Addicted to Oil?

By Christopher Forestieri

When President Bush remarked, during his 2006 State of the Union address, that America is “addicted to oil,” many took it as a bold statement, especially from an oil man. In fact, just last week on CBS’s 60 Minutes, correspondent Lesley Stahl discussed that very phrase with Saudi oil minister Al-Naimi.

“Politicians use this all the time that. We're addicted, addicted to foreign oil. And addiction has a dark connotation, because if you’re addicted, there’s a suggestion that there’s a drug dealer who’s trying to keep you hooked. And it’s in the air that you want to keep us hooked. Even President Bush, who's an oilman, even he has said we're addicted to this, and we have to get off this oil," Stahl noted.

Al-Naimi responded “There is nothing addictive about oil. If you look back 100 years, what would the world be without it?"

Maybe he has a point.Sure, if you look back in time you could point to many benefits the extraction and refining of oil has brought the developing world. But, aside from that, is oil addictive?

Stahl also makes a good point; the notion of addiction implies that the responsibility lies, at least in some part, with someone else. When you think of it that way, it is not such a bold statement, but a typical statement from an oil man who has been forced to recognize that his country is ready to move on and explore alternatives to oil.

When it comes down to it, America does have a national addiction: convenience. It’s not that we get a rush every time we fire up the transmission (motorheads excluded), it’s the fact that we want to get where we’re going when we want to go there, without exception.

But even seeing that as an addiction is problematic. The notion of an addiction, in a sense, is shield to hide behind. It’s not our fault, we got hooked. No responsibility need be taken. They offered us something that was addictive and we can’t help it if we can’t stop.

The fact is, refined oil was a pretty great development, at face value. It helped us mobilize and gain access to otherwise remote corners of the world. It helped transform infrastructure, provided light and heat for many, and presented countless opportunities which would not have otherwise been available.

The fact is we abused it. It wasn’t enough to just drive 15 miles to work and back, we had to drive down the street to McDonalds, and we had to do it in an SUV.

We didn’t get addicted, we got greedy.