Our Society Is Headed in the Direction of Eco-Consciousness, But the Path Is Indirect

We all know the famous lines from the sermon that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered at the Baccalaureate at the commencement exercises for Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he told us: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

I would add, for what it’s worth, that it’s not a smooth arc; it’s full of short-term triumphs and depressions.

I’ve written often that the very large percentage of red meat that exists in the typical Western diet isn’t part of a sustainable future.  As I explained to my kids when they were very young, “Eating beef is bad for you personally, it’s bad for the planet, and it’s bad for the cow.”  There is really no denying any of this in our modern scientific era where we know about factory farming, we understand the dietary issues that underpin dread diseases, and we’ve done the math: compared to raising a calorie of vegetables, a calorie of meat requires 18 times more energy, 20 times more land, and 160 times more water.

I agree that the so-called arc of the moral universe is headed in the direction of phasing out the ridiculously high percentage of meat that exists in the average American’s diet.  But here’s a news item for people who might think that Dr. King’s arc has no bumps: (U.S. fast-food giant) Burger King will soon offer a perfume called “Flame Grilled,” which their marketing people believe will make people more attractive.  From this article:

When you’re hungry, catching a whiff of a fast food burger can be enough to entice you through the doors to make a purchase. But would it make someone attractive to you? That’s going to be a question with an answer next month as Burger King is launching a new perfume. The perfume is called “Flame Grilled,” and as you’d expect it will have the fragrance of a freshly cooked flame-grilled Whopper. More specifically, the smell is beef mixed with mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and Burger King has also managed to sneak in a hint of fries smell, too. Irresistible, right?

Our society is headed in the right direction.  Just don’t expect a smooth ride.