Hey, Earth Day: Being Aware Isn't As Good As Giving A Shit

By Roode

Earth Day. This is the day I'm supposed to prance around wearing shorts made of hemp and make out with trees. Right? No? No, wait, that's Arbor Day.

We must appreciate trees. Mankind needs something to slash and burn.

According to the soon to be sentient Wikipedia (laugh, but it will be an event of SkyNet proportions) Earth Day is:

... a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

Frankly, I'm not sure how we couldn't be "aware" of the Earth's environment. It slaps us in the face every minute of every day. Driving to the store: environment. Cutting the grass: environment. Smoking a cigar while burning a pile of bald tires: environment.

What? Is burning used tires a bad thing now?

The other part of the definition is "appreciation." That's not going to happen. Sorry, but appreciating something more than internet porn and schlitz with today's society is too tall an order. The most recent generation doesn't appreciate the gut-wrenching bullshit previous generations went through to ensure they can act like pretentious emo pricks. Little things like abolish slavery, win World War II, the Civil Rights movement, and the Industrial Revolution. We're in the era of "Gimme Now, Gimme Fast." For shit's sake, kids, today, don't know where the goddamn milk they put in the mochiatos comes from!

More mysterious than Bigfoot and less exciting than Game Stop.

Hey, I'm AWARE that grain alcohol will make me go blind. I just don't CARE. Awareness, from cancer to butt crack exposure, doesn't accomplish shit. Great! Now people are aware that the environment exists and taking a dump in someone's well water is a bad thing. So, what now? Being "aware" is more useless than having Ellen Degenerous judging on American Idol.

Seriously, was Gallagher busy?

The trick is to get people to give a shit. I'm not talking about giving a shit on the same level as Ed Begley Jr. or the environmental equivalent to the Irish Republican Army, Greenpeace. There is a line between giving a shit and being an outright annoying and insufferable asshole. Especially when it seems like the biggest advocates are full of crap. We're looking at you, Al Gore.

Sure, this guy is AWARE he's taking a nap on the train tracks. He just doesn't care.

The preachers of green doctrine want us to believe that the individual has the power to reverse global warming, heal the rain forests, and re-freeze glaciers.

This poor bastard got a head full of that doctrine. It got him an indescribable tank tread crushing .

Get ready, here it comes; I'm going to rain all over your environmental circle jerk parade.

Seek shelter, because this mother fucker is gonna pour!

I recycle, because my wife is annoyingly saintly. As a single man, it was perfectly acceptable for me to use my apartment as a land fill/future archaeological artifact pit. Most people won't recycle unless they legally have to. In areas without mandatory recycling, people seem pretty content mixing their plastics with used condoms and broken dreams.

Above: Your plans to be a doctor and
Pabst Blue Ribbon fueled disappointment.

Take a look at your local airport next time you're being pissed on by an airline. Most will have recycling bins next to regular old trash cans. People chuck their plastic bottles and paper in the trash can. The recycling bin is literally 1 inch away, but they STILL dump their recyclable shit in the refuse. Why? Because mankind is a species of lazy and thoughtless fuckers. Alright, MOST of mankind is a species of lazy and thoughtless fuckers. A healthy portion is just plain rock stupid. Even with step by step instructions, colorful maps, and cheerful muppets some people are still confused about the whole brown glass vs. clear glass deal.

Even Oscar the Grouch is feeling pressure from the green movement and he's pissed about it.

You can completely green-out, reusing bacon fat and building a Rube Goldberg machine to separate your plastics from your used toilet paper. There is absolutely no guarantee that smelly mess you so painstakingly separated will make it to a recycling plant, let alone not be exported to a third world country with a healthy helping of medical waste. Take this epic bullshit play a couple of British recycling contractors [allegedly] pulled on Brazil. Worldwide Biorecyclables Ltd and UK Multiplas Ltd are accused of being liberal with their definition of plastic recyclables. In an alleged international act of douche-baggery, the companies threw in bags of blood and dirty syringes to round out the shipment. Hey, a little bit of medical waste never hurt anyone.

Oh, yeah.

