Childrens Music

You Can’t Drink My Milkshake Any More: The End of American Oil

by Gleb Sidorkin

There Will Be Blood was interpreted by most critics as a broad allegory for the pitfalls of individualist American-style capitalism. But the story of a powerful oil man getting ridiculously rich from the ocean of black gold that lies below the property of the humble citizens of Little Boston is also a more narrow allegory of the ways in which American and other Western oil companies have enriched themselves by exploiting the oil resources of the developing world. As Americans, we have been drinking the milkshakes of other nations for much of the 20th century– and have gone to war in Iraq to continue this practice. But the era of America’s unfettered access to the world’s oceans of blended ice cream is coming to an end.

The recent congressional hearings on the fuel crisis (crude oil prices hit $135/barrell on May 22) were an interesting piece of television. The day before Memorial Day weekend, the CEO’s of Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and others were “arrayed before the House Judiciary Committee like five targets in a carnival dunk tank, wearing dark suits and ties instead of swim trunks (NYT).” 

CSPAN is usually the best thing on television in the middle of the day, but this time the boys on Capitol Hill really outdid themselves. The CEO’s of big oil, who are getting rich at the fastest rate in the history of private corporations, pulled off a tremendous feat of method acting as they suppressed their inner glee and donned somber, mournful expressions.

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