sure, our portable bamboo utensil sets and canvas grocery bags accord with our principles.....

Most people can’t afford the luxury of the ostentatious green lifestyle.

Fen said...

Ace has a question:

"Question of the Day: A lot of white upper class feminist "writers" seem to

1: produce very little content which would result in payment and yet

2: live very nice lifestyles.

Gee, I wonder how these Feminists are managing that. Any ideas? I know it's very hard for men to do very little work and yet live rich. Is there some special trick White Upper Class Feminists have for avoiding the Work = Money rule that applies to men?"

Howard said...

Duh. Bourgeoisie environmental awareness is directly proportional to wealth and education of women. Hypocrisy is the life blood of social pride.

Sally327 said...

I have wondered before about the need for business travel when there are so many ways to communicate now, where you can be there without actually being there. And government travel, how much of that is truly necessary. Hillary Clinton flying around the world when she was Secretary of State, I think she touted that as a badge of honor, all those air miles she racked up. What did it accomplish? I think lots of people are happy flying when someone else is paying for it.

rehajm said...

I think this is where the line is drawn. What good is virtue if you can't fly to exotic destinations to meet with your peers from cool places like Seattle to discuss your virtue within the boundary of one of those roped off VIP areas at the hotel pool?

You'll take their Diamond™ Status from their cold dead hands.

The Bergall said...

Ann, you forgot the Satire tag..........

tim in vermont said...

"Is there some special trick White Upper Class Feminists have...”

They have the little purse that’s good for unlimited credit.

Ralph L said...

I didn't read a book review.

Why has it taken this long for tiny amounts of flight shaming to begin? Money and status are more important.

Howard said...

Blogger Fen said... Gee, I wonder how these Feminists are managing that. Any ideas? I know it's very hard for men to do very little work and yet live rich. Is there some special trick White Upper Class Feminists have for avoiding the Work = Money rule that applies to men?"

Jealousy of free market success is the main path to Stalinism

You people sound more and more like the LC commandos from idiot rotty blog back in the day

Sella Turcica said...

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

stevew said...

Rebecca seems to agree with Instapundit's oft written phrase: I'll believe it's a crisis when the people who tell me it's a crisis start acting like it's a crisis.

Stop traveling to far flung destinations and you'll be well on your way to fixing several problems including climate change and too much tourism.

Fen said...

Whore: The prime example, of course, is Greta Thunberg, who has inspired millions with her unyielding moral clarity. And yet, Thunberg’s heart-stirring voyage across the Atlantic also reveals the pitfalls of environmental purism. As her detractors were quick to point out, the journey did end up involving flying, after all—just not for her. The manager of Team Malizia acknowledged that two more crew members would fly across the Atlantic to return the boat to Europe.

Two MORE? That would make 5 now. And what about the crew that sailed over? Are they stuck in Europe forever? Catching a plane back too? Waiting for the next Atlantic crossing? Is the cause is just, why hide details like that from us?

Abjuring fossil fuels in a society powered by them is tricky. Even with the sincerest of intentions, strict rules about personal behavior can lead to absurdities and hypocrisies

Climate Change Hoaxers have a tricky time not being hypocrites? Really now?

tim in vermont said...

" looking forward to seeing you in Tahiti, we can
>enjoy some nice tropical drinks w/ umbrellas in them.” - Michael Mann

He was talking about a global warming confab. This is from the Climategate leak.

One thing that is amazing about Climategate is that unless you know what you are looking for, Google is going to try to steer you away from any of the damaging stuff.

Anyway, here are a few: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/06/250-plus-noteworthy-climategate-2-0-emails/

Fen said...

It’s hard to know exactly when the idea of flight abstinence was born,

The Marxists, you twat. They have always controlled and limited how far their slaves can travel. They want you kept isolated and immobile, like a Chineese footbinding.

Rory said...

"governments that neither tax jet fuel nor invest in low-carbon ground travel infrastructure"

How does compulsion and confiscation worm their ways into an article about ethics?

Shouting Thomas said...

Why not just go to church on Sunday to pray for atonement?

Fen said...

Howard: You people sound more and more like -

LOL get fucked you marxist piece of shit.

