With the price of oil in the United States passing $100 a barrel on Sunday, March 6th, the world is reminded once more of how the turmoil in the Middle East affects even our ‘first class’ society. It doesn’t take much to cause the price of oil to jump dramatically, it could be something as meaningless as a sandstorm in Egypt to something as intense as a war, a Saudi Prince dying, or rebellion in Libya.
What is unfortunate is that this is the only way many of us feel affected by the situation in the Middle East. We as a society are so far removed from even the wars we are currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, that the rebellions in Egypt and Libya are seen with even less importance. All we notice are the dents left in our wallets after filling up our gas tanks.
As Barack Obama’s chief of staff told the press that the nation is considering opening up the federal oil reserves, something that is rarely done, according to William Daley. Daley told NBC’s Meet the Press that they are “Looking at the options” and that there are a “bunch of factors that have to be looked at. And it is not just the price”.
In a time of crisis in the Middle East, as dictatorships are toppled and democracy is being spread, the long time forerunner in promoting democracy across the world is mostly concerned with keeping oil prices low, and with good reason. Economically speaking, the United States is facing more trouble. Trying to save itself from another drop in the stocks means squeezing every drop of oil from the barrel.
But what about the morality of the issue? We are watching as a madman is dive bombing his own people, ignoring that it occurred, and we sit and do little to help. What are we concerned with? How much gas will cost. Even on Facebook there are ‘events’ popping up asking people to protest the high gas prices by avoiding the gas pumps for one day.
Is this really the important issue? Are gas prices really that important when we compare them to crisis in the Middle East?
One would wonder why it seems as though people more concerned with oil prices then the killing of protesters, and when it really comes down to it, it’s because gas prices are a tangible reality in our lives, whereas situations in the Middle East have long been removed from our everyday lives. We have become desensitized to violence and war in the Middle East. Have we become blind to the horrors that occur daily across the ocean?
The idea of this shocks me. Even in the Media, we notice how issues in the Middle East are played down. Headline news of the day includes Stephen Harper’s acceptance of an invitation to the Royal Wedding and Hockey injuries. Why is this? Is it because these stories hit closer to home? Do we feel more connection with these kinds of stories than ones that occur thousands of kilometers away?
The United States Government is concerning itself with it’s Oil Barrel Reserve which contains 727 million barrels of oil. One would say that this seems to be plenty to hold the United States over until they can find a new source of oil. In fact, it calculates down into 24.2 Million Barrels of Oil per person in the United States. So is this even an issue the United States Government should be worried about? Should they be fretting over whether or not they need to break out their own oil, or should they be throwing their support behind the rebels in Libya, fighting against a ruthless dictator? After all, it was one of the reasons the Bush Administration gave when they invaded Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom).
Of course, as I stated above, the people are just as quiet about the situation as the Government. Oil seems to be the most pertinent issue in many people’s minds. What have we become? We are no longer concerned with worldly affairs, at least not while we have some issues of our own. Oil and gas prices have always been a concern for the people, as it effects their day to day lives. A situation in the Middle East takes a back seat to even the most meaningless of problems we have in our own countries. After all, situations in the Middle East have been occurring for almost a decade. Is the Media tired of filming countless shots of sand and guns? Or are the people tired of watching them? No one is truly to blame for the lack of giving a damn. After watching hours upon hours of footage dedicated to the Middle East, and after reading more journals and news stories, one can hardly expect the world to think of it as breaking news. It has become the background, and dull sound bites about Gaddafi won’t capture people’s attention. We will be more concerned with our own lives before the lives of others, as sad as it is to say. We as people have tuned out and been turned off world affairs. Our apathy has reached a new high. Who even reads the news anymore?
With the price of oil on a constant increase, it seems as though our thoughts and concerns about the Middle East are on a steady decline. We, as a first world country, and our neighbors the same, will focus on themselves first.
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