I was watching Boston Legal last night--for our readers that have a real life and don't watch TV, it's a show on ABC--and there was a revealing exchange between two main characters, Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Alan Shore (James Spader). To set it up, Alan Shore interupted his own date at a swank restaurant to provide the patrons with a public service announcement on the travesty that is farm-raised salmon--that night's special (the PSA was delivered to the tune of 'Right Here in River City' from the Music Man--trust me, it was funny). Anyway, in a later exchange Denny Crane--the founding partner of the show's law firm, and self-proclaimed sufferer of mad cow's disease--warned Shore (and I paraphrase here because I didn't think to write it down at the time):
Never talk about the environment in public. The environment is boring. No one will like you.
Like I said, a revealing exchange...right John? Remind me again why we are doing this.
UPDATE: Just got back from teaching my undergraduate Environmental Economics class where I shared the above story. From the back of the room I heard "...and economists talking about the environment are even worse." Can you feel the love?
