Editorial 5.1, February 2003, by Deirdre Helfferich Back on the Bike While the Cat’s Away, the Mice Will Play I was hoping that Mark Simpon’s editorial would indeed reflect a different point of view, and it sure did. With a sharp stick. The point is, Mark is not alone—many of my neighbors are of the same opinion about how to deal with Saddam. However, they didn’t write letters to the editor. Maybe next issue? And Mark—please keep writing for the Republic. I’m Baaack... And boy, howdy, did I need a vacation. Time off from work is good for the soul, seeing strange new (or old) worlds is excellent for the perspective, and German food is fantastic for the tastebuds but really really bad for the waistline. I gained mucho kilograms. I also gained significant appreciation for the BBC, and healthy disgust for CNN. European news programs were a breath of fresh air: they actually contain news! (The entertainment, however, except for the kabaret shows, was cruddy) Infotainment has yet to hit the German airwaves, thank the gods. Germans, like citizens everywhere, seem to be a bit disgruntled with their government (‘look at the state of these roads!’—excellent, from an Alaska perspective, but shockingly bad from a German one—‘stand up to the U.S., you wuss, Schroeder!’ ‘They call this new train scheduling reform?’—Germans should thank their lucky stars they have trains at all, thinks the Alaskan tourist). News and Opinion Upon my return, I noticed a decidedly political slant in the editorials of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, quite different than the usual blandness I’ve found there. It was refreshing to see actual opinions coming out of their editorial office (rather than only from the reprints from some other paper or from their own paper 50 years ago). Not that I agree with those opinions, mind you. Jesus H. Christ On A Bike The "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign is an interesting development in recent months, connecting environmental consciousness to Christian morality. That in itself is not new, but the particular approach is. Consider whether Jesus would support purchasing a gas-guzzling SUV, ask the organizers of this campaign, when a perfectly adequate compact car will take care of you and your dog’s needs. Next time you buy a vehicle, think about what Jesus would drive, and choose the car based not only on your needs but on your principles. This is an admirable tack to take, and a bold one in the United States, where Big is Beautiful is engraved upon our genetic structure. Having just returned from Europe, where zippy little cars that get a hundred miles to the litre are the norm, it is amazing just how inflated our perceptions are. My husband and I drove around in Germany in a mid-sized car, a Volkswagen Polo, and we had tons of extra room. Four people with extra stuff were quite comfortable. This car would be considered a micromobile here, and in fact the next size up, the Golf, is about the smallest car from Volkswagen you see on the US market (not counting old VW Bugs). I think there’s a little problem with the campaign—it’s far too mild, and Jesus was not mild at all when he decided that something was immoral. Just ask those money-changers in the temple. No, I don’t think Jesus would purchase a car at all, much less a truck or an SUV. He’d buy a bicycle. Bicycles don’t use gas at all, and only minimal amounts of oil to grease the gears. They’re quiet, they don’t take near as much energy as an automobile to manufacture or to ship, they are far less dangerous when they go out of control, they’re nonpolluting to operate, they promote physical fitness, they don’t require huge highways and massive construction projects, a little kid can safely use one, and they can haul a surprising amount of stuff—certainly one’s book bag and coffee mug, which is about all I ever take to work. Christ didn’t have any kids but even if he needed to haul one or two around, it’s possible with a bicycle. Ever see one of those kiddie carts trailing along behind a bike? I’ve seen enormous loads hauled on bicycle trailers. So while this campaign is headed in somewhat the right direction, I think that it is still pretty loose, morally speaking. Those bicyclists out there risking life and limb on the shoulder of the highway are far closer to the (probable) environmental ethic of Christ than the drivers who pass them. | ||
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