“Snow today is water tomorrow.”
I’ve seen this meme, and others like it, circulating on social media lately. Presumably, it’s a light-hearted attempt to poke fun at people who live in colder climates with lots of snowfall.
Most readers know of my distaste for memes, and here’s a perfect example of short-sighted, dirt-dumb, foolishness.
This photo may be humorous right now. But what about six months from now? What’s going to happen in July? I have an idea. So let me take a few guesses.
First, all that snow you see in the photo is going to melt. It will runoff into streams and rivers. Lakes will be filled. Fish will be abundant. Plants, with plenty of water, will blossom. Wildlife will flourish. And many of the people stuck inside next to fireplaces today after shoveling snow will enjoy warm 82-degree afternoons.
Meanwhile, here in Las Vegas and in many parts of the southwest, we’ll be mired in the midst of yet another deadly drought. You see, we didn’t get any snowy days. It’s rained exactly twice since Halloween. Water at Lake Mead is the lowest it’s been in 30 years. We’re running out of water, so now we’re rationing water. Meanwhile, insane urban sprawl continues unchecked because developers and corporations basically run the state, and people here don’t like “big government” regulations. So now, we’re suffering the consequences of our mass madness. We’re down to watering lawns once a week, that is, if you have lucky enough to have a lawn. Oh, and severe water shortages are likely to get much worse.
READ MORE OF MY THOUGHTS ON THE LAS VEGAS DROUGHT AND OVERDEVELOPMENT HERE
Somehow, when the summer heat inevitably comes and it’s 118 degrees and we’re setting records we don’t want to break for the hottest year in recorded history, no one in the snowy places will be sending stupid memes in our direction about them enjoying 82-degree afternoons while enjoying the water slide in the back yard.
Maybe a little perspective would be useful. Perhaps it’s wise to look at the bigger picture. It’s wise to recognize the folly of mass shortsightedness and acknowledge the dangers of naivete.
Months from now, many of us here in Las Vegas will wish it snowed like that HERE.
So, quit posting the dumbass fucking memes.