Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.08.2005, Side 8

I read an online article this morning
about a ‘war games’ simulation
conducted in America showing how
fuel prices could soar as a result
of certain events, such as terrorist
attacks in Saudi Arabia and Alaska,
political instability in Nigeria
and other scenarios. In short, fuel
supplies would be choked, the cost
of oil would soar to $120 per barrel,
gas would rise to $5.30 per gallon
and the U.S. would slide into an
economic recession.
Let’s put this in perspective,
current fuel prices in Iceland are
approximately 110 kronur per litre.
At today’s rate of exchange of 65
kronur per dollar, the cost of a gallon
of gasoline in Iceland is $6.43. Talk
about “crisis level” prices! The
current U.S. national average for
gasoline is $2.21 per gallon, that
would be 37.8 kronur per litre. If
we saw this price at our local gas
station, we would be shocked by the
amazing deal being offered. We
would immediately fill our gas tank
to the top and then alert all of our
friends. The “crisis level” price of
$5.30/gallon as stated in this article,
correlates to approximately 91
kronur per litre. This would still be
considered a deal.
Americans are cry babies. They
need to face the reality that their
energy policies, attitudes and
behaviours are woefully ignorant and
backwards. Most Americans believe
that driving is a birthright and if
they want a 500 horsepower, 10-
cylinder, Viper-powered sport truck
that gets six miles per gallon then,
so be it. Wait till these people have
to spend $250-300 to fill their 40-
gallon (152-litre) tank. The average
European is already dealing with
what the average American would
called “crisis level” gas prices. They
do it by purchasing automobiles with
small displacement gasoline and
diesel engines. Most of the trucks
(SUVs) here are diesels, very few
are in America. In fact, in many
cases, in America diesels aren’t even
offered.
I am always converting prices
in Iceland to U.S. dollars. This
is something I should stop
doing because I can’t help but
be consistently amazed at how
expensive things are here. But
living in Iceland has taught me
to adapt. Yes, fuel is expensive
here - so is everything. So, drive a
smaller car. I am not saying that
Icelanders are somehow inherently
more environmentally enlightened
than Americans. If you ask me,
Icelanders are a lot like Americans:
they love their cars and they are
major consumers. It’s just that
the tax climate and general high
costs of life in this country are
very prohibitive. And, Icelanders
remember more vividly what it is like
to go without.
The current consensus is that fuel
prices will not stay at this level and
will most likely drop again. Many
experts claim that this is an issue
of refinery capacity, not a lack of
oil. Nevertheless, it seems obvious
that this is a sneak preview of what’s
to come for the world in general
and the United States specifically.
I don’t know about you, but this
sneak preview frightens me. I don’t
see much movement in Americans’
willingness to embrace change in
the energy arena. We can only
hope that they wake up to this
looming global reality and that the
next U.S. president will be a strong
leader, willing to promulgate a more
sensible and logical energy policy.
Column by Þórdís Elva Þorvaldsdóttir Bachmann
Offensive humour is on the rise.
Things that once were considered
taboo are now a laughing stock in
television shows such as the hugely
successful animated series South
Park and The Simpsons. The
humour is so dark that even death
becomes a laughing matter. In South
Park, one of the children, named
Kenny, dies in a horrible accident in
every single episode. In fact, Kenny’s
death has become a joke viewers
anticipate with amusement every
week. Older generations not used
to today’s less-than-holy humour
are often taken aback by the issues
that evoke laughter from young
audiences. The above-mentioned
TV programs are frowned upon for
setting a bad example for children,
leading to protests. In Britain,
authorities of the King’s School at
Ely encouraged parents to ban their
children from watching South Park,
for example. However, it needs
to be pointed out that this type of
violent satire is far from being a new
phenomenon. As a matter of fact,
it was perfected in our very own
treasured Icelandic sagas.
It seems the authors of the
Viking tales were thinking along
the same lines as the modern South
Park viewer. For example, Snorri
Sturluson, one of our most famous
and respected writers of medieval
Icelandic literature, wasn’t ashamed
to poke fun at morbid matters. In
his saga Gylfaginning (written in the
1220s), a man named Týr is tricked
into putting his hand in the mouth
of a vicious wolf, who bites his hand
off. The tale tells that “everyone
laughed except for Týr. He lost his
hand.”(Gylfaginning, chapter 34)
Those who protest South Park
and similar shows argue that they
normalize violent behaviour. If that
is true, then a good chunk of history
does so too. Malicious humour goes
way back, beyond the Viking era.
In Roman times, gladiator fights
were the emperor’s finest source of
entertainment. Seeing a slave torn
to pieces by hungry lions humoured
the high class for centuries. In
comparison to the actual bloodshed
and loss of human lives, South
Park with its crass animation seems
harmless and innocent. Why such a
fuss now? It is important to bear in
mind that the lack of sentimentality
in today’s entertainment is, in fact,
history repeating itself.
The normalization of violence
should be considered a serious
matter. However, the above-
mentioned television series, no
matter how insensitive they may
seem at a glance, do not encourage
violent behaviour. On the contrary,
The Simpsons comments on violent
TV material with its “Itchy and
Scratchy” cartoon, which Bart
and Lisa love to watch. “Itchy and
Scratchy” is an utterly ironic feature
of The Simpsons, in which a cat and
a mouse find horrible methods to
torture and kill each other in every
episode, causing Bart and Lisa to
roar with laughter. These sketches
cleverly deliver the message that
there is an alarming amount of
violence on TV, even in children’s
programs.
Nevertheless, the South Park
generation does not have a lower
regard for human life than the
Romans or the Vikings did.
Ultimately, the values instilled in us
as children are the most instrumental
in shaping our respect for life and
other human beings. The messages
in modern cartoons, no matter how
cleverly put forward, can never
replace a good upbringing. Those
who hold that opinion are the ones
we should truly be worrying about.
THEY
KILLED
KENNY! –
Or was it the
Vikings?
Column by David Brooks
Fuel Crisis in America
Frím
ann