The BBC's 'Dimbleby lecture' on tv last week really got me going. There was John O'Brennan, the head of the US intelligence agency, waxing lyrical about the fantastic role the US is playing in bringing our world 'progress'.
He considered that -
The US has been a leading figure in bringing about 'stability' (if this world is stable, I wouldn't like to experience instability!)
The US is dealing with climate change (the life of excessive material consumption which is central to the 'American dream' lifestyle is a major cause of climate change)
The US has pioneered major cures for diseases such as malaria (yes, but what about the epidemic of obesity, heart disease, mental illness which accompanies the diet 'enjoyed' by an increasing number of people in the developed world)
The most worrying thing about the BBC giving such a view airtime is that it seems to have gone unchallenged. There was no Q & A session after the lecture and I've found no comments in the Press. Perhaps the idea that the 'good life' of excessive material consumption is that to which we must all aspire even if it wrecks the planet and other human cultures has sunk into our psyche so very powerfully that it goes unquestionned ... WOW, I feel better now I've got that off my chest!
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