Read this. Krugman echoes comments by Glenn Albrecht. The surprising issue is that given the severity of this disaster, so few people seem as upset as I might expect, at least here in NYC. I venture to say, however, that unless you live along the Gulf coast or work in it waters, the implications of this oil spill event are being conveniently tucked away in the dark corners of people’s minds. At a dinner over the weekend, friends commented, “This is terrible,” looking anguished and frightened in a manner that tightened their eyes. No one that I spoke to was motivated to do anything. There are, however, psychological concepts that can explain such apathy. They can also suggest strategies to enable a more authentic national dialogue about our energy choices. The Gulf Coast doesn’t only need Obama. It needs the citizenry.
Ordinary Earth ™ 
Gulf Oil Spill
April 30, 2010from news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20003460-1.html
I’m working on pulling together words and ideas from psychological theory to explain why we let this happen, how it will affect us, and what we can do to encourage people to stop hurting our planet. As the sick and wounded wildlife covered in oil begin to appear, and as life forms are decimated- from the small organisms that are the foundations of existence to the people who died – this disaster looms large. My son tore his pillowcase to shreds. Kids who care feel pretty hopeless. I suppose adults can’t manage it any better, really. We have however signed up to volunteer. What follows are some helpful links to stuff that I have been reading and comments from colleagues. If you have others please send them along. I’ll be posting updates as I encounter them.
UPDATES from Glenn Albrecht and Renee Lertzman after the jump.
News: here, here, here and here
Blogs: here, here, here, here,here, and here
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Tags:Glenn Albrecht, gulf oil crisis, psychological comments on Gulf oil crisis, reactions to gulf oil crisis, Renee Lertzman, response to gulf oil crisis, thoughts about gulf oil crisis
Posted in ecopsychcology, environmental disaster, human animal interaction | 1 Comment »