Pride, Peer Pressure and Marketing against a Common Evil
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.26.07
Craig Mackintosh writes in Celsias about rationing during World War II, illustrated with remarkable posters that resonate today. Craig suggests that rationing didn't work very well and was subject to a lot of fraud and abuse, but in the UK it was more successful and had some interesting side effects:
"The most commonly rationed foods were sugar, meat, oils and other fats. In fact, herds of livestock were slaughtered so the land could be put to use feeding people rather than animals. Locally grown fruit and vegetables, and whole grain bread were the staples. WWII brought the US, and the UK in particular, the closest to vegetarianism than ever before."
The citizens of Great Britain experienced improved health during the war. Despite the strict regulations, according to Marguerite Patten, who worked for the Ministry of Food in Great Britain during the war, the health of the nation was “surprisingly good,” infant mortality decreased, and the average age of death from natural causes increased. “For many of the poorer sections of the community, rationing introduced more protein and vitamins, while for others it involved a reduction in the consumption of meat, fats, eggs, and sugar.” ::Celsias
I did my own search for more posters and found a couple that are relevant to our coverage of "flying is dying":
how many times do we say that one should walk to the store?
and my favourite:
NOTE: this comment refers to a line that has been edited out of the post. LA
" I would not dare comment on what is going on in the States but we have not had to give up much to support our thousands of troops in Afganistan."
I'd suggest you haven't actually had to give up anything at all; nor has the average American citizen.
BTW, the Germans had their own versions of these posters to support a far more drastic (or as you might have it, "successful") government rationing programme. Perhaps that's the ideal to shoot for, eh?
I find it interesting that environmentalists seem to be so fascinated by fantasies of rationing. Quite revealing.
My father who was in the Army in ww2 has said many times when telling war stories the Germans lost the war for lack of petrol....
It is interesting that many environmentalists think about rationing.....because surely if you look at the numbers globally, and factor in that people are selfish.....it becomes the only rational course of action??
I've seen many green studies that project the future and the sacrifices that would have to be made, and I've thought "these are ration conditions, and people can't live under ration conditions indefinitely....how do you account for that?"
Would be interesting to see some of those posters modernised for a green agenda: "When you ride alone you ride with George W! Join a car sharing club today!"
"Is that 4x4 REALLY necessary?"
I think it's less fantasies of rationing and more fantasies of not using more than we need, not buying into the "more more more" consumer culture.
I find myself constantly passing by shops, picking up a cute new hat and then wondering "really, do I actually need this or am i just trying to satisfy a transient craving?" Then I put it down.
Do you really need another notebook that'll just collect dust on your shelves? Or all those extra pots and pans when you have a couple of worn, but still workable one? Ever felt the desire to upgrade your computer even though, technically, you could still get at least another year or two out of your old one?
Yeah, I'm sure everyone could post more examples. Environmentalism on this "rationing" level's just trying to counteract that.
"It is interesting that many environmentalists think about rationing.....because surely if you look at the numbers globally, and factor in that people are selfish.....it becomes the only rational course of action??
Why?