Offset away our guilt

This is actually the title of a USA Today editorial by Peter Schweizer, in which he proposed that if we can buy ‘carbon offsets’ for our environmental missteps, why not for our other sins? Humorously, the author is proposing a list of other offsets, such as for adultery, tofu, or pilates. This article was picked up as discussion topic on NPR’s Talk of the Nation this past Thursday, and was quite entertaining. All the hypocrisy and grand standing behind the thought of offsetting surfaced very quickly. The show produced a great amount of quality feedback from the audience; one was saying “…how is this any different than the catholic church selling indulgences?”, more to the point, another said “…the first thing you have to do is reduce your carbon footprint. Once you have reduced it, you can think about offsetting.” Others were making suggestions about other offsets, like for reading “People Magazine” or indulging in chocolate. While I didn’t quite dare to air my comment on the show, I thought of another offset to add to the list and the absurdity of the whole concept by proposing a “homicide offset” in which you’d be free to kill anyone as long as you donate a few of your own sperms or eggs…