Still praying your fellow Americans get killed by a hurricane so you can use their corpses as political props? You fetid cunt. Hanging is too good for you.

tim in vermont said...

""governments that neither tax jet fuel nor invest in low-carbon ground travel infrastructure”

Now we are back to Obama’s “Intercontinental Railroad.” I hope they don’t start working on his zombie army of corpse men.

Fen said...

I for one do not begrudge Thunberg her adventure, which also illustrates another favorite argument advanced by non-flyers: that abstaining from air travel can be a blessing, that slower modes of transit offer richer experiences.

Yes. Iceburgs. Scurvy. Starvation. Pirates. Hurricanes. Rich experiences all.

Gods this woman is so spoiled. She has no idea of the world outside her bubble.

Jersey Fled said...

The perfect liberal programs have the following attributes:

1. They start with a lie.
2. They require massive loss of freedom or treasure by everyone else, but cost liberals themselves very little.
3. They impute virtue to themselves while demonizing everyone else.





tim in vermont said...

"Why not just go to church on Sunday to pray for atonement?”

Because that’s all fairy tales and this is SCIENCE. We know it’s science because the newspaper reporters who tell us about it say it is! Of course the actual science is far more measured and ambiguous, but that’s just because scientists are afraid to blindly proclaim unequivocally what they don’t actually know.... wusses!

rhhardin said...

Reusable grocery bags let you pile a lot more groceries onto your bicycle.

Nest several to get thermal insulation for cold foods.

Also buy frozen foods when you buy milk - it keeps the milk good a week longer if you can keep it cold on the way home.

Quayle said...

So let me get this straight. We no longer like the old social norms such as those derived from the 10 Commandments and the sermon on the mount. These old norms were often not convenient to what we wanted to do so now we don’t believe they are a necessary foundation to a healthy society. But you gotta have some norms so, we create new social norms.

And now we’re surprised that people don’t want to live the new social norms when it’s not convenient?

Hummm. Maybe the issue isn’t what one is doing in benefit of society, rather *why* one is doing it, or more accurately whether one is thinking of themselves over others or others over themselves. I personally have no doubt that there are people who are humbly changing their lifestyles to lower their carbon footprint for the betterment of their fellow man. And I believe they no way shall lose their reward.

tim in vermont said...

I think the technical term for a re-usable grocery bag is “germ vector."

jaydub said...

Thought for the day: Air travel contributes about 2-3% of US CO2 emissions while electrical energy generation produces 27.5% of US CO2 emissions. All the CO2 produced by electrical generation comes from burning fossil fuels. So, if we really need to reduce our CO2 generation why doesn't Ms Hyphenated advocate converting all fossil fuel burning plants to nuclear plants where we could reduce CO2 generation by ten times the amount we could reduce it by totally banning all air travel? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

rhhardin said...

If you have a bicycle with a freewheel (as opposed to a casette) put as much grocery weight on the front wheel as possible. The rear axle will fatigue and break faster under load. You can get an extra couple of years out of it by not loading it unnecessarily.

tim in vermont said...

We have eaten from the apple of technology and so have been cast out of the garden, but if we repent, we can return. This isn’t religion, it’s SCIENCE.

Fen said...

Pointman had these people down perfect. I even think that's our Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow in the middle.

Note the homeless chap just outside their selfie to their right...

Daniel Jackson said...

Maybe it is time for a national high speed train network to connect coastal and transcontinental urban areas. As it is now, there is no rational alternative to flying. The Amtrak system is a national disgrace. The distance from Paris to Marseille is about 480 miles--7.5+ hours by car, 3.5 hours by train. Electric, too.

Fen said...

If you have a bicycle with a freewheel (as opposed to a casette) put as much grocery weight on the front wheel as possible. The rear axle will fatigue and break faster under load. You can get an extra couple of years out of it by not loading it unnecessarily.

And carry a small knife for when you run out of carbs while peddling home. A quick jab into the thigh should provide you with enough adrenaline and energy to make it home with whatever miracles you found on the shelves that day. Remember, freedom is slavery.

jaydub said...

It has been theorized that people who were shorts during the summer consume 6% less air conditioning than those who do not. Why can't we all just wear shorts to save the planet?

Mr. Forward said...

