They say that the first step towards recovery from an addiction is to admit that you have a problem. I think that oil consumers have reached that point. I came to this realization today upon reading an article in the Wall Street Journal which likened the decade’s spike in oil to the DotCom bubble of the late 90’s. Another personal indicator for me is the sheer amount of conversations I have been involved in recently that revolve around the astronomic price of oil, and whose points are the material that comprise this piece. By the way, if you are looking for an academic argument, do not read further. The fuel I’m running on is intuition.
Oil has dropped $10 dollars off its high of $135 a barrel last week. I perceive this to be pushback against the atmosphere of urgency that has dominated the issue of fuel prices in the past few weeks. It is a signal that much of the run up in prices is based on alarmist speculation and hype about dwindling oil reserves and paranoia over extended consumption. Indeed, this mentality is what has driven commodity speculators to invest in oil futures.
Admittedly, the climb of oil has been fueled by the developing behemoths of China and India, countries that justifiably have to think about their burgeoning economies rather than their smog issues, but once they have glutted themselves on subsidized oil they will realize how much more they can advance with cleaner and cheaper fuels. Similarly, Russia, whose economy has skyrocketed because of the value of their oil resources, will fall back to earth once the oil market does.
Signs that the binge has gone too far are omnipresent and the latest spike has at last pushed us over the edge. Europe is striking. Fishermen blockade ports in France, truck drivers in the UK have turned off their lorries and are blocking traffic, and in Germany dairy farmers are watering crops with milk. All of this rather than work on the radically reduced profit margins which have resulted from their fuel expenses. Now of course they aren’t advocating a military take over of Arabian oil fields (at least publicly) but they are asking that their governments reduce the petrol taxes and apply pressure on oil producers to increase production. They are also calling for a raise in regulated consumer prices to cover their costs. And so costs will likely rise for European commodities just as food prices are rising around the rest of the world.
I think consumers will not take this so lightly. Westerners have reached a threshold in which continued dependency on oil is simply unacceptable. For the human race, historically, there is a point where we seek an alternative. It takes some time, but it happens. I don’t think anyone believes we’ll be on oil 500 years from now. No doubt we have been looking at other options for years already, what with hybrid cars, wind turbines and safe nuclear energy appearing consistently in environmental dialogue. But whereas the efficiency of these alternative fuels has been problematic the public has muted the urgency of their development – no longer. The masses of poor and middle class workers in the United States whose cost of commuting has more than tripled since 2001 will simply not accept such excuses any longer. We have reached a moment in history when politicians will no longer be able to hear the sultry financial whispers of “big oil interests” over the cries of their furious constituents.
These cries are, even as I write this, bringing leaders to the realization that we have been held under the sway of the wise and manipulative drug dealers that are the oil producing nations. They are beginning to review a history of seeming appeasement to OPEC members that have now overplayed their hand and will now seek to remove the leverage shaped like an oil rig that has been used against them. Just last month the Saudi’s reneged on a deal with the US government, brokered in person buy Dick Cheney, to increase production and get the price of a barrel down to $85. America finally called in a substantial favor with Saudi Arabia at a moment of need and it won’t take rejection so lightly this time. In the past it seemed that the US was in control as its alliances assured it cheap gas, but we weren’t so smart, not realizing that we were just getting hooked in and dependent.
Evidence of the expansive wealth that has flooded into the coffers of oil sheikhs has been apparent for decades. Monster yachts, ostentatious mansions and emerald cities sprouting in the desert were around when oil was just $25 a barrel. Now, just eights years later, oil consumers will not be able to stomach the buying power afforded to these producers at the expense of their economy and the scary prospect of what a $125 a barrel can purchase. We can now palpably envision the pipeline leading away from our banks, exiting the country and crossing oceans. This is nothing secret or abstract. The Sheikh’s over abundance of capital is being used to buy up substantial holdings in the West, looking to diversify their portfolios with multi-billion dollar companies.
The expensive prospect of developing alternative fuel sources is no longer a deterrent since oil prices are so high we now have nothing to lose by aggressively pursuing them. We are learning that bio-diesel isn’t the best solution for the environment but this won’t stop the tide of change. In fact, just as JFK announced when he took office that within a decade we would put a man on the Moon we will now see world leaders making the same bold statements to move past fossil fuels. Just as in a time of urgency the Manhattan project yielded the most awesome power known to man, all it takes is the unquenchable will to achieve something and humans will do it.
Though I may be a wide-eyed idealist at this moment I don’t in any way believe oil will be obsolete and devoid of value. There will simply be an alternative to its use. Most people don’t realize all of the areas in which oil is necessary. So if we no longer use it to fuel our cars we will still need it to make plastics, for example. But once this advancement occurs, fears of using up the supply will vanish and prices will drop, stabilizing to a point where producers will have to drill more out of the ground in order to keep us interested. It will become just another run-of-the-mill commodity. Just watch.
