Piece Comment

Review of The Future of the Planet


There's a lot to think about in this hour, maybe too much. But its all so important to our future. Perhaps most disturbing is how this program has become more timely two years after it was originally produced. I thought starting with McDonald's was a bit obvious - until the expert gets into the "monoculture of potatoes" and how it caused the Irish Potato famine. Are we not supposed to learn from history? The myths of progress and the Greed (oops, meant to type Green) Revolution supported by organizations like the World Bank are put in clearer perspective from India's struggle with "monocultures of the mind." One World-One Taste? What are we thinking? And then there's water shortages and global warming... disasters waitng to happen. And I just saw a new Austrian documentary which detailed the issues of food production in the "new Europe" and thought I'd never eat again. So the frustration I feel getting bombarded with all this information is what's an insignificant little person like myself to do? Give up Big Macs & supermarkets, winter cut-flowers & daily showers? I can't even quit smoking!