
US energy department rebrands fossil fuels as 'molecules of freedom' - otikik
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/29/energy-department-molecules-freedom-fossil-fuel-rebranding
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rayiner
This was clearly a joke. In an earlier press conference, Rick Perry remarked
that the US would be shipping freedom to Europe again, this time in the form
of natural gas rather than US soldiers. (This joke plays on the fact that
Europe is currently dependent on Russia for natural gas.) A _reporter_ in the
press room then quipped something along the lines of “I guess you could call
it freedom gas.” Rick Perry agreed. A couple of subsequent press releases then
worked in the same concept. It’s an inside joke to the press covering the DoE.
(The public doesn’t read press releases, journalists do.)

I dislike Rick Perry as much as the next guy. But this is an archetypal
example of how the media manufactures outrage and manipulates people’s
emotions. They take a joke that wasn’t offensive to anyone, a good natured
rubbing of allies and trade partners, and spin it to make it seem like people
are irrational and crazy. The climate change policy is crazy enough. You don’t
need to resort to this.

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ptah
It was in an official news release, not an interview. afaik, there was no
indication in print that it was a joke

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inflatableDodo
Here's a pic containing the relevant sections -
[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7vU3AvXoAIfvFH.jpg](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7vU3AvXoAIfvFH.jpg)
\- If it was intended as a joke, then the joke intended is a practical joke
from the fallout of putting it in the report in the first place.

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ptah
seems like saying "freedom" to an american is an alternative way to do a mind
trick like a jedi waving his hand

~~~
hurryskurry
Which is ironic since the US has been becoming increasingly less "free." Like
state elections, the ways congressional districts are gerrymandered, and the
enormous outsized voice capital has in the functioning of our government and
elections: I'm not sure how much we have on other nominally less free
countries sometimes.

And according to the heritage foundation the US isn't even in the top 10 most
free economies, and that's the sort of thing people who are swayed by that
particular jedi mind trick like.

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enriquto
It's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish comedic parody from real
news.

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dvfjsdhgfv
I love the Guardian articles in general, but this time I'm a bit let down. Why
didn't they bother to offer any explanation of why that term was used? Because
in this case there actually is a very good reason (hint: several countries in
Europe are dependent on gas from one not-so-democratic country that already
used it as a trump card during a war conflict and hinted they would use it
again).

So yes, in this case it's not as ridiculous as many other expressions with
freedom and the US in them.

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arkades
No, it is ridiculous.

A public speech in which one says “we are effectively supporting the freedom
of European states with this liquid natural gas export” may not be ridiculous,
but once you strip context and just start calling it “freedom gas”, you’ve
jumped the shark.

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dvfjsdhgfv
Yes, I agree that this particular figure of speech is ridiculous. But the
underlying meaning is not. The energetic security, both long-term and short
term (hot summer coming!) of several of these countries depends on Russia, in
some cases in its entirety. This gas is actually of real help.

~~~
hurryskurry
Is natural gas used to cool houses in Europe? I thought natural gas was mostly
used for heating. In the UK at least many house lack air conditioning. I can't
speak about the continent.

~~~
dvfjsdhgfv
The article in question refers to Liquified Natural Gas - it has many uses but
in this particular case it's used to generate electricity in power plants.

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stuaxo
This is a joke timeline, "freedom gas" are you serious ??

~~~
Jtsummers
[https://abstrusegoose.com/592](https://abstrusegoose.com/592)

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benj111
Molecules of freedom has prompted me to consider the nature of freedom.

Can you get discrete packets of freedom, or is it a continuous range? Maybe
its a binary value???

I suspect viewing it as binary just ends up being very absolutist. I struggle
to think what a molecule of freedom actually looks like, or what atoms it
would be made up of though.

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francisofascii
This is a reminder that fossil fuels can be seen as both liberating and
enslaving. It gives people the freedom to drive cars and generate cheap
electricity, but when countries become completely dependent on it, the freedom
is lost.

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diveanon
There are plenty of things to be outraged about in today's world.

A lame joke by some DOE suits is not one of them.

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wtdata
The Guardian became a joke, they are so biased they can't even recognise
humour.

