The other e mail was from Live Earth. I used their carbon calculator a few weeks ago and have been bombarded by e mails from them ever since. I don’t like e mails like this, they annoy me. I know that I did something on their stupid site weeks ago and I don’t need to be reminded every few days. All the same I clicked on something on their stupid site and discovered this: every now and again the O in the corner of the screen turns into SOS. This stands for SAVE OUR SELVES. Is it just me, or does anyone have a problem with this? Isn’t that just a little ... selfish? Do we ignore the ring necked possums whose habitats we’ve destroyed? Wasn’t it saving our selves that got us into this mess in the first place?
So I suppose that already being a bit niggled by this site I was looking for stuff to annoy me. It didn’t take very long to find it though. Right there on the other side of the header are the corporate sponsors of Live Earth: smart, Philips and MSN. Yes! smart who make those rinky dink cars that tell the world it’s alright to have only one person in the car and that pedestrian crossings are for parking on. I hate them, I really do, but now I hate them even more. Listen to this crap:
Why should people spend more money on gas than on the milk they carry home? The smart fortwo cdi (diesel version) is the only car that gets 60 miles per gallon! That not only saves money, it also saves our environment.
Oh, but if that’s not enough, get this:
smart helps tackle this global challenge by taking action and retaining the fun factor in driving.
The only way I can finish is by saying that I am flabbergasted by the hypocrisy of this. I’m thinking of writing them a letter asking them what was the criteria for the choice of their corporate sponsors, but in the end I don’t know. There’s a part of me that says that some of what Live Earth is doing is good: it’s a big event, it’s brash, it’s spreading awareness, but it’s being done in such a clumsy way that even the Daily Mail can pick a million faults in it and I really hate it when I agree with that trashy newspaper. Do we have to dumb down the message to spread it?
6 comments:
Hi Verilion,
I'm the administrator from the Bookarazzi site...
I tried to email you but the email bounced from the email address you entered into the site. Sadly Bookarazzi membership is only open to BloggersWithBookDeals members.
More info here (http://www.bookarazzi.com/front/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113&Itemid=54).
Sorry for the misunderstanding! It's our fault, we didn't make it clear enough.
Cheers
Clare.
Boo hoo, I'm not good enough! No, actually, I did get your mail, so I figured I just wouldn't activate it. Sorry I guess I should have replied. Now I better get on with writing, so that I can finally get a book deal. ( :
Hmm... I don't know anything about that particular site, Verilion, but if *I* had a book deal, I don't think I'd be too worried about such stuff.
Regarding the "Smart": There are plenty of them here in Japan, but I never really noticed: is there really only room for the driver? I see your point, but even so, if a single person needs a car (for work, etc.), isn't a Smart better than, say, an SUV?
Hi Kyklops, regarding the site above, I was directed towards it by a fellow blogger. It's no big deal (which I don't have - he he). And then the smart (note they don't even use a capital letter!!!) I agree that a smart is better than a SUV, but as a pedestrian I tend to (and I know this might be a little facist) go for public transport being better than a smart.
Hey Verilion!
I was so surprised the first time I saw a smart car.
I was in Paris... such a shock.
Who knows where it will all go lady. Who can say.
I DO like the bicycle deal in Paris though, I think that's a really good idea.
Be back soon,
Scarlett & V.
OH Kyklops BTW forgot to answer your question. No two people can get in it, but they are designed for city driving (so mostly there is only one person in it), so if for instance you wanted to drive across the channel and visit your family, there's no luggage space! smart hey?
And I can imagine it was a shock seeing such a tiny car Scarlett! And the bicycles are really taking off. I've walked past many a bike stop now and they have ALL been pretty much empty. I was also sat with some friends last night watching the cyclists go round and round the roundabout because they obviously weren't quite sure where the next park was. Wish I wasn't such a scaredy cat, although apparently the bikes weigh 22 kilos!!!!
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