LIES

LIES

Lies are Loud, Truth is Silent

You all know the famous quote: There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics. When I look around me today what I see is that not only all 3 kinds of lies, but the fact that people WANT TO accept lies more than truth. That is very disconcerting, yet, upon deeper reflection, totally understandable – because the truth hurts and lies are comforting. Of course, this Chinese saying is also true: “Lies have short legs”.

But for fun let’s start out with some truths. I was pushed to reflect upon lies by 3 recent events – a presentation I made recently for an environmental group in Cornwall about the lies of plastic Recycling, a person whose lies were making my life miserable and a recent posting from Sarah O’Connor [1]which I quote below about Lies. I am going to quote her and then run off, because I have work to do because of the person who lied to me and made my life miserable. So, Sarah, let’s go!

 

“This won’t come as a shock to most of my readers, but it was all a l ie. I watched industry transform every form of packaging into plastic, only to later discover my naivete. Recycling was corporate propaganda to gain public support for cheaper plastic packaging, propel a burgeoning petrochemicals industry, and offload accountability.  For decades, we’ve been force-fed a narrative of individual responsibility designed to protect corporate profits. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo founded “Keep America Beautiful”, best known for its crying Indian (who is actually an Italian actor) PSA.

While distracted by personal responsibility, we feed the system by buying into its lies about its own actions. We consume more of its shit because, according to them, it smells better now. Efficiency, renewables, carbon capture, recycling—each propaganda perpetrated on a public desperate to maintain the status quo by a kleptocracy willing to eat itself in the name of money. The lie goes beyond plastics. Energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture, fabric bags, water bottles are all victims of corporate spin.

Energy Efficiency and Jevons Paradox

The idea that efficiency leads to an improved outcome for the environment is a pervasive lie. This is demonstrated by an economic concept called Jevons Paradox. This concept argues efficiency improvements lead to an increase in total consumption. Technology lowers the cost-per-unit of a resource, which triggers its adoption across new industries and causes aggregate demand to explode. As automobiles have become more energy efficient, total miles driven has exploded (yes, partly a function of population and number of vehicles, but IMO that supports the point – when things are cheaper people do all the things that make total usage rise, including having more kids, immigrating, buying a second car)”……

So, what are we to do? First accept that you are often being lied to – a lot, often by well meaning people and often by people smarter than you who can manipulate your good intentions with almost magical power. Second, spend time figuring out what is a lie and what is truth. And third, and most importantly, change your behaviour in response to the lies you discover. Good Luck!

Reference

1. https://www.collapse2050.com/money-is-more-important-than-life/?ref=collapse-newsletter