@$$hole #17: Oil Piracy
So, despite the fact that I was out of the state on Friday, the new @$$hole strip did go live on time. Since I was out of town, however, I was unable to promote it.
Gas prices have been going up steadily for quite some time, and it always pisses people off – yet they do nothing about it, and they continue to rise. The truth of the matter is, we will eventually run out of petrolium and fossil fuels, because they are a limited resource. People say that hybred cars help, and I’m sure there’s some truth to that, but they’re not solving the problem – they’re only prolonging the inevitable.
“Why don’t we just switch over to an alternative,” you ask. Well, the answer is simple, and it involves this thing we call an economy. Whenever you think about gas, you think about your car, and maybe gas stations. But you problem don’t think about the people who made the barrels that the gas was shipped in, much less the people surveying for the gas (I believe they’re called “geologists”), the people mining the petrol, the people shipping the petrol over seas and on trucks. There are so many jobs and so much industry tied into this limited resource, I don’t think our economy could function if we stopped using it tomorrow – the change would have to take time, unfortunately.
Back to the topic at hand: the comic. I remember a time when I first started driving (back in the 90s) when gas went up to 89 cents per gallon. “Outragious!” I screamed. “No one will stand for this!” Years later, it sky-rocketted passed a dollar. “Horseshit!” I ranted. “People will surely boycott this kind of action soon!”
Now we live in an age where gas costs almost $4 a gallon (over a 400% increase in just under a decade), and the price isn’t going back down. We are thankful when we find it for under $3, and thank our lucky stars. Well, I’m still of the mindset of “Horseshit! Where’s my 89 cents?” Better yet, where’s my alternative? Although it’s not technically a monopoly (since there are different oil companies), there isn’t really an alternative mode of transportation available for traveling long distances that doesn’t involve fossil fuel consumption in some way. And no one seems to be batting an eye about it.
Another interesting point is that despite the “increased cost of petrol-related industry,” the oil industry has reported record-breaking profits every year for the last 8 years…in fact, ever since Bush got elected into office. Coincidence? I mean, he did bankrupt 2 oil companies in Texas before following in his father’s footsteps and starting another war over…oil? Hmmmmmmmm…..
But I digress, this joke was made to be multi-layered, and also pokes fun at my (least) favorite industry, Hollywood. The entertainment industry has, in my opinion, lost touch with what their audience wants to see – referring back to formulas and focus groups to write a movie for them, to maximize butts in seats (ie: profits). Hollywood is a business, and they have to make money. Unfortunately, they blame their lack of money-making on piracy, and sue any and everyone out there trying to get their hands on entertainment that they may not be able to get at (or, like in my case, be willing to pay for).
I am a strong advocate of “support what you like,” with the idea that more of it will get made. I encourage everyone I meet to do this. If you don’t like it, then don’t pay for it – but understand that you may not be able to keep it, consume it, view it, or experience it.
However, I digress. I believe that since Hollywood has lost touch with their audience, and they blame them for their financial troubles (oh boo-hoo, no yaht this year for me), they have furthered the rift between them. They say that it’s all the fault of piracy, but that’s not true. Sometimes, since I don’t want to support something, I’ll wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it. It’s cheaper, and I don’t have to put up with those rude idiots that believe that the theater is their living room (hint: it’s not, so shut the hell up). It’s comfortable and less expensive to view a movie in my home than it is in the theater, and often I enjoy the experience more.
Increased movie ticket admission prices, increased quality of home-theater entertainment systems, decreased costs of owning a quality entertainment system – these should be included in your equations, Hollywood.
…
Sorry for the rant, I’m all over the place today. In summary, gas and movie prices are too high, so I made fun of them. Originally, the guy with the beard was going to say something much more nasty than what he ended up saying, but I censored myself because some people from work read this comic – and I would hate to offend them. If you want to know what he was going to say, send me an e-mail and I’ll let you know – just know that you’ve been warned, so don’t be offended when you find out.
New Exile 3 stuff in the works, and I have guest strips coming up soon. Guest strips are due in to me on August 1, and Kevin has already turned his in. I am still waiting on Erin, Laura, Shane, and Jeremy (you have plenty of time, guys and gals).
Until next week, enjoy this comic!
T
