Cloudy weather forecast in some of the eclipse tourist zones. Is it too much to hope that thousands or even millions of people will cancel their flights?
I get that a total eclipse is cool to see, but getting on an airplane just for that??? I think it lasts like five minutes or something. Lifestyles of the rich and famous have gone “mass market.”
So I guess what it is, is “lifestyles of the middle class imitating the rich and famous.”
I think it’s very cool to experience total darkness and near-total darkness. I have experienced it on some nights in the desert when I was living in Texas. Maybe if we would prioritize ecologically responsible lighting and dark night skies, more of us might get to experience it on a steadier basis. I know it’s not the same thing as witnessing the sun get totally blocked out in the middle of the day, but come on, is it really worth the whole footprint and hassle of a plane trip? Seems like just another form of conspicuous consumption.
Maybe if more of us spent more time appreciating the wonders happening throughout the year in our home places, we wouldn’t feel the need to be jetsetting around the planet chasing novelty and the “big things.”
I was once seated at a table with a bunch of middle-class people who were telling endless stories of the four and five and six cruises they had been on this year.
One woman had gone up to Iceland or some other distant land to see a volcano, only to not be able to see the volcano because it didn’t erupt obediently on schedule. Imagine spending all that money and being part of all that eco-footprint of a giant ship, and you don’t even get the money shot. She definitely seemed miffed.
Ironically, this table of people I was sitting with was at an event where citizens were brainstorming how to bring more tourism to our home city, Daytona Beach. (I actually think we have a sufficient amount of tourism, so I was there to talk about how we could promote our place has a good place to live full-time.)
The people sitting at my table with me were volunteer tourism ambassadors for our city. And all they did was talk about their incessant trips to other places. It was weird and depressing.
Similarly, the trend of jetting off to a Maui volcano or Costa Rica jungle or other Facebook status destination to attend a new-age bongo-banging dreamcatcher-dangling, crystal-hanging disco party at the rustically exclusive “eco resort” (made possible by nudging the original inhabitants off the land in various ways) or whatever. Ugh. Just really sad. We could just face the fact that our home culture sucks in many ways, and set about fixing that, instead of chasing status and pristine nature and mind-trips all over the planet. Let’s give other people their countries back now please.
Regarding the eclipse, I was relieved to see that at least a few others feel similar. More than one person this week has quoted from that old famous Carly Simon song You’re So Vain: “… flew your Lear Jet to Nova Scotia, to see a total eclipse of the sun …”
PS. All of that said, a lot of people, me included, are not in the path of totality but are definitely planning to step out and experience the partial eclipse! The crescent-shaped shadows you see on the ground in a partial eclipse are really cool! Whether you’re in the total path or the partial path, the eclipse is something we can all enjoy. Just by stepping out in our yard or balcony, or maybe a nearby park, ball field, riverfront, or beach.
Same as we do for the moonrise, sunset, beautiful clouds, etc.