As Americans, we are hardwired to believe in technology and progress. We are taught from an early age about how important technology has been to the American experiment, from the cotton gin to the computer. We are told that through technology our lives will inevitably become better.
This technological triumphalism, however, is a myth built on a house of cards. So while technology has the potential to make our lives better, it also has the potential to cause debilitating harm. We have witnessed technological hubris first-hand with the massive oil-spill in the Gulf of Mexico and are currently watching the nuclear meltdown of several power plants in Japan. These accidents were all man-made and a direct result of poor policy choices. What these catastrophes should make clear to policy makers now is that we need to immediately change course, especially on energy issues.
The most important issue that we must first deal with is how to end our reliance on oil. We can only do this by an immediate and rapid switch to renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, and thermal power. Each of these requires a great deal of investment in technology, which is the right kind of investment that will benefit us in long run. Yet, as Americans we have fallen behind China on investment in solar technology and other forms of renewable energy. Instead of being at the forefront of positive technological innovation, we’ve adopted some of the worst policy positions on energy using pernicious technology instead.
This fact is best illustrated by President Obama’s abysmal energy record. He opened up offshore oil and natural gas drilling off the coast of the United States in March of 2010. The very next month, the Deepwater Horizon explosion caused the worst oil-spill in our nation’s history. The short-term consequences from this event were a temporary freeze on new offshore drilling permits and the massive ecological devastation of the Gulf. The long-term consequences of this event are still being documented and it has already exacerbated the vast dead-zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of changing course, the Obama Administration has doubled-down on its wrongheaded strategy and has since lifted the ban on offshore drilling. What this tragedy should make clear is that adopting old technology to extract dirty sources of energy is extremely problematic for both us and the environment.
Another failure of Obama’s energy policy was his adoption of nuclear power as a “clean” source of energy. In fact, he supported an $8.3 billion-dollar loan guarantee for the construction of the first new nuclear power plant in United States in over thirty years. He took this position in spite of the fact that there are huge drawbacks to nuclear power, such as the possibility of apocalyptic nuclear meltdowns, there is no safe way to store nuclear waste, and that nuclear power plants are more expensive to build and maintain as compared to every other type of power plant. Furthermore, the nuclear meltdowns in Japan buttress the dangerous nature of this technology. It should be eminently clear that this archaic technology needs to be retired, not encouraged.
What is amazing about the previous two examples is that both offshore drilling and nuclear energy have been hallmark Republican energy proposals for last several decades that Democrats have traditionally opposed. Instead of listening to the saner voices in his caucus, President Obama has adopted bad policy positions from the Republican Party. These policies have been tried before and failed. The great compromiser Obama (well only with the Republicans, not liberals in his own party) would rather adopt failed policies from his political opponent’s rather than chart out a bold new path towards sustainable energy. The continued use of these antiquated, failed technologies is harmful for both us and the environment.
President Obama, Congress, and other policy makers need to rapidly change course on energy policy. Although President Obama has offered tepid proposals on sustainable energy, a lot more needs to be done and fast. Through our hubris, we have challenged the very laws of nature and are now beginning to feel the negative consequences. What all of these various technological disasters should demonstrate to us as a nation is that technology and progress do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. Murphy’s Law often prevails. If there is anything good we can learn from the Gulf oil disaster and the Japanese meltdowns is that technological hubris will cause blowback. We must end offshore drilling and prevent the construction of new nuclear power plants. Instead of sticking to harmful and antiquated technologies, Americans need to rapidly adopt positive technology that will help us achieve a sustainable energy future. As Albert Einstein once put it, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Taking Freedom Seriously
One of the most important aspects of the demonstrations going on in countries across the Middle East has been that people are willing to challenge tyrannical governments through protest. In Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Lebanon, thousands of people are coming out en masse to protest their governments’ actions. These mass demonstrations have already toppled the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia on January 14th and are having a dramatic impact on President Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt. But why, after all these years, have people started to protest? Are protests an effective way to bring about positive change? And what implications does this have for other tyrannical regimes in the Middle East?