Back to the "awareness" vs. "giving a shit" issue. There is no contest. "giving a shit" is the only savior the green movement has. Look at this way: the U.S. was quite "aware" that the Japanese bombed the shit out of Pearl Harbor. If this country stopped with "awareness" Hawaii would belong to the Japanese today. Standing around the shipyard pointing as you mumble to your adjutant, "I am aware the Arizona is sinking and there are tons of men trapped," won't really help the situation "Why, yes commander, we are aware Japan has kicked us in the nuts and declared war." See how being "aware" absolutely didn't do a fucking thing? You know what did? "Giving a shit."

"I'm aware that another ship full of sailors over there has just sunk."

"Giving a shit" isn't content to point its fingers around and count the damage. "Giving a shit" wants, no, DEMANDS we get off our asses and do something about it. While that "awareness" pussy is sulking on the dock, aware that another cruiser is on fire and sinking faster than a fat chick from a Tru TV reality show in a tub of fudge,"give a shit" said, "Mother fucker! Find out what's going on, who did it, and their home addresses. Let all of us work as one to a common goal. We will be strong in out unity and resolve!"

See what giving a shit gets you? Flaming hot, radioactive JUSTICE!

No, man. "Give a shit" needs more. Don't get me wrong. To "give a shit" you have to, first, become aware of the situation. Then you move the fuck on to constructive action. If your first urge after absorbing the Earth Day doctrine is to show up with a bunch of sandal wearing, hairy, slacked jawed, wannabe hippies toting signs, then my friend, you are part of the problem. FWTC can't help you.

No, sir. We wash our hands of it.

Continuously bitching while holding signs and throwing environmentally friendly red paint on people to raise their awareness of animal abuse and shouting "You're murders!" isn't a way to make friends. It's no where near the way to garner support for your cause. Especially if it's during a thousand man BIKER RALLY. You, my hippie friend, will not accomplish jack. I mean other than getting your asses handed to you over and over again or being duct taped to the bitch seat of a biker's ride, because his old lady couldn't make it and you're "close enough." Ask this group what it got them.

People are aware this dude is taped to that tree. They just don't give a shit.

Instead of regrouping and examining where they went wrong in their lives, the animal rights group became whinier and more self-righteous. In addition to the above treats, the soldiers in the "war against leather" found themselves being used as urinals, duct taped in fast food dumpsters, and encased in a silvery cocoon of duct tape in a tree (They truly are the Renaissance Men of duct tape). No, this is not a segment of Sons of Anarchy. If it were, it would be one of the coolest scenes ever! Shit! I just stopped writing to give myself a high five out of the sheer awesomeness a scene like that would bring. This shit went on for real this past January at the Johnstown, PA biker rally.

Pictured: Motorcycle enthusiasts that do not take being hit with red paint well.

"But, Roode" I can hear some unwashed, meatless diet following, red paint spewing asstard say. "How can you say the individual doesn't matter? Some of the greatest events in history have happened, because of 1 person."

First of all, shut the fuck up. I don't even know you, but I can smell you over the interwebs. For the rest of you, NO. Individuals haven't made a shit sack worth of difference. On their own, that is. Caesar didn't change ancient Rome by himself. He had an ass kicking, ball busting army to help. Harriet Beecher Stowe may have written one hell of a tome about the injustice of slavery, but it was a shitload of individuals that fought against it and, finally, a government that had to outlaw it. Lincoln may have wanted to outlaw slavery in the second half of your Civil War, but if he was the only one, his ass wouldn't have been elected in the first place.

"What? I'm the ONLY one that thinks slavery is a bad idea? Fine, let's just go back to killing Indians."

Not only does one person have to give a shit, tens of thousands have to. Finally, enough people will give a shit that the government HAS to take notice. This is the tricky part. The government can be "aware" of things until the sun turns into a bran muffin. They need to give a shit too or at least pretend for re-election. Or, in the case of the American Revolutionary War, get tossed out and replaced by a government that makes "give a shit" their motto (well, for 80 years or so). See? Giving a shit is a lot harder than it looks.

Let's face it, giving a shit requires too much energy for most people. It's a lot easier to bitch and moan while holding a protest line in front of a Carl's Jr. You just stand there, chant ridiculous rhyming tag lines, and endure the police beatings that follow. So, you protesters and activists can go back to your display of awareness and hand holding. Maybe I'm wrong about all of this. I'm sure the Earth will be just fine for future generations with awareness, alone.

Oh.

Sincerely,
Roode