Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Ratings75
Average rating3.9
The author puts forth a great deal of data (again and again and again). This book could have been half its current length and still put forth the author's ideas. I found this book informative, but very dry and not able to keep my attention.
The book explores the rise/fall of a bunch of different societies. I found most interesting the bits about the people on Easter Island and the Norse in Greenland. Took me a fair while (2 weeks) to get through this one, a bit of a long read.
As I have read this book the bush fire crisis in Australia was making news worldwide. Jared Diamond devoted an entire chapter to Australia in this 15 year old book and it made stark reading considering. He hardly covered fire that devours but had a lot to say about water, agriculture and mining. Mining is huge in this country to the point that multi national and local miners can campaign very hard, with the mass media heavyweight assistance of US plutocrat Rupert Murdoch, to get what they want. Governments will fall; some people do become silent as the fear of a smashing in the media as to their thoughts on the degradation of resources for cheap return are generally turned into some cheap point scoring propaganda on behalf of vested interests. Can I complain? Can I hell! Me and my generation, boomers, has made a mint from the resource sector via our superannuation with fast and easy returns and now in our dotage have a lot to yell about at those bludging whining youngsters. Good grief! Who are these people to complain about us receiving tax credits back from the PAYE taxpayer for our 1.9 million dollar worth of shares? 6,000 odd bucks a pop for that little investment. I'm alright Jack.
Which is why, depending on one's point of view, the more interesting chapter in this book is 14 Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions? The premise of this chapter can cover the individual as well. There is rational behaviour behind all decisions no matter how (seemingly) poor. And here's (seemingly) one for any of you that read my scribble. Diamond discusses the foolishness of cotton growing in Queensland and northern New South Wales that depletes water resources from the likes of the Murray Darling downstream. This is a big deal and nothing to do with one's political belief. Rural (and with that very conservative) electorates downstream have complaining for years and years about water loss. Google is your friend to read up on this. So with cotton, drought etc. what do we get? Dubbo, a town in central NSW, easing water restrictions for the watering of one's garden. And what a debate! How's this for one news item on the subject pork chops?
https://7news.com.au/news/environment/nsw-towns-plan-to-take-more-water-damned-c-542423
For a more cerebral read look at this.
ttps://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/scrapping-over-puddles-the-desperate-battle-for-water-in-nsw-s-towns-20191105-p537h5.html
Diamond writes that he is hopeful that correct decisions will be made with pressure from the public in general and gives many reasons as to why this has been successful. Again this all depends on ones point of view but after watching the power of the media to support and sway opinion in Australia over the issue of the environment (and tax credits on fully franked shares) I have my doubts.
It was suggested to me that some of the research may have been superseded, and a very quick internet read early on showed there was some thoughts as to the book becoming dated. Be that as it may it has been a good read and worth the effort.
If only Mr. Diamond would stop writing every chapter like a formulaic college essay, this would merit 4 or even 5 stars, because the subject matter is in no way uninteresting. Sadly, he tells you what he's going to tell you, then tells you, and then recaps it for you. It makes me want to cry.
Now don't get me wrong. He's a great writer with an amazing grasp of the subject matter. But lawd, lawd, he could have utilized endnotes or footnotes a TAD more. Very long, very drawn out, overly detailed. I must admit, I had to skim through some of the end because my brain was leaking out my ears. I loved Guns Germs and Steel, but this lacks the thrill of that particular discovery. Anyway, a perfect textbook for this subject, but just, well, too much.