The past few months have been momentous as the world has reached its epiphany, and although it may not be explicitly stated, I see it by reading between the lines of daily news coverage. It is time to get off this black heroine that is simply not environmentally or politically viable for a globalizing world and we are ready to admit we have an addiction. The first step is being taken.
I am a Jew. I am a Zionist with longstanding and deep-rooted ties to Israel. For these reasons it is very difficult for me to write this piece. It will therefore be peppered with disclaimers and justifiers, but its time for me to put in words what has been simmering in my mind for a long time.
No, this is not a political commentary, nor is it a religious pontification. So why is it, you ask, that I will not be making my stay in Israel permanent? Well, it’s the people. There, I said it. The rudeness and pigheadedness has finally gotten to this New Yorker. The manner in which people treat one another in this society is indicative of major flaws in the mentality of Israelis and it adds an incalculable weight to the stress –the very real security and economic concerns- that the average person must endure here. After a year and half I thought I would get used to it but I’ve realized that I have not. Who needs everyday life to feel like a trip to the DMV?
An incident at the gym today, not unlike those I experience nearly every time I go, is what set me off. The proverbial straw on the camel’s back. I’ll spare you the details, just as I won’t attempt to list the litany of interpersonal transgressions I have experienced and observed in the year and a half I have lived here. Suffice it to say that this conclusion comes from the chronic disrespect of a line at the store or the bus, the neighbor that barges uninvited into your house to make a complaint, the person that takes your parking spot or that pushes you in the street and doesn’t think to apologize. Or perhaps it’s the merchant or taxi driver who makes their yearly bonus in ripping off foreigners. Sadly, these are just a small set of examples. The abounding course mixture of machismo, abrasiveness and callousness, all crammed into this tiny country is enough to rival the stereotypes of Sicily, the French and Eastern Europe.
This rudeness boils down to a lack of kindness unto strangers. There is no empathy for one’s fellow man. This attitude begs an explanation considering the embattled position this community finds itself in, despised by nearly the entire world. Is it unthinkable to expect people to pull together within the nation itself in order to feel some measure of warmth? This is certainly the case for people who are already acquainted with each other. Family and friends are extremely giving, selfless and inviting to each other. In fact, if you are able to talk to someone for just a few moments their whole demeanor will shift as you become fast friends. But if I don’t know you, you do not matter.
The reasons for such a pervasive disconnect are manifest, to be sure. The struggling young state was certainly not the land of plenty to those who built it and watched it develop over the years. But it seems that the practice of fighting tooth and nail for one’s needs has been transferred into the persona of the newly modern and western country. One Israeli professor of mine put it succinctly during a discussion about why driving conditions here are so horrendous (Israel having one of the highest traffic fatality rates per capita in the world); No one wants to be a fry’er. A fry’er is the Hebrew term for sucker. Sure, I could let you merge lanes in front of me, he says, but why should I let you pull one over on me. This is applicable to nearly all facets of life here. I decided not to buy a moped because on the occasions when I drove I quickly perceived that Israeli drivers have a tendency to simply meander into your lane absolutely oblivious that someone might be there – a cause of most accidents.
Woe unto the foreigner who does not quickly learn to navigate the bureaucracy or a customer service labyrinth. It takes a few experiences but one learns that “no, there is no way,” is the preprogrammed answer for anything you might need. Nor is a cogent, polite explanation on how to get what you need ever forthcoming. The only manner in which someone can get what they need is to dig in their heels, not take no for an answer, and eventually raise his or her voice. This works every time because quite simply, what you wanted was entirely doable in the first place. I believe this is why Israelis thrive abroad, as they quickly learn how to bend a rigid system. (Incidentally, on a recent trip to Thailand I gathered from other travelers that Israelis were the most disliked set of tourists in the country. I assure you it had nothing to do with anti-Semitism. But that’s a whole other topic)
Perhaps it is only the urban areas that suffer from such gross inconsiderateness. I can hold out hope that it is more humane in the countryside moshavim and kibbutzim. I live in Tel Aviv, a wonderfully cosmopolitan city, both bustling and quaint, which has advanced leaps and bounds in the 15 years I have been coming here. Yet, along with the hip new flair there has also been a reinforced growth in arrogance and attitude. I see such behavior in Jerusalem as well but in a different shade of uncouth brusqueness. One of my best friends, an Israeli, upon hearing my grievances asked me if I honestly never had these arguments or experienced these annoyances in the States. Of course I do…maybe once a week, not every day. Certainly it is infrequent enough that they are clearly unexpected and out of the norm.
It pains me to say these things. Generalization is a crude mechanism. I apologize profusely to all those people who were kind to me, who offered a gracious smile. These people aren’t even all that rare, but they are nevertheless eclipsed by the unending numbers of their countrymen who give them a bad name. I make this conclusion based on the simple fact that when a stranger is polite to me, I am surprised. It is sad when you get brownie points for being merely congenial. This is the general consensus among all the non-Israelis I know.
