Friday, March 6, 2015

Streamlining Plentitude : 1939-1940 World's Fair's ominous legacy for postwar generation

For years now, I have been cheered when recalling how eagerly so many in my generation (the postwar boomers) marched in the streets to promote human diversity and variety.

But for just as many years, I have been mystified why they then remain so silent - like bystanders at a schoolyard bully beating -  as Nature's diversity and variety faces mass extinction by human actions ... and inactions.
It is not that they don't regret the lessening of diversity and variety as human actions result in the loss of species and habitats - they do ; but it is a shoulder shrugging ,'what can one do ?!' sort of regret.

It is as if they have all internalized the visual motif of the 1939-1940 new York World's Fair : Eugenic Progress consists of evermore streamlining of human artifacts (skyscrapers, airliners, cars) , humans and Nature itself.

Less is more : plenticide is good.




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