01/08/2024
Writing for the Orange County Register, Steven Greenhut explained the modern miracle that is cheap aluminum foil and the corresponding modern indifference to conveniences that would shock earlier generations.
"Americans are so used to our unparalleled abundance that we don't pause and appreciate what this means in the context of human existence," he wrote. "An NPR story on the history of aluminum notes that 'it used to be more valuable than gold.' The National Park Service explained that in 1884, 'The U.S. government wanted to have a precious metal cap for the (Washington) monument, so it chose aluminum. I used it to cover up ordinary Christmas dinner leftovers. ... Just as 19th-century robber barons would be astounded that we use aluminum as a throwaway, struggling people throughout history (and in less-affluent nations today) would be shocked we spend so much time, wealth, and effort making life costlier and more difficult. Obsessing over plastic bag use, gas stoves, electric vehicles, fish ladders, nearly immeasurable pollutants, and cow emissions might be justifiable—but it certainly smacks of 'first world problems.'"
We should recognize that the world’s advancements – even such little things as disposable aluminum foil – are mostly the result of human ingenuity and freedom.
