Who else here thinks Oil Companies primary function is to hold the world hostage?

[devilgrrl]

How many think their only other function is starting wars for more oil?

Seems like they're the ones running the world, so, I thought I'd ask.

You tell me.

[Jennicut]

1. We wouldn't need oil companies if we didn't use the stuff. We hold our own selves

hostage. Actually, most politicians hold us hostage by every year, not investing in alternatives so we can get off the oil. There were a few that tried and got pilloried for it, like Carter.

[valerief]

3. We wouldn't use the stuff if we had alternative fuels to choose from.

The hostage takers (our govt and the people who own them) hold us hostage to fossil fuels.

They took away our cities and our public transportation. We need cars to get to our jobs. Do we have electric cars? No, our govt wants us to use fossil-fueled cars.

Besides, the US military uses most of the fossil fuels anyway, not "us".

[Oregone]

8. Thats no panacea

Its not going to keep your water supply clean after dirty production (even if fueled cleanly) pollutes the ground you live on.

Most of the battle between green and black energy is just hype hiding new money/industry thats attempting to edge out old & established industry. Just as the candle-maker didn't want to cede to the light-bulb, oil doesn't want to roll over and let alternatives rule (until those owners of the old industry can entrench themselves into the replacement industries). So now, this carries into politics because each interest has invested in a particular party that is representing their viability. IOW, I would forget much of the debate that is being delivered to you in political speeches; most of that is about selling one side of a market conflict to a consumer base.

Changing the modes of production (and increasing production to implement these new technologies) will not save your world. Its just another page out of the great book of Capitalism. Its just the same ol shit thats been going on for hundreds of years. Only until you are ready to reduce production, and massively, will you have any ability to free yourself from the system holding you "hostage" and killing your environment.

[devilgrrl]

5. What gives Oil Companies the right to be privately owned? Wouldn't that be a solution to one of many

problems?

Also, how is everyone's fault if we're not provided alternatives? I don't see Oil companies providing many.

[Codeine]

10. Not really an oil company's job to provide alternatives to oil.

What we need the green-energy equivalent of the Manhattan Project. Or for people to stop being hysterical about nuclear energy.

Neither of those things are likely, however.

[Jamastiene]

2. It might not be their primary function, but it has become

one of their main side effects. It's like the power has gone to their heads and they can do anything they want...and they know it. That's my take on it anyhow.

[damntexdem]

4. No, that's not the primary function.

That is only one means to the end of the primary function of ruling the world.

[htuttle]

6. Most capitalist corporations are out to rule the world

Few of them actually have the means and opportunity to do so, however.

[Oregone]

7. No, its to create a profit filling demand (that is in their interests to create/sustain)

Thats it. Like the rest of the corporations. Safety and ethics take a back seat to increasing those profits

[RB TexLa]

9. Their primary function is to find, extract, refine and deliver petroleum products