Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Oil Spill

BP has launched a $50 million PR campaign to try and restore their image in the eyes of the public. My reaction? What a sad waste of money. Why is it that they dump millions of dollars into a shallow attempt at making us like them again, when really they should be pouring that money into fixing the problem. A lovely commercial starring Tony Hayward doesn't fix things for the fisher put out of work desperate to pay the mortgage and the bird slathered in crude oil desperate for a breath of fresh air.

But then, is it fair to point all the blame at BP? Sure, they're the ones at fault for this particular situation, but aren't we all enablers? Our oil addiction has caused this mess and perhaps it is time for us to reevaluate our habits. Jim Wallis has some pretty potent words to say about the matter, calling us (the community of faith in particular) to take a stand.

There have been a lot of interesting reactions to this situation, from Spike Lee's typical anger, to Sarah Palin blaming the environmentalists. Amidst all this anger and simplistic arguments, I appreciate Obama's response to this issue. The media wants a sensational reaction of emotion from him, reminiscent of Jesus overthrowing the tables in anger. But Obama isn't yelling. He isn't letting emotion hinder his quest for a solution. I just hope he is doing something to solve this problem. I think we would be wise to follow his lead by avoiding bouts of rage and instead maintain level heads. Yes, this catastrophe is unfortunate. Yes, we're in a heap of trouble. So what are we going to do about it?

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