Midnight Oil

[Powderworks] Re: Re: Golf?

Geoffrey Holland geoff13@shaw.ca
Wed, 20 Mar 2002 22:11:30 -0800


'accessable only to a priveleged few wealthy male persons on an exclusive
basis'

'particularly a private golf course which limits the access of even wealthy
women '

at least attempt to get your information first hand and not just the usual
BS...I work at a public golf course which has a clientele of almost equal
male and female, all races, kids get to play for a cheaper rate to try and
get them outside and not playing video games.
Kate, you have some good points and no doubt  you care about your world. So
I have to give you points for that. You have to realize though that just
about ANY recreational pursuit involves something that isn't part of nature.
Hell, maybe they should just tear down your school and make a nice big
meadow out of it. Would that make you feel better?

It's one thing to stand on your soapbox and spout about things but it makes
a lot more sense to actually do some serious THINKING instead.

Geoffrey



----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathryn E. Adams" <kate@dnki.net>
To: <powderworks@cs.colorado.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 4:48 PM
Subject: [Powderworks] Re: Re: Golf?


> Okay Geoffrey, you win.  This is not a personal purity test.  Go play golf
> if you like to.  To be honest, its futile to base any social change
> movement on personal choices, unless personal redemption is what is being
> sold (aka Alcoholics Anonymous).
>
> 'tis much better to discuss the fact that golf course construction and
> maintenance is a piss poor use of an increasingly rare societal
> resource:  land.  In developed countries and urban areas, its land for
> housing in areas where the cost of housing is spiraling despite a
> recession.  In my community, it means land for the building of
desegregated
> schools with modern amenities that actually have play structures and a
> small yard to run in.  Land for the creation of recreational facilities
for
> use by people from all walks of life - from the private academy lacrosse
> team to the Hispanic soccer leagues.  Land for open space which is not
> maintained in an unnaturally grassy condition with excessive quantities of
> fresh water and toxic chemicals and accessable only to a priveleged few
> wealthy male persons on an exclusive basis.  If land is scarce and open
> space at a premium, then one can easily argue that there are much better
> ways to utilize and maintain it, and much more democratic ways to make it
> available to the public than building a golf course ... particularly a
> private golf course which limits the access of even wealthy women to its
> charms.
>
> In developing countries, a resort for wealthy tourists that will benefit
> only mob bosses and wealthy locals while displacing and then exploiting
the
> local population is hardly a land-use shift that makes sense from the
> standpoint of progressive and inclusive economic development.  And that
> comes before the ecologic disasters are factored in.  Or the work
> environment disasters of using disposable workers without personal
> protective equipment to apply long-banned (but still exported) pesticides
> and herbicides to maintain an unnatural meadow monoculture.
>
> So go ahead.  Enjoy your game.  Your personal golfing really isn't the
> problem ... unless you let your enjoyment of the game delude you into
> believing that building more golf courses is a good thing for society,
> wealthy or not.  At least check it out before advocating for something
> which would and should be a low societal priority were it not for all of
> the big corporate money involved.
>
> Kate
>
> p.s. As for raising money, the Pan Mass Challenge (www.pmc.org) is a
single
> state cycling event for a single cancer charity and it raised $13 million
> in a single two-day run last year.  Add up all the cycling events which
> raise money and you will soon realise how small that $30 million for the
> PGA is.  My sport can beat up your sport .... Pbbbbthhhht! <g>
>
> on 03/20/02 Geoffrey Wrote:
>
> "A small list to check off for those who seem to think that golf is the
> anti-christ. If you can't check off all these items than please be quiet.
>
> 1: I don't drive a car
> 2: I don't wear any animal products as clothing (leather shoes, jackets,
> etc)
> 3: I prefer ugly strip malls and/or housing projects over green space
> 4: I eat only plant products
> 5: I truly belive that farmers don't use pesticides and fertilizers
> 6: I've raised over 30 million dollars for charity in the last year just
> like the PGA tour has."
>
>
>
>
****************************************************************************
*******************************
> Kate Adams
> Doctoral Candidate - Epidemiology
> University of Massachusetts - Lowell
> Department of Work Environment
>
****************************************************************************
*******************************
> What passes for youthful idealism in modern America is the fervent belief
that
>   one's stock options will someday be worth something.
>
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*******************************
>
>
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