Saturday, November 8, 2008

Resources

Is there such a thing as resources? I studied in Resource Conservation in Montana and the resources we talked about were timber, water, energy and things of that sort. The comment someone made the other day here at Sterling College that made me question this more was "You should really talk to him, He's a great resource."

He's a resource? I didn't think so. Why not say that he's a great person?

I think that labeling something as a resource is inviting its consumption by people. The fish, and the trees, and the knowledge in someone's head.

A couple of Fish and Wildlife people came to talk to my wildlife management class yesterday. We went out electroshock fishing. Judd, wore his waders, baseball cap, rain coat with the USFW patch on the arm and polarized shades.

6 comments:

John said...

There is a great Dilbert strip about referring to people as resources. Dilbert complains that he doesn't have enough people to get his work done, so his boss says he'll "add another resource to the project."

When Dilbert opines that people don't like to be called resources, the boss replies: "Would it help if I told you that resources are our most valuable asset?"

John said...

This article caught my eye and made me think of your recent post. It's not exactly the same subject, but I think you'll like it.

Tom McCullough said...

I agree with you that words matter. However, I think context matters, too. The person who directed you to a "resource" was probably somebody who in good faith just meant to help you find a wealth of information that the "resource" had and that you wouldn't likely find in one place very easily. I also think it's fair enough to say that considering something a resource implies that it will be somehow used, but used does not necessarily have to mean consumed. Particularly information. Why do you post information on your blog? Are you not afraid that somebody will consume it? Probably not. If I have information that is of some use to you and I give it to you, it is not consumed. I still have it. Even better, we both have it, so it's likely to stay around even longer (you might even say that by giving you the information, I'm even reinforcing my own memory of it, so that it will stay with me longer).
I've never thought about natural resources as things that we necessarily have to consume (which is why the whole idea of tapping ANWR and other offshore areas that MAY contain significant petroleum deposits has left me rather cold). Maybe the term is inappropriate in that sense.

BTW, glad to see you back in action. I was beginning to despair of ever having further exchanges with you (after all, you're a great resource :-) )

Tom McCullough said...

In another Dilbert strip, a consultant had prepared a report that proved that employees were not in fact the company's most important asset. I think they came in somewhere after paper clips...

Tom McCullough said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Matthew said...

Would you feel better if they referred to you as a "Renewable resource?" ;-)