In much of the rest of the world, rich people live in gated communities and drink bottled water. That's increasingly the case in Los Angeles where I come from. So that wealthy people in much of the world are insulated from the consequences of their actions.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the separation of the wealthy from the general consequences faced by society, particularly in areas of privilege.
Jared Diamond's quote reflects on the social divide that exists globally, especially in affluent regions like Los Angeles, where wealthy individuals often isolate themselves from the realities faced by others. This insulation from the consequences of actions carried out by the rich not only perpetuates inequality but also detaches them from the societal issues that stem from their lifestyle choices, prompting a critical examination of privilege and responsibility in modern society.
In practice
During a seminar on social justice, this quote can be used to emphasize the need for awareness of privilege in our discussions.
For anyone inclined to caricature environmental history as 'environmental determinism,' the contrasting histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti provide a useful antidote. Yes, environmental problems do constrain human societies, but the societies' responses also make a difference.
The metaphor is so obvious. Easter Island isolated in the Pacific Ocean — once the island got into trouble, there was no way they could get free. There was no other people from whom they could get help. In the same way that we on Planet Earth, if we ruin our own [world], we won't be able to get help.
But this was the only way of life that humans knew for their first 6m years on the planet. In giving it up over the past few thousand years, we have lost our vulnerability to disease and cold and wild animals, but we have also lost good ways to bring up children, look after old people, stave off diabetes and heart disease and understand the real dangers of everyday life.
We scientists have fantasies of being uniquely qualified to make great discoveries. Alas, reality is cruel: most of us are replaceable. For the vast majority of scientific contributions, if scientist X hadn't achieved it that year, scientist Y would have achieved the same result or something very similar soon thereafter.
All human societies go through fads in which they temporarily either adopt practices of little use or else abandon practices of considerable use.
AIDS and malaria and TB are national security issues. A worldwide program to get a start on dealing with these issues would cost about $25 billion... It's, what, a few months in Iraq.
Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?
Evil is not any superhuman, but it is HUMAN.
To delve into history entails, besides the grievance of hard work, the danger that in the depths one may lose one’s scapegoats.
At times the whole world seems to be in conspiracy to importune you with emphatic trifles.
When virtue has slept it will arise more vigorous.
I . . . am always half afraid of finding a clever novel too clever--& of finding my own story & my own people all forestalled.
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