Over the last few years an odd realization has been festering in the back of my mind. One that inspires fits of rage and disgust almost every time I read something related to consumer technology: tech enthusiasts are planet killers with no remorse. This can be seen with the number of pundits, reviewers, and commentators who decry with glee that their junk drawers are overflowing with garbage tech less than a year old.
Cell phones, mini-tablets, chargers, adapters, gadgets, USB-powered crap gadgets, netbooks, and a plethora of accessories seem to have active lifespans measuring in weeks for people who profess to love technology. Not only is this incredibly wasteful, but it allows us to extrapolate the following list of people who hate the planet from those who most despise it, to those who protect it the most.
It goes like this:
- Corporate Executives
- Tech Enthusiasts
- Military Brass
- Assholes
Down at the bottom of the list we see:
- Mothers of Young Children
- Hippies
- Native and Aboriginal People
The rest of us fall somewhere in the middle.