Posted on Jan 22, 2023
Gas stoves became part of the culture war in less than a week. Here's why
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https://www.npr.org/2023/01/21/ [login to see] /gas-stoves-became-part-of-the-culture-war-in-less-than-a-week-heres-why
At the beginning of January, the health and climate effects of gas cooking stoves in homes was an issue policy makers and academics were studying.
Then, on Jan. 9, Bloomberg News published an interview with Richard Trumka, Jr., a commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, who suggested that the government might consider stricter regulation of new gas stoves in response to health concerns about indoor air quality.
Within days, those stoves had become fodder for partisan influencers and campaign merchandise.
"God. Guns. Gas Stoves," wrote U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, (R-Ohio) on Twitter.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis' political organization quickly came out with aprons for sale in the style of a yellow Gadsden flag, once an icon of the Tea Party, but with a gas stove where the rattlesnake usually sits.
"Not only is Biden coming for your paycheck, he is coming for your stove. You heard me right. The White House is now attempting to ban all gas ovens and burners," said Fox News host Sean Hannity.
At the beginning of January, the health and climate effects of gas cooking stoves in homes was an issue policy makers and academics were studying.
Then, on Jan. 9, Bloomberg News published an interview with Richard Trumka, Jr., a commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, who suggested that the government