Since I have a special place in my heart for Israel, and yes, even Israelis, I have tended to try and shake off my frustrations. I’ll try to defend the overall behavior of the people because I love Israel and it is a huge part of my identity. The same cannot be said for many of my non-Jewish friends, who do not have the same natural ties to the country. Most of these friends, while aware of the rudeness, are still rather taken with the country as it does have much to offer, but there is a substantial portion that have lost all affinity for the country and the people, and who look forward impatiently to leaving.
One would think that a country that has such PR issues - and a self perception complex- would endeavor to put the best foot forward to these guests who have chosen to come to Israel. One prominent example which stands out is the lamentable treatment gentiles receive when flying to Israel, particularly on El Al. Security precautions are understandably paramount, but considering that the odds are against these non-Jews being terrorists (to the contrary, they are usually ‘pro-Israel’), perhaps a modicum of politeness would help make the “random” strip search more bearable. I cringe when I see Jews being whisked though security and the group of Evangelist pilgrims are having their bags turned inside out. The nightmare stories my friends have endured, as extreme security precautions are compounded by a an unwarranted nasty attitude, leave me wondering if the aim is actually to turn these people off to coming to Israel.
While I can draw the distinction between the comportment of the average person from the political and administrative issues surrounding the country, many of these visitors cannot. As such, not only is the society written off by these visitors, but so is the government, and so the Palestinians find themselves with some newly dedicated sympathizers. Sadly, this is not an exaggeration. One friend of mine said plainly that he no longer had the same absolute faith in Israeli policies that he once did based primarily on interacting with the people once he got here. I have to admit it that has raised a few doubts in mind as well about the potential for transgressions by the IDF, an army that I truly consider to be one of the most humane and misunderstood in the world. But who is to say that there aren’t scores of needless small interpersonal affronts that add fuel to the fire which could simply be avoided through considerateness. Actually, these instances are frequent and many times documented by the IDF itself.
Then the final concern pops up which sort of ties together all of these concerns, both mine and of my peers. How is it that a society that is so rife with interpersonal ungraciousness able to advance as far as it has without being eaten up from within? How do I, as an everyday lay person, find it in myself to trust in the judgment of the government, of the police, of the bureaucracy? If it is lacking in nearly everyone I encounter, it seems to me that it would pervade every facet of the nation. Indeed, many times I am amazed at how developed the country has become in the arts, academia, technology, business and the military when it seems that no one cares to understand the person they interact with. (I have purposely left aside the venomous rift within the nation between the religious and secular communities, a direct result of the self centered attitude of Israelis, because I simply cannot cover it in a few pages. The situation is dire and needs to be addressed on its own).
I feel qualified to write this criticism because I know that one of my character traits is to first believe in the basic goodness of people and also because I tend to be polite as a default setting being that I try to treat others the way I would like to be treated. So I’m confident that this isn’t ‘just me.’ I’ve tried to fight fire with fire, and I just feel disgusted with myself when I have to make an effort to be rude. I’ve tried killing them with kindness, which does have some success but is a hard policy to maintain. Sure, I am certain that I have flaws that have led to my exasperation faster than another might. Yes, I am sensitive, but I am not that sensitive. I have a thicker skin than the reading of this article may lead one to believe. For God’s sake, I’m from Brooklyn. But, as I am constantly reminded when someone hovers over my shoulder at the ATM, there is no such thing as the concept of personal space here. From the person sitting next to you on the bus talking full volume on their phone, the people having casual conversations behind you at the movie theater, to the mounds of marooned dog feces on the sidewalks, there is little notice that one is not alone in the world. There is not a second thought for how a stranger might possibly feel. And so, tempers flare up here at the drop of a hat, and Israelis wonder why. The “well, that’s the culture” argument I hear frequently, from both Israeli’s and non-Israeli’s alike, just doesn’t cut it for me. It is not an excuse, it is an enabler. Simply put, I expect more from my fellow Jews. Israelis would quietly agree with me since I constantly see them getting angry at others for committing the same transgression that they frequently perpetrate themselves (ie: yelling at someone who just cut them in a line they just cut themselves).
As a critic it falls upon me to prescribe some sort of solution but I am at a loss. How do you legislate congeniality? Short of charging drivers for each honk of their horn –double price if you hold it down for more than 3.5 seconds – or enlisting Israel’s booming ranks of draft dodgers to maintain the queue at the bus station I see no way.
Just as I said, this was difficult for me to write. It feels almost as a betrayal, both to all those Israelis I know that are wonderful and to the life I have led here, which has been superb. I will continue to visit and spend time and money here. I’ll certainly remain a supporter. Israel possesses an atmosphere and quality of life that may be hard to beat anywhere else. But I will not make my life here permanent, something which was at one time a highly likely option, because I just don’t need the aggravation. It is the attitude that mars such lovely aspects of the country that I have finally deemed inexcusable. I can only hope that I will one day be proven wrong. I beg to be proven wrong.
Feel free to contact me with complaints, comments or rebuttals at loki13@aol.com
