You may have heard that prominent lawyer, David S Buckel, who was best known for being a key player in several prominent legal battles for gay rights, decided to commit suicide by lighting himself on fire in Central Park.
I would argue, he is now best known for the fire thing as opposed to his legal work.
Buckel left a note explaining his decision, which opened with:
“I am David Buckel and I just killed myself by fire as a protest suicide. I apologize to you for the mess.”
Well, he certainly seems like a reasonable fellow. And by the way, David, I don’t accept your apology, my dog has ashes all over its undercoat you rat prick.
He continues, “Most humans on the planet now breathe air made unhealthy by fossil fuels, and many die early deaths as a result — my early death by fossil fuel reflects what we are doing to ourselves.”
Wait is this a suicide or a really poorly conceived public art piece? Or both?
I don’t want to ruffle any feathers, but let’s address the elephant in the room:
Setting yourself on fire is a real boneheaded move.
Buddhists and hindus have been doing it as a form of protest for centuries, which goes to show that anyone who is staunchly religious is totally nuts, and buddhists don’t have all the answers as many people who still buy vinyl records think, because regardless of your specific theological philosophy, I think we can all agree that setting yourself on fire is really fucking stupid.
If you don’t think so, you’re part of the crazy group.
Indeed, Buckel’s note incorporates the same theme as all of the buddhist self-immolizers, that this act is a form of sacrifice intended to draw attention to some type of injustice.
The general consensus is that this is an act of martyrdom, as Buckel stated:
“Honorable purpose in life invites honorable purpose in death.”
Maybe. But let’s call this what it is, emo crybaby horseshit. It’s no different than a toddler holding their breath if they can’t get what they want.
Also, what did he use to immolate himself? Gasoline? Chlorofluorocarbons? Nail polish remover? It could have easily been one of the fossil fuels he was talking about in his note.
These are questions that need to be answered. Also, setting yourself on fire will generate a certain amount of carbon dioxide, the same dangerous compound generated by burning coal.
Plus he ruined a small patch of grass.
All of this would seem to run counter to his message of environmentalism.
To me, this incident points to one of the key tenants of liberalism.
There’s a palpable self-pity that many very liberal people have, and it is exceptionally annoying.
They complain about being starving artists, as if their sculpture of a unicorn is an under-recognized contribution to society.
They complain about their veterinary bills, as if the government mandated that they adopt several arthritic dogs.
They complain about everything.
Underlying all of it is a lack of personal accountability, and the very emo notion that they have been singled out and wronged in some way.
On the other side of the spectrum, nearly every mass shooter in the history of the world has been a far right wing conservative.
Buckel was a very progressive guy complaining about the environment being destroyed, which it is.
And the people who run those oil companies, those timber companies, those fracking companies, those chemical companies that are destroying the environment, the people who are actively trying and succeeding at dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency, the representatives of congress who vote to allow these companies to exercise less and less responsibility, those people are all conservatives. Right wingers. Republicans. Whatever you want to call them.
So, on one hand you have a crazy progressive guy lighting himself on fire, and on the other side you have a crazy conservative guy shooting up a black church.
Which extreme is more dangerous?
Far right conservatives are bad people. They’re violent, hateful, and racist.
Far left progressives are just fucking annoying and talk about Mercury Retrograde all of the time.
One is much more dangerous than the other.
In fact, since progressives are, in general, intimidated by conservatives and, because they are more conscientious and don’t attack with the same ferocity, they usually find themselves losing to these people.
Buckel is pissed that our environment is being destroyed. The Republicans do not give a shit that he is pissed.
His response, set yourself on fire and hope this gets their attention and they realize the error of their ways.
That makes about as much sense as cutting yourself in the bathtub and hoping the bully will notice the nicks on your wrist and earnestly ask you what the problem is and how he can help.
I know what the people on the opposite end of the spectrum from Buckel are thinking:
It would be awesome if every progressive set themselves on fire, then we would have even less resistance than we already have, and we could more easily go about dumping nuclear waste into the river and repealing all of those civil rights laws.
There is a lesson to be learned from this.
Don’t set yourself on fire, dumbass, fight back.