Thursday 7 September 2006

Save... Save who?

"Save The Planet? The planet isn't going anywhere. We are. We're going away, pack your shit folks. We won't leave much of a trace either...Maybe a little Styrofoam. The planet will be here, we'll be long gone, just another failed mutation...The planet will shake us off like a bad case of fleas, a surface nuisance. You want to know how the planet's doing? Ask those people at Pompeii who are frozen into position..." - George Carlin

hahahaha... Well done Mr Carlin. That puts things into perspective. Should we change our slogan to "save the human kind"? Huummm... Are we vanishing soon enough to save the earth? I don't know. We humans are tough, you know.

If we reduced the population of the world to 100 people just as an experiment, keeping the actual proportions, there would be 57 Asiatics, 21 Europeanss, 8 Africanss and 4 Americanss. 52 would be women, 48 would be men, 70 would be non-white, 30 would be white, 70 would be non Christianss, 30 would be Christians (sigh...), 89 would be heterosexuals and 11 would be homosexuals. 6 people would possess 59% of all mundane riches and all 6 would be Americans. From all 100 people, 80 of them would life in subhuman conditions. 70 would be analphabets, 50 would be undernourished, 1 would be about to die, 1 would be about to be born, and only 1, ladies and gentlemen, would have a university degree. There would be also 1 lucky bastard who owns a computer. It if wasn't me, it would be my husband, of course.

So if you woke up healthy this morning you're luckier than millions of people that didn't make through this week. If you have never experienced the perils of war, never felt the loneliness of prison, never felt the agony of being tortured or the afflictionss of hunger you are better off than 500 million people. If you can go to church or to your chosen holy place without the fear of being humiliated, arrested, tortured or killed, than you are more fortunate than 3 billion people.

If you have food in the fridge, clothes in your wardrobe (or everywhere in the room like me), a ceiling above your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world population. If you save some money in the bank and in your money pig you are among the richest 8%. If your parents are together and still alive you are a very rare person. And since you are reading this, you are "safer" than the 2 billion analphabets.

I'm ok, really. Can't complain. Sorry for the heavy post, but I thought you would like to think about the world this way for a few moments, on a different scale.

13 comments:

Twit said...

I'm there most of the time, Paula.

It's the only way I manage to negate the constant stream of "lifestyle" bullshit that we're fed.

It's either that or go live in a cave somewhere.

Hertz Hertz said...

:-)

Indigobusiness said...

I'm guessing an analphabet is the flip side of an oralphabet, but what the hell is a a phabet?

Good post.

Hertz Hertz said...

hahahahhahahaha...

you guys and the orifices...

Indigobusiness said...

It's what we live for.

Lazy said...

"There would be also 1 lucky bastard who owns a computer. It if wasn't me, it would be my husband, of course."

dam' right

paningit said...

i will be the asian-african transvestite that will own about 20 percent of all the world's riches. i'll have a degree and i'll own a computer.

i'm guessing by noon, the 99 people would find a way to blast me off to the moon.

Anonymous said...

nice post , we actually use it in our presentaion ... in AIESEC(world's largest youth organisation
) but it asks for real thinking folks , its high time an nw we shud get serious

Indigobusiness said...

I'll be the guy with the broom, at the end of the parade.

It's way too late to get serious, Serpent, we are well past the tipping point. The real thinkers were ignored. All we can truly do is creatively kiss our sweet ass goodbye.

Watch.

Hertz Hertz said...

" we are well past the tipping point. The real thinkers were ignored. All we can truly do is creatively kiss our sweet ass goodbye."

Well said! If you don't mind I will use your words inbetween sogs with my band, and Dave Bones band, "The Impossible"

Indigobusiness said...

By all means. I'm flattered you'd want to, Paula.

So, that IS the name of the band.

I want to hear something from the band, I've been wondering if you'd post some sound files of your vocals? The suspense is killing me.

Lazy said...

Send him the Prozac song, Paula (and send me a copy, I love it...) I'll send him "I just wanna get laid, why does it have to be so complicated?" as soon as I've got round to convert the sound file from my old mobile...

I.:.S.:. said...

What is really rather surprising is that those 94 other people wouldn't rise against the six who each had ten times the amount they needed.

Of course at some point this metaphor of 100 people breaks down, because 100 people can all know each other and there are not enough of them to create the swirling chaotic system that is our world.

I thought the proportion would have been even more unequal. According to a UN report I once read, the three richest individuals in the world own as much as the 18 poorest nations.

I don't know who they are, though I bet they go to Bohemian Grove... If I find out, I will think about despatching suicide bombers.