Collapse Assignment #1(Easter Island)

In class we had to read an article about this island called "Easter Island". It once was an island with a people living on it , but then collapsed. I actually found the article interesting because i learned so much about the island and how something like this little island could related to America, its kind of scary.

In the article it mentions that the island didn't have many resources for the people living on it. Which is hard to question because when you look at the island i has these HUGE statues around the land, so you ask your self, if there is hardly any resources, how did they make these statues? Well the island doesn't have much trees, which is a very important resource to have on land, but then you later find out that they used their trees and resources that they needed to survive, on these statues. It was basically a contest to see who can build the biggest statue on the island. So each and every one of them used up ALL of their resources to build these statues, which mean nothing and aren't needed on the island. Due to this "race" to show their wealth and strength, the island ended up collapsing and becoming non existent except for its statues.

When looking at this situation , i right away think of America because when you think of it , these Easter island people where trying to show off their wealth by trying to see who can build the biggest statue. it was a way of showing themselves off and trying to climb the social ladder. This connects to the American way of living because today so many people are trying to climb the social ladder and show off their wealth by buying huge houses and all of these expensive things and technology that they can LIVE WITHOUT. Its just a pointless way of showing yourself off. Just like the people on Easter island, no one on the island NEEDED to have those statues on the island.

One other connection i was able to make off of the reading to the American way of life, is a quote i heard Andy saying about fossil fuels ""Fossil Fuel is like the trees in Easter Island" . It is true because in America we use our fossil fuel in ways that they should not be used, we use it to be made into gas for these huge hummer cars, we use it to make all this industrialized foods we eat instead of organic, we use it to keep on our electricity for WAY longer then needed, etc. we basically use it in ways that it shouldn't be use. This all connects to how the Trees on Easter island where like the fossil fuels of America. They would use their trees in a bad way , for their statues, when they couldn't not been killing them all!