"In 2018, global air traffic passenger demand is estimated to increase by 7.4 percent on the year before. By 2019, traffic is projected to grow with another five percent."

Be There Now.

daskol said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

"It seems to me it’s degenerated down to nothing more than a climate trade convention, a work’s outing, a jolly, an annual occasion to meet like-minded people and feel good at doing something noble, and best of all, someone else is picking up the tab for your trips to exotic places like Cancun, Durban, Doha, Warsaw, New York and now Paris.

I can’t help but think that if you added up all the money it takes to assemble forty thousand people from all around the world in one city for two weeks, house them, feed them and entertain them, never mind provide conference facilities, how much real poverty relief that money could do."

daskol said...

Today is the Dem candidate climate summit. Will there be any questions about what the campaigners themselves will be doing like reducing air travel or at least using campaign funds to buy carbon offsets, or will questions be confined to what they're going to make us do?

Warren Dorn said...

I've never commented before. However, this is too timely. My wife directed me to a woman's clothing site that offers "climate credits." Taking a flight? Donate $10. Taking an international flight? Donate $20. Planning a wedding? Donate $160.
It's that simple to live guilt free and travel the world with your favorite hipsters while posting pictures on Instagram of you on an elephant in Thailand.
Here's the link: https://www.thereformation.com/categories/climate-credits

I've been reading this site for years. I'm making my first ever donation to Ann. (Then booking some flights for my wife and I to St. Thomas.)

Known Unknown said...

Wouldn't Greta Thunberg have made more of a point by just staying home?

Fen said...

Donald J. Trump: The U.S. may be getting a little bit lucky with respect to Hurricane Dorian, but please don’t let down your guard. As it heads up the coast, lots of very bad and unpredictable things can happen! On the other hand, the Bahamas have been devastated. We are sending crews to help!

Howard is still fapping off at the prospect of dead hurricane victims. Sicko.

Peter said...

Here's the very last word in progressive hypocrisy.

Fen said...

Gosh, all those fueled private jets parked so close together. Would be a shame if all the Climate Cons had to walk home...

Fen said...

Latest Hurricane Dorian Model: "We have no fricken idea where this thing is going"

LOL.

gilbar said...

"Many people who take pride in their green lifestyles—perhaps they bike to work and always carry a travel mug—also happen to be frequent flyers."


"Most posers who take pride in their lifestyles also happen to be huge hypocrits."
fify!

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

We would never think of driving an SUV

lol, good one. Thanks for the chuckle.

Paco Wové said...

"Maybe it is time for a national high speed train network"

Oh dear.

Fernandinande said...

We would never think of driving an SUV

Just do it!

stevew said...

How to explain the fact that Dorian veered north, skipping the opportunity to rain devastation and catastrophe on Mar a Lago? Because Gaia and the Climate Change gods are secret Trump supporters, of course.

CWJ said...

"Especially in the case of climate change—where the effects are dispersed, gradual, and tenuously linked to the causes..." Dispersed, gradual, and tenuously linked.
Almost an admission that its adherents don't know what they're talking about.

Hey Skipper said...

Pretentious twit, fatuous twaddle.

Sure, let’s stop flying. What happens to Hawaii? Caribbean Islands? Greece? Iceland?

I went to the Balkans last summer. Spectacular scenery. Friendly locals, so long as you don’t say anything nice about socialism. According to them, what’s keeping them from each others’ throats is all the money tourism is bringing in.

Warmenists are completely unthinking religious fanatics.

Francisco D said...

So, if we really need to reduce our CO2 generation why doesn't Ms Hyphenated advocate converting all fossil fuel burning plants to nuclear plants where we could reduce CO2 generation by ten times the amount

Because nuclear power will kill people, like at Three Mile Island ...

well ...

Bruce Hayden said...

“We would never think of driving an SUV”

“Just do it!”

Much easier to do here in rural America, where they are actually useful, and not just ostentatious. You don’t really understand their usefulness until you don’t have one. I got used to having a Tahoe, until I loaned it to my partner’s daughter and her husband to tow the Polaris she sold them around. When we were back in AZ, we would trade it back and forth. But left it for them when we came up to MT for this half the year. They trailered the Polaris with it from AZ up here, then over to N WI, and back to AZ in July. I have been informed by the boss that I am selling it to them this winter. Fine. It has 1 wheel drive. I need one with 4wd. Actually, my dream is a sedan and a SUV at both homes, here in MT, and back in AZ, along with my rather aged now pickup. That way we can fly back and forth, instead of drive - our trip up here last spring took 6 days. We need a SUV up here for our biweekly shopping trips out of town. With the Tahoe down in PHX this summer, we have survived with a large rocket box on top of the Audi. Used to be able to just put the backseat down, but now the cat takes up a lot of it, hence the rocket box.

But that is fine, because I conveniently believe that more CO2 is good for the global environment. Plants grow better, alleviating starvation, etc. I wonder how many of these green posers realize that they are helping to cause people to starve around the world by reducing their CO2 output. Maybe they need to fly, preferably in a private jet, to third world countries to experience the starvation caused by their CO2 reductions.

Howard said...

Blogger Fen said...

Howard: You people sound more and more like -

LOL get fucked you marxist piece of shit.

Still praying your fellow Americans get killed by a hurricane so you can use their corpses as political props? You fetid cunt. Hanging is too good for you.


Just because you are in a vulnerable place doesn't mean you have to stop acting like a lady.

Caligula said...

Back when flying was riskier, there used to be kiosks at airports where one could buy life insurance.

Perhaps what's needed today are airport kiosks where one can buy environmental indulgences?

Michael K said...

That way we can fly back and forth, instead of drive -

I did the same thing in Tucson before we moved here permanently. I would park my Ford F 150 at the Tucson airport ($2.00/day) and come over every other weekend from Thursday to Monday. It was cheaper top park i9t there than use the shuttle.

I gave that Ford to my son when I gave up the house in Tucson. He traded it in for a new truck. That was a great truck.

I would like to have it here now but we both have suvs. You can rent a PU at Home Depot for $20.

Michael said...

Yes, Progressive virtue-signalling as opposed to actual sacrifice.

What gave her her first clue?

Ralph L said...

Used to be able to just put the backseat down, but now the cat takes up a lot of it, hence the rocket box.

Cats love boxes.

Mr. Forward said...

Caligula 8:56 Yes, Airport indulgences, packed in a in a Canvas bag that's says "I'm Sorry." A large canvas bag.

Michael K 9:38 Dang! $20 Home Depot rental truck vs. 50k for new truck plus 40k for garage to put it in. On top of that the nearest Home Depot is within walking range. I think you just ruined my day.

PM said...

I live among super-mouthy enviros whose greatest passion is taking trips to Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa to ride bicycles.

Anonymous said...

I have wondered before about the need for business travel when there are so many ways to communicate now, where you can be there without actually being there.

If you're trying to make a deal, there's no substitute for in person contact. Most people want to trust their business partners, and that's best established with in-person body language and behavior.

Wilbur said...

Twenty-five years ago I used to fly up to central Illinois from Miami to visit my parents. I'd usually rent a car at the Indianapolis airport, but one time a friend drove over to pick me up. I went to Enterprise in my home town and they rented me a full sized car for … $10 a day. I figured it was less than a car payment for that car.

chuck said...

There was a song made about those people:


Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same,

MadisonMan said...

Everyone should buy Airline Stock - the flights are all full and Companies are making profits -- and use the dividends to plant trees as atonement. Wear uncomfortable clothes while doing the planting.

Inkling said...

There's another factor at play here. In the startup phase of cellular phones I worked for one of the companies entering the market. The assumption was that cell phones would be like the radio-telephones of the past. They'd be installed in cars and cost so much only the affluent could afford them. Motorola's brick-sized portable cell phone was laughed at. But look at what happened. Cell phones became items we carry with us and their prices dropped to the point where poor people not only have them but prefer them to wireline phones.

The changes of the last few decades have been hard on those among the rich who think they deserve a better lifestyle than the rest of us. Cell phones are one example. Global air travel is another, as is air-conditioning and a private automobile. And what are they doing? It's all too obvious. They're trying to drive up the cost of us doing most of those things, with cell phones being the only exception. That perk for the poor is now impossible to get back into the 'rich only' box.