Matthew Modine Points Finger At American Public For BP Gulf Coast Oil Spill

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by Michael Parrish DuDell June 14, 2010
Categories: People
Tags: .

The dirty truth about the recent BP oil spill is this: it’s sorta all our faults.

How, you might ask, could a giant oil spill be your bad or mine? Here, I’ll let Matthew Modine explain:

“We are all complicit because of our unwillingness to move away from, and curtail our addiction, to oil….Look around as you sit in your car, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic — do you notice that there is one passenger in 80% of the cars? When you raise your bottled water to your lips, do you consider the carbon footprint the water bottle has made from distillery to your hand? Or that the plastic bottle is made from oil?”

Modine recently took to The Huffington Post to explain why he believes the oil spill issue is bigger than BP. In the piece, Matthew pleads, “There can be no more questions about ending our addiction to oil. We have to end it now. We have to act quickly to avoid complete devastation of life in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.”

While it’s hard to admit, the truth is that many of us (even the greenest of us) rely on products produced by oil on a daily basis. Modine is probably right. It just might be time for America to “look in the mirror” and examine our own unsustainable ways instead of simply screaming at BP.

To read Matthew’s entire article, visit HuffingtonPost.com.

  • http://www.beforewisdom.com beforewisdom

    Modine has a point, but not everyone has the option of biking for their transportation needs or using a hybrid.

  • don miguelo

    That bike he’s riding in the pic is full of petrochemical parts too! I agree- we should get away from as much oil produced and/or guzzling products as possible, but we almost need to break the paradigm. It’s not like we can just completely live free from it (like Fur or cutting meat out) because that’s not the world we live in at the moment.

    No, this demands a different approach than just reducing (although that is super-great to do in the mean-time). I think him, Alec Baldwin and many others see that this a opportunity for real change that most people are not ready for… maybe the only chance we’ll get…

    And it’s not just Americans, it’s the world. (Yes I realize Americans have the worst stats on oil consumption, esp compared to population numbers) But really why not make a GLOBAL push for new clean energies?

  • Ryan

    Actually everyone (who is not disabled) has the option to bike to work or at the very least to stores.
    People have decided to live far away from work, which is partly their own fault. We in North America have decided to expand out from cities, which has not only ruined the nature surrounding it, but made it a necessity for cars.
    Suburbs are one of the biggest problems facing North America. Large homes for 3 people with no businesses near and hardly any stores.

    It’s fine to say that the bike he is riding is full of petro parts as well, however it doesn’t get filled up with gas daily.

    Don, if you look at many countries (mostly northern European), they have gone or are at least pushing for cleaner energy.
    Many Scandinavian countries have gone with wind. Germany is going with both wind & solar.
    In North America, people are more reluctant to switch over, because “the costs” might be too high.

    • don miguelo

      Yeah don’t get me wrong up there, I was just pointing out the bike before the trolls did hahaha.

      I definitely agree to reduce use of, or, how about this “R” word- Remove oil guzzling vehicles from your life! I do bike to work often when the weather is nice. I’m about 10 miles away. I am closest to my work. No one else bikes, there’s not even a bike rack I have to lock it to a light pole! I also take the trolley sometimes although I lose about an hour and hal from my day that way…

      I am definitely looking in America’s mirror and seeing it needs to change ASAP, but I think an event like this must be used as a catalyst to make those changes happen (instead of just sweeping it under the “oh well” rug like usual). Mad cow gotthe EU to upgrade their standards, but America is in denial due it doesn’t want to change.

      A little case of the old “Don’t let your outrage end where your selfishness begins”! (thank you EC)

  • http://www.beforewisdom.com beforewisdom

    Ryan your post has the right spirit, but it is a bit naive. Being able/not able to ride a bike to work, or even stores involves a lot more than being abled/disabled. America has a different infrastructure compared to Europe so a comparison is not fair.

    The US & the planet needs realistic solutions, not finger waving from people who individual situations allow them to conserve in ways that other people can’t

  • Ryan

    Beforewisdom, many people claim they would cycle more if the infrastructure was in place. However when a city plans on putting bike lanes in, people complain.
    When they are put in, other excuses are then made and will always be made.

    A lot of people live in large urban centres, where they are less then 5km (3m) from their place of work.

    The issue is simply a culture of car use. From the 50′s on, North Americans have been brought up that driving is a necessity and cool thing.
    People can’t wait to turn 16 so they can go and get their license.
    Sadly class is another thing people associate with your mode of transportation. People assume if you don’t own a car or drive everywhere, you must be of a lower income.

  • Jay Gee

    The point about a car culture is a good one. I live in an affluent suburb of one of the largest cities in the world and while it could be considered very bikeable, most people are afraid of getting hit by people in their SUVs who are texting. So they drive everywhere that they could bike. It is ridiculous. There needs to be a very significant shift in our culture.

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