Posted on 08/14/2015 10:00:59 AM PDT by rey
It started with the pope. In his recent encyclical, Laudato Si’, he singled out air conditioning as a particularly good example of wasteful habits and excessive consumption that overcome our better natures:
People may well have a growing ecological sensitivity but it has not succeeded in changing their harmful habits of consumption which, rather than decreasing, appear to be growing all the more. A simple example is the increasing use and power of air-conditioning.
Now, it seems to be open season on air conditioning. From a raging Facebook debate over an article that claims that air conditioning is an oppressive tool of the patriarchy to an article in the Washington Post that calls the American use of air conditioning an “addiction” and compares it unfavorably to the European willingness to sweat through the heat of summer, air conditioning is under attack. So I want to defend it.
Understand that when I defend air conditioning, I do so as something of a reluctant proponent. I grew up in the Midwest, and I have always loved sitting on the screened-in porch, rocking on the porch swing, drinking a glass of something cold. I worked in Key West during the summer after my sophomore year of college, lived in an apartment with no air conditioning, and discovered the enormous value of ceiling fans. A lazy, hot summer day can be a real pleasure.
(Excerpt) Read more at fee.org ...
He grew up in an area known for hot, humid summers (our wintertime). I think 115 in Phoenix and 10% humidity would be a relief for him from 90 degrees and 100% humidity.
I know I handled Phoenix at 115 better than I ever did San Antonio in the 90s.
I have a great idea. The pope can order every building in the world owned by the Catholic Church to set their thermostats to 77 degrees. Give it a two year trial and see how much revenue they’ve lost in the warm months. I think he might reevaluate his recommendations.
During a recent heat wave in Europe some 50,000 people died. Will the Pope declare them martyres for climate change? Mid 90 on the northern prairies with dew points near 70 ....weather service is issuing heat danger warnings.
“Then my folks bought a new house with AC in 1967. I will never go back.”
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That must have been pure heaven for your family after all of the previous years.
Those years probably toughened you up,though. :-)
.
Ceiling fans make my eyes dry out at night and it is painful.
It took me a while to figure it out.
I put drops in my eyes 3 or 4 times a night. It sucks!
Years ago in SF CA I rode my mountain bike across Dianne Feinstein’s front yard and tore up her flower bed with my knobby tires.
Does that count as kooky and weird? I did not quote scripture while doing it.
Also you can worship God without paying a middleman.
That brings value!
I’m fairly confident that the best thing to ever come out of Clute is you.
It is too small to be termed an armpit of Texas, and besides, those titles are already claimed by Garland and Beaumont.
I’d call it the space between the toes that gathers lint.
Seems like there’s been an influx of mexicans last time I was there.
Is there also a war on heating?
Thank you for the link.
I want to get one for my garage.
Don’t tell he pope!
Meaning no disrespect but...
probably thought he already died.
Amen.
Another dumb@$$ posts nonsense.
Try living in Southern Alabama without it.
Well, you brag on a thread, where the Pope says having air conditioning is immoral, about not having air conditioning. Are you telling us so the Pope will bless you?
Some of us live in areas that without A/C, would almost be unlivable, or at least the way our houses are now constructed, unlivable.
So it seems a little kooky to denizens on a web site devoted to Freedom and not letting others tell us what to do, to side with this socialist-morality-lecturing Pope.
Key West is hardly the deep south. I double dog dare the author to do w/o a/c in central MS for an entire summer. In a small apartment with conventional height ceilings.
And no a/c in his car or workplace either.
Double. Dog. Dare.
On the other hand, if the south went a/c’less a lot of the yankees would move back north...
Right on, beautiful you, Black Agnes!
A/C is essential here in the deep South.
I lived in Europe for 7 years, 3 in Southern Italy, 4 in Germany.
Many Italians had air conditioning if they where middle class or above. For those poorer, the houses were constructed with big, tall windows, and being a peninsula, Italy gets a lot of breezes from the sea. However, if you could afford it, you got it. For poorer people saving up, it was one of the first expensive things they would buy and be very proud of it.
In Germany, it can get hot for a few days in the summer, but not enough to warrant the cost, and A/C is expensive in Germany, and almost all houses are made of cinder blocks, and are not constructed with duct work in mind. Every house has central heating, but it’s almost always steam radiator, modern style. When building houses they’re very careful to route all the hot water pipes as they lay the blocks. They could put in duct work at that time, and some of the more modern houses were starting to do that, but a very small percentage still. Practically no houses are built with stick frames like the USA. The Germans consider them flimsy and tacky. I defended out choice building style, as I told them, wood is abundant and CHEAP in the US and Canada, and the wood joints, if properly framed and connected, are surprisingly strong. They’re just prejudiced to their ways.
Most of the buildings on the American bases have A/C, but it looks ugly as most of the duct work hangs exposed from the ceiling. Before I left Germany we were planning some new construction on Ramstein AB which included a HUGE mall, Armed Forces hotel, transportation hub mega structure, and had trouble getting German contractors who could plan inside A/C.
BTW, before they built the huge complex, the area was the base garden. You could rent a 1/4 acre from MWR for 15 bucks a year and grow your own food. While I lived off base, me and a couple of my troops got a couple of plots so we could grow AMERCAN vegetables, like sweet corn, hot peppers, winter squash and pumpkins for the kids. We were pretty dang good at it, and we gave away tons of good food to people. Go a lot of Germans liking corn on the cob, which they thought was only fit for hogs and cattle!
In the summer of 1995, Western Germany had a huge heat wave, with almost two weeks of 95+ weather, some days over 100, and yes, many people, especially pensioners on fixed incomes died. My house didn’t have A/C, and was hot, but my bedroom had a full door and windows on an upstairs balcony, and I had several big American box fans I bought at the BX sitting there. AND the humidity was fairly low, and every night got down to the high 60s. You could sleep ok with fans.
I left Germany for Alabama in 1997. I could NOT live here without A/C.
I lived in central MS in my 20’s for 2 years in a row with no a/c in my apartment, car, or workplace. I survived. But I had grown up w/o a/c in my school, my parents car or my grandparents house and mother who was super duper frugal with a/c at our house (thermostat set on 80 in the summer). But there are no ‘sea breezes’ in central Mississippi either...
Shoot. I wish you did! That would have added an extra measure of wrath for her! And too bad you weren't carrying an "assault rifle"!!!
I grew up without a/c. We had an attic fan and my asthma and nasal allergies were awful. All night long pollen, dust and other allergens flooded over me. I was always gasping for breath.
I am 75 years old and I don’t want to live (in Houston) without it!
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