These protests have generally been explained as mass uprisings by lay people who are fed up with living under despotic and sclerotic governments. Some commenters have explained that the roots of these crises are people’s desire for freedom. Others have argued that these protests have a material basis, and that what people really want are jobs and lower prices for staple goods. A debate rages on about whether these protests are primarily about political liberty or economic security. Although it is unclear which of the two factors is more important, what is preeminently clear is that both of this issues matter and that there is tremendous dissatisfaction within the body politic.
But can protests bring about positive change? The answer again is unclear. There are examples of protests that have led to successful revolutions. For example, American colonists protested British taxation policies which, in turn, led to the successful America Revolution. More recently, decolonization across the world has led to the development of dozens of new countries. Hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia have been living in independent states for several decades now with mixed results. Some of these societies—like Malaysia—have prospered and are developing rapidly. Unfortunately, many other postcolonial societies ended up with regimes as tyrannical—if not worse—than their former colonial masters. However, what will ultimately determine the success or failure of these current protests is the degree to which these popular mass movements can gain control of the institutions of power in society and use these institutions for the greater good.
All of this suggests a complex future for the states across the Middle East. Countries like Egypt, with an unpopular government backed by the US, will have to reform or face revolution. At this point, however, it seems that incremental reform has become impossible. With protesters out in force from Cairo to Beriut and everywhere in between, we are entering a new chapter in the history of the modern Middle East. Tyrannical regimes in the region should be worried because they will have to answer to their people. It is my hope that the people of the region will reshape their states and create better societies for their own future.
I am encouraged by the fact that people across the Middle East are protesting and challenging tyranny. Far too often, people are cowed by traditional power-elites and do not take their freedom seriously. So I tip my hat to my brothers and sisters across the Middle East and support their peaceful fight for freedom. Liberté, égalité, fraternité for all!
These protests have generally been explained as mass uprisings by lay people who are fed up with living under despotic and sclerotic governments. Some commenters have explained that the roots of these crises are people’s desire for freedom. Others have argued that these protests have a material basis, and that what people really want are jobs and lower prices for staple goods. A debate rages on about whether these protests are primarily about political liberty or economic security. Although it is unclear which of the two factors is more important, what is preeminently clear is that both of this issues matter and that there is tremendous dissatisfaction within the body politic.
But can protests bring about positive change? The answer again is unclear. There are examples of protests that have led to successful revolutions. For example, American colonists protested British taxation policies which, in turn, led to the successful America Revolution. More recently, decolonization across the world has led to the development of dozens of new countries. Hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia have been living in independent states for several decades now with mixed results. Some of these societies—like Malaysia—have prospered and are developing rapidly. Unfortunately, many other postcolonial societies ended up with regimes as tyrannical—if not worse—than their former colonial masters. However, what will ultimately determine the success or failure of these current protests is the degree to which these popular mass movements can gain control of the institutions of power in society and use these institutions for the greater good.
All of this suggests a complex future for the states across the Middle East. Countries like Egypt, with an unpopular government backed by the US, will have to reform or face revolution. At this point, however, it seems that incremental reform has become impossible. With protesters out in force from Cairo to Beriut and everywhere in between, we are entering a new chapter in the history of the modern Middle East. Tyrannical regimes in the region should be worried because they will have to answer to their people. It is my hope that the people of the region will reshape their states and create better societies for their own future.
I am encouraged by the fact that people across the Middle East are protesting and challenging tyranny. Far too often, people are cowed by traditional power-elites and do not take their freedom seriously. So I tip my hat to my brothers and sisters across the Middle East and support their peaceful fight for freedom. Liberté, égalité, fraternité for all!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Why Islamophobia Does Not Matter
Most Muslim Americans would tell you that there has been a rise in Islamophobia, which is the irrational fear or hatred of Islam. There have been numerous recent events that illustrate this trend, such as the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy, Qur’an burning, and the bombing of a Jacksonville Mosque. These events and other have come to collectively illustrate that there are people and groups in America that would like nothing more than to denigrate Islam and ostracize Muslims. This growth in Islamophobia has led some Muslims to feel alienated from mainstream society as a nascent awareness of their “otherness” has begun to take root. However, before Muslims begin to accept an inferior status in society, it is important to put Islam in America in context. I believe that by looking at Islam in America, one can see that Islamophobia does not really matter and is only a temporary setback for Muslims in America.
Islam in America is being practiced in a wide variety of ways by the estimated seven to ten million Muslim Americans. This group is comprised of both an indigenous and immigrant communities. The indigenous Muslim community is primarily composed of African-American converts who were first introduced to Islam through the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam in 1950s and 60s. That community eventually divided into two segments—one that continued to follow the Nation of Islam and another that moved towards mainstream Sunni Islam. In addition to the indigenous Muslim community, a large group of immigrant Muslims came to America after the passage of 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. This immigrant Muslim community was largely composed of well-educated professionals who were able to stake out their claims on the American Dream. Currently, Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and the community as a whole is a motley crew of first, second, and third generation immigrants and indigenous Muslims.
With the diversity of Islam in America, it is difficult to gauge the full spectrum of beliefs of the community. However, the most comprehensive research to date of Muslims in America was done in 2007 by the Pew Research Center. The key findings of that report was that Muslim Americans were largely middle-class, assimilated, and hold mainstream political opinions. In addition, nearly two-to-one (63%-32%) do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society. Overall what this research proved was that Muslim Americans did not have a problem reconciling their faith with their country and that Muslims are very much a part of the mainstream fabric of American society.
So if Muslims are mainstream members of our society, why has there been such a rise in hate-crimes and anti-Islamic rhetoric on the airwaves? Many people have addressed this issue and the general consensus is that Muslims are being targeted because it is politically convenient to demonize Islam and conflate it with terrorism because of the 9/11 attacks. However, Muslims in America are going through a hazing process that many other religious groups in America—ranging from the Catholics to the Jews—have already gone through only to emerge as stronger community because of it. I believe that this too will happen for Muslims in America.
The future for Muslims in America is bright. The bigots will not prevail and this recent spate of Islamophobia has provided room for a much-needed dialogue in our country. With an expanded dialogue, Americans will be exposed to what Islam in America is really all about. The sensationalist hatemongers will inevitably fall out of favor and Muslims will one-day find their place at the American table.
Islam in America is being practiced in a wide variety of ways by the estimated seven to ten million Muslim Americans. This group is comprised of both an indigenous and immigrant communities. The indigenous Muslim community is primarily composed of African-American converts who were first introduced to Islam through the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam in 1950s and 60s. That community eventually divided into two segments—one that continued to follow the Nation of Islam and another that moved towards mainstream Sunni Islam. In addition to the indigenous Muslim community, a large group of immigrant Muslims came to America after the passage of 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. This immigrant Muslim community was largely composed of well-educated professionals who were able to stake out their claims on the American Dream. Currently, Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and the community as a whole is a motley crew of first, second, and third generation immigrants and indigenous Muslims.
With the diversity of Islam in America, it is difficult to gauge the full spectrum of beliefs of the community. However, the most comprehensive research to date of Muslims in America was done in 2007 by the Pew Research Center. The key findings of that report was that Muslim Americans were largely middle-class, assimilated, and hold mainstream political opinions. In addition, nearly two-to-one (63%-32%) do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society. Overall what this research proved was that Muslim Americans did not have a problem reconciling their faith with their country and that Muslims are very much a part of the mainstream fabric of American society.
So if Muslims are mainstream members of our society, why has there been such a rise in hate-crimes and anti-Islamic rhetoric on the airwaves? Many people have addressed this issue and the general consensus is that Muslims are being targeted because it is politically convenient to demonize Islam and conflate it with terrorism because of the 9/11 attacks. However, Muslims in America are going through a hazing process that many other religious groups in America—ranging from the Catholics to the Jews—have already gone through only to emerge as stronger community because of it. I believe that this too will happen for Muslims in America.
The future for Muslims in America is bright. The bigots will not prevail and this recent spate of Islamophobia has provided room for a much-needed dialogue in our country. With an expanded dialogue, Americans will be exposed to what Islam in America is really all about. The sensationalist hatemongers will inevitably fall out of favor and Muslims will one-day find their place at the American table.
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