Here’s the scenario: the editor of the New York Times (or any newspaper you prefer) calls you and says you’ve been selected to write an op-ed for tomorrow’s edition. You have carte blanche to write about anything you want. This is your one chance to broadcast a message to the entire world. What would your topic be? Feel free to add a reason or summary. I’m still thinking of mine.
“Why you should purchase and read the sci-fi novel Spindown”.
Reason: this would probably improve the sales of my novel.
“Why schoolteachers shouldn’t have to raise other people’s kids.”
Teachers these days are expected, not to teach the three R’s, but teach them behavior, sensitivity, even how to tie their shoes. And if a kid doesn’t do well it’s the teachers’ fault.
“John Lennon’s Imagine should be sung by school children in place of pledges of allegiance each morning”
…except replace “brotherhood of man” with something more modern and gender-neutral.
I’d talk about the dangers of organized religion and promote deprogramming people who were brainwashed and feel trapped in a religion they never chose, wanted, or needed.
A plan of action about transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy.
It would, as much as possible, focus on the positive benefits of such a change, and spend only a small amount of time on climate change. And to the extent I spent time on the latter, it would be in risk reduction rather than hard claims about what is going to happen (you wear your seat belt even though you don’t think you’ll get into an accident).
Solar + wind for most generation. Stop closing nuclear plants. Look to build more nuclear, but do not assume it will be built in time. Assume fusion will play no role at all. More storage, especially battery. A North American supergrid. Electric everything except long-range air travel, and carbon-neutral hydrocarbons for that. Less focus on plastics and industrial chemicals that use hydrocarbons but mostly don’t put it in the atmosphere. And so on.
Spend some time on distinguishing different types of pollution. We have lots of time to figure out recycling–it doesn’t alter the composition of the atmosphere. And for the most part there are plenty of materials available. We can solve the problem of recycling wind turbines later. But we can’t reverse the effects of burning oil.
The dangers of passing all these anti-trans laws, and how it’s literally going to cost people, especially young people, their lives.
“Why we shouldn’t make Puerto Rico or D.C. a steak”
You think they prefer pork?
Thank you Emily Litella.
Here’s mine:
The aviation industry completely changed its culture to improve safety, and it was a huge success. Medicine and law enforcement must now do the same.
I would probably drone on and on about too much homework for kids these days. Both as a parent and a teacher, it seems silly to me.