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RIP the Broccoli Tree

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Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#111

Post by mastazi »

The thesis of the article seems to be summed up in the last paragraph:

> our collective attention and obsession, amplified by the speed and intensity of the internet & social media, tends to ruin the things we love: authors, musicians, restaurants, actors, beloved movies, vacation spots, artists, democracies and even a tree that became too famous to live.

I think this is an important point. Yes public attention and mass media existed before the internet but we all know that modern social media has changed the way notoriety and reputation work. I agree with the author because I think that, for example, in the world we had during the 80's or early 90's Justine Sacco would still have a job and the US Presidential campaign would have been different.

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#113

Post by breischl »

cableshaft wrote: post #65

There's so many examples of this it's just so sad. Joshua Tree on U2 album cover destroyed: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971368/U2-fan-pilgr... Kids knock down 16 million year old rock formation: https://military.id.me/news/idiots-ruin-18-million-year-old-... One man accidentally killed the oldest tree ever: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-one-man-accide... World's most isolated tree knocked…

Or knocking over a goblin rock formation, for "safety"

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/18/goblin-valley-boy-...

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#114

Post by matt4077 »

jplahn wrote: post #74

This is tangentially related to something I've been struggling with for the last year. I began getting into photography about a year and as an attempt to surround myself with inspiration, I followed many of the top landscape photographers on Instagram. While their images are beautiful and they tend to position their photographs from the perspective of "environmentalism", I can't help but feel like they've done as muc…

I believe there's a counteracting mechanism at work that compensates (and then some) for the possible damages from tourism.

Look at Yellowstone, or the country of Guatemala, where it's the interest by visitors that provides the necessary incentives to protect the natural beauty.

The same has (somewhat) worked to reduce the risk of extinction for many species of African mammals as well.

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#115

Post by lobster_johnson »

etiam wrote: post #31
ierolastic wrote: post #2

So many things about that are depressing, like, why would someone cut into a tree like that, and why would they decide that, if one of the trunks is gone, the whole thing needs to be decimated? Both are completely absurd.

It's hardly clear from this particular blog post but if you look at what's been reported in newspapers almost all the trunks had been sawed in. As for why, who knows, but my guess is we're looking at a physical world manifestation of the same personality that drives many (non-professional) internet trolls. Sadistic and attention seeking.

It's less trolling and more griefing [1]. Some people just want to watch the world burn.

I personally know a real-life griefer who spends his time disrupting discussion boards. He's an intelligent and creative guy, but he sees his mission as being a counterweight to all the positive, friendly discourse that is going on. I'm glad he limits himself to online activities.

In some venues -- the multiple infamous flying penis attacks in Second Life, for example -- griefing can be fun and even beautiful. Rarely in real life.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griefer

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#116

Post by hnzix »

jerf wrote: post #110
stephengillie wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waiting for the day some space-bound joy-rider flies through the Rings of Saturn and leaves big gaping holes. How many years will it take the custodian moons to clean up?

The rings are comfortably larger than Earth: http://www.arcadiastreet.com/cgvistas/images/saturn_&_earth_... To do any damage at any speed you'd notice would be a self-correcting problem as whoever tried it would be destroyed. It's definitely not a problem you're going to see within your lifetime.

Until someone uses a gravity well projector to write "BURMA SHAVE".

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#117

Post by fiblye »

KGIII wrote: post #81
jplahn wrote: post #74

This is tangentially related to something I've been struggling with for the last year. I began getting into photography about a year and as an attempt to surround myself with inspiration, I followed many of the top landscape photographers on Instagram. While their images are beautiful and they tend to position their photographs from the perspective of "environmentalism", I can't help but feel like they've done as muc…

If you really like something, tell nobody. If you find beautiful waterfalls, don't tell anyone. A great fishing hole? Keep it to yourself. A great diner? Nary a soul should you tell. I'm only slightly exaggerating. In defiance of my above statement, I own this tree and it is my favorite tree. The forestry service cored it and it's at least 220 years old. https://imgur.com/a/c2AVd

Living somewhere that's increasingly being overrun with disrespectful tourists, I've been making a point of keeping my travels a secret as well. I've found loads of beautiful spots and I take plenty of pictures, but those pictures are all for my own memories. I don't show them to anyone since I know I'd come back to a trashed location later. I recently went back to a small town that had almost zero tourism not long ago, only to find hordes of tourists and "X ︎LOVES Y" messages carved into walls and trees everywhere.

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#118

Post by mijowi »

elihu wrote: post #105
cableshaft wrote: post #65

There's so many examples of this it's just so sad. Joshua Tree on U2 album cover destroyed: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971368/U2-fan-pilgr... Kids knock down 16 million year old rock formation: https://military.id.me/news/idiots-ruin-18-million-year-old-... One man accidentally killed the oldest tree ever: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-one-man-accide... World's most isolated tree knocked…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiidk%27yaas > Kiidk'yaas (meaning "ancient tree" in the Haida language[1]), also known as the Golden Spruce, was a Sitka Spruce tree (Picea sitchensis 'Aurea') that grew on the banks of the Yakoun River on the Haida Gwaii archipelago, in British Columbia Canada. It had a rare genetic mutation that caused its needles to be golden in colour (rather than the usual green). Kiidk'yaas was co…

> an act of protest against the logging industry

That makes zero sense. He killed an awesome, special tree to protest killing of trees. What a loser.

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#119

Post by stinkytaco »

seunosewa wrote: post #82
cableshaft wrote: post #65

There's so many examples of this it's just so sad. Joshua Tree on U2 album cover destroyed: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971368/U2-fan-pilgr... Kids knock down 16 million year old rock formation: https://military.id.me/news/idiots-ruin-18-million-year-old-... One man accidentally killed the oldest tree ever: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-one-man-accide... World's most isolated tree knocked…

Actually, it took 2 acts of stupidity. The vandalism, and the bureaucratic decision to help the vandal to finish the job.

How do we arrive at either of those conclusions?

I, for one, know nothing of this tree other than what I have seen just now. It's entirely possible that a trained arborist (which most cities and counties employ) looked at the tree and decided it needed to be taken down or coppiced. In fact I would argue that it's much more likely that happened than anything else.

I'm actually a little disappointed that the article jumps to weird conclusions in an attempt to be insightful.

Re: RIP the Broccoli Tree

#120

Post by KGIII »

fiblye wrote: post #117
KGIII wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you really like something, tell nobody. If you find beautiful waterfalls, don't tell anyone. A great fishing hole? Keep it to yourself. A great diner? Nary a soul should you tell. I'm only slightly exaggerating. In defiance of my above statement, I own this tree and it is my favorite tree. The forestry service cored it and it's at least 220 years old. https://imgur.com/a/c2AVd

Living somewhere that's increasingly being overrun with disrespectful tourists, I've been making a point of keeping my travels a secret as well. I've found loads of beautiful spots and I take plenty of pictures, but those pictures are all for my own memories. I don't show them to anyone since I know I'd come back to a trashed location later. I recently went back to a small town that had almost zero tourism not long a…

I can relate. I live in Vacationland. The nearest village largely exists because of tourism. I'm a bit more remote.
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