Most conservative analysis of “The Lorax” characterizes Dr. Seuss’ story — and its recent movie adaptation — as a simpleminded environmentalist screed.
Max Borders is not so sure. He argues in his latest Ideas Matter update that the original story’s text exhibits support for government protection of private property rights.
Overconsumption due to tragedy of the commons can be remedied easily with both property rights and a robust common law system to bring suits against those who would gluppity glup on our property. Now, I realize that not all environmental problems can so easily be dealt with by application of property rights and the common law. But certainly 95 percent of them can. Sadly, environmentalists today would not only abandon private property rights for draconian regulation and state ownership of property, but many would cannibalize their own agenda for the sake of global warming (just look at ecological damage corn ethanol has wrought).
Borders notes it’s unfortunate that the creators of the video below seem to have missed the point.
You’ll find this, eh hem, cute riff on the Lorax over at CollegeHumor.com. It’s supposed to be funny — to show how absurd the “conservative” view of the environment is. It wouldn’t be as funny if the authors knew how to parody the position. And maybe there are some conservatives and libertarians who think this way. But most classical liberals and libertarians certainly don’t.
It’s also not funny that college kids are getting stoopider because creative leftists are being more than ‘liberal’ with their treatment of both the classical liberal perspective and a great Dr. Seuss story.
