Reader “disgusted” by development

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I've watched enough of Greta Thunberg over the past while to be thoroughly disgusted by her total disrespect. “Blah, blah, blah.”

Well, I've got to say that I've changed my mind lately due to the following experiences:

As I've driven through Caledon East during the day, I've often marvelled at what I call “vulgarian” houses. Until recently, it was simple annoyance at the owners' incredibly bad taste; ostentation and greed personified.

A few years ago, I overheard a conversation in which the speaker was boasting that his 10,000 square foot house was finally finished and that his wife could now hide from him.  “Good thing the kids are gone,” he added. 10,000 square feet for only two people, I thought with disgust.

I guess my face showed my thoughts because he quickly went on the defensive, saying, “Well, I can afford it,” he said.

For one of the first times in my life, I actually had a quick comeback: “Yeah,” I said, “but can we afford you?”

Now watching a new subdivision destroy yet more prime farmland, just south of town, we're back again only, this time, it's worse because we're in possession of a greater knowledge of things like climate change.  And yet none of these idiots seem to get the point.

To add insult to injury, as I drive through town at night, it's hard to ignore some of these monster houses bathed in a radiance of electric light rivalling that of a football stadium. Huh?  Never heard of that same climate change or is it just more social posturing? “I'm the brightest bulb in the package”?   

“Oh, I can afford it…” again?

Then there's my latest adventure in waste, and it didn't just happen once.

I was looking for beef fat for some experiments I wanted to do with soap making.

Beef fat. You know, the stuff they throw out?  The young girl at the butcher's wanted to charge me $5/pound. I asked her what was going to happen to the beef fat otherwise. She said they would “chuck it” (pun intended).

So, I argued, climate change means diddly squat to you, referring to the disproportionate impact of meat production on greenhouse gas generation.  She didn't seem to give much of a damn. Instead, and while she didn't say it, I could see it in her eyes:  she blamed previous generations for our current situation.

As I went back home, I could only ask myself one question. Where does social responsibility start?

I won't get into the entire issue of new highways running through Ontario's greenbelts. “They'll ease traffic congestion” is the excuse.  Meanwhile more subdivisions follow like manure from that proverbial holy cow.

Sure am glad I'm not going to be around on this mortal coil for much longer since we seem to have bred more stupidity into our population than ever before.

Ted Dentay

Caledon