The Planet Earth series by the BBC, aired on Discovery Channel last year, is one of the most fantastic documentaries I have seen. It is intensely beautiful, educational, and interesting beyond compare. 5 years and 25 million dollars went into the production of this amazing series. Thinking about the importance of this show and its impact on awareness and conservation across the globe on a $25M budget, I cant help but wonder what kind of impact this type of work could have if only we reserved a fraction of the resources we use in Iraq for conservation efforts. Right now, the cost of the war in Iraq is upwards of $450 billion. I have no idea how to interpret an amount like that.
Looking at what the BBC crew was able to accomplish imparts a sense of pride to me in the potential of human ingenuity. Looking at what the US has accomplished instills in me a fear of the self-destructive power of human hostility. Lastly, looking at what my hometown of Cerritos has accomplished with the construction of a $40M "state-of-the-art" library w/ underground parking structure just makes me frustrated at the ambivalence of upper-middle class America.
$25M was spent on educating people on the importance of conserving diversity of life on this place we call home, and $450B has been spent on destroying life. It doesn't seem equitable, does it?
1 comment:
What do you mean by the "ambivalence of upper middle-class America"?
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