December 04, 2007
For Cryin' Out Loud....
I saw this title and had to read it. I thought it was a joke.
They HAD to be kidding. Right? I mean seriously, they wouldn't REALLY waste that kind of money doing a study on something like that. Would they?
Well, yeah, they did. I sat here reading with my mouth hanging open.
It was quotes like this that just boggle the mind....
"As if the burden of divorce weren't bad enough, people with failed marriages can be blamed for global warming, according to a study by Michigan State University. "
A study. A REAL study....
"Divorced couples use up more space in their respective homes, which amounts to to 38 million more rooms worldwide to light, heat and cool, noted the report.
And people who divorced used 73 billion kilowatt-hours more of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water than they would otherwise in 2005.
Dissolving a marriage also means doubling possessions, from the lowly can opener to the SUV. The report, however, did not estimate how many more natural resources the children of shared-custody parents consume by getting birthday and holiday gifts twice. (emphasis mine)
Oh, well that's it then. The study is no where NEAR complete. (insert rolled eyes)
Nor did it count the greenhouse gases spent to shuttle kids between their pair of energy-hogging households. (Tip for carbon offsetting services: the domain name OffsetMyDivorce.com is available.).
Yes. You read that write. They are actually askin' for someone to start a website dedicated to something THAT stupid.
But for me....THIS is the money quote:
"The research suggests that singletons who shack up with someone again can undo the ecological damage. Although it might be inferred that "living in sin" is also eco-friendly, the findings did not necessarily endorse the practice of unmarried couples living together."
Now I'll be honest. I'm not AGAINST folks living together...but for cryin' out loud - to my mind they are suggesting that folks shack up just to help the environment. Don't they realize that for MOST people, it's easier to break up when you live together than if you have that "commitment" of marriage.
I swear to PETE. This is just carryin' the whole "eco-friendly, global warming" shit Off The Charts......
Enough already.
Posted by Tammi at December 4, 2007 09:20 AM | TrackBackGuess it's time to outlaw divorces. And while were at it, nobody can live by themselves, they have to find a roommate.
This story goes along with the getting sterile for the environment story.
Posted by: Quality Weenie at December 4, 2007 12:27 PMHoly crap, where will this stop??? Everywhere I look it's the same b.s.
I need to clean the house and get off this machine for awhile. ;)
Posted by: pam at December 4, 2007 12:56 PMHmm. A new line...Hey, baby, let's go save the planet. Better yet since the enviros think that makin' babies also destroys the planet all the potential sweeties will be using birth control. What a deal!
Posted by: Peter at December 4, 2007 03:09 PMRetarded... Just retarded... Gah...
Posted by: Richmond at December 4, 2007 04:55 PMi believe this article was written tongue-in-cheek (although the study itself was serious). i think you should calm down, as, for example, the wired writer is clearly making a joke when he says, for example, "Nor did it count the greenhouse gases spent to shuttle kids between their pair of energy-hogging households. (Tip for carbon offsetting services: the domain name OffsetMyDivorce.com is available.)."
in other words, save your outrage and read between the lines. it's quite possible this article was written just to make light of the study, so maybe you and wired are on the same side.
Posted by: ummm at December 4, 2007 05:01 PMummmm or Dork as you left as the invalid email address....I hope it was done tongue-in-cheek, but with all the other "serious" ones that have come out there, I'm allowed my doubts. And my frustration.
As I've posted often, I'm now having to deal with this every day as part of my job, and well....it's a tad bit frustrating.
So on the off chance I am wrong, well, it's a bit like the boy that cried wolf story, but with a twist. I've read so much about it, it should be understandable if I take it wrong....
Posted by: Tammi at December 4, 2007 06:43 PMThis is a study from Michigan State U, they don't do tongue-in-cheek.
Nor do they win football games,
Go OHIO!!!
AC
Posted by: AC at December 4, 2007 09:12 PM