No time for love

or more than a year now, GZO Jones has answered questions from our readers and it's usually the same old thing: we really have no idea where he's coming from. But he can be glib and oddly amusing, and he swears that back in the day he hung with the Beats. That's good enough for us because, aside from all else, he has yet to miss a deadline. Nevertheless, at last glance his Brazilian Web site (GZO Jones Town) still isn't saying much.

Dear Dr. Jones,

I don't get it – why does the rest of the world seem to hate the U.S.?

Signed,
Bumming out

Dear BO,

Seem to? The simple fact that you even ask such a question goes a long way toward providing the answer. But, for the simple sake of discourse, consider:

Do you spend beyond your means? Eat more than your share? Live in a bigger dwelling than you realistically need? Flush your toilet a dozen times a day? Endlessly water your precious lawn? Own a gas-guzzling conveyance? Drive when you could walk? Vote for politicians who push selfish policies on the rest of the planet? Look down on those with different color skin, different beliefs or even different accents?

Are you aware of how good your country has it? How relatively little the rest of the world gets by with? How much we'll all ultimately need to cooperate to ensure the planet's very survival beyond the next few years?

If you can look in the mirror and truly answer “no” to the first set of questions and “yes” to the second, write me back. I'll give you some reasons.

Otherwise, get your shit together – the planet doesn't have much time.

– Jones