Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Beneficent Billionaire-ism?
Following his speech to the United Nations general assembly, Ted Turner, the nation's largest single private landowner, appeared on Charlie Rose to share his worldview and his ideas for solving the world's biggest issues. In his speech before the UN Turner announced his alliance with Lutherans and Methodists in eradicating malaria, and apologized for calling Christianity a "religion for losers". While such heavy-handed language is, if nothing else, highly unproductive, allow me to digress in agreeing with him when he says "I find it really hard to believe I'm going to hell".
And but so, Ted and Charlie talked for an hour about the environment, war and immigration, among other things. I had always been largely ambivalent toward Turner, though I do remember cheering his decision to give $1 billion to the UN in 1997, but I must admit the man has made a fan of me. Turner has been criticized for something like faux environmentalism, in particular for his poisoning of countless fish and possibly trying to control ever-dwindling water resources in the Great Plains, but he seems genuinely passionate about preserving the planet and the future of humanity. To that end he listed the four main problems facing humanity today: nuclear proliferation, climate change, rising population and pollution. Turner believes nothing less than a full-on mobilization of World War II proportions, not just in the United States but across the globe, is necessary to stave off the end of civilization. He said that war is no longer an effective method for accomplishing anything and that human rights, while worth fighting for, don't matter much if society has crumbled from drought and food shortages resulting from environmental degradation. He even went so far as to paint a picture in which the vast majority of humans have died from starvation or some other calamity and the survivors resort to cannibalism.
As an aside, this scenario is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's masterful novel The Road, which book has inspired in my head on several occasions dreams wherein I am rummaging through abandoned houses looking for food or supplies.
Anyway, I haven't yet come across footage of the UN speech but I did find his updated version of the Ten Commandments. I challenge anyone to disagree with any of these principles. I challenge myself to live up to them.
And but so, Ted and Charlie talked for an hour about the environment, war and immigration, among other things. I had always been largely ambivalent toward Turner, though I do remember cheering his decision to give $1 billion to the UN in 1997, but I must admit the man has made a fan of me. Turner has been criticized for something like faux environmentalism, in particular for his poisoning of countless fish and possibly trying to control ever-dwindling water resources in the Great Plains, but he seems genuinely passionate about preserving the planet and the future of humanity. To that end he listed the four main problems facing humanity today: nuclear proliferation, climate change, rising population and pollution. Turner believes nothing less than a full-on mobilization of World War II proportions, not just in the United States but across the globe, is necessary to stave off the end of civilization. He said that war is no longer an effective method for accomplishing anything and that human rights, while worth fighting for, don't matter much if society has crumbled from drought and food shortages resulting from environmental degradation. He even went so far as to paint a picture in which the vast majority of humans have died from starvation or some other calamity and the survivors resort to cannibalism.
As an aside, this scenario is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's masterful novel The Road, which book has inspired in my head on several occasions dreams wherein I am rummaging through abandoned houses looking for food or supplies.
Anyway, I haven't yet come across footage of the UN speech but I did find his updated version of the Ten Commandments. I challenge anyone to disagree with any of these principles. I challenge myself to live up to them.
Labels: Charlie Rose, global warming, Ted Turner
# posted by workplex @ 20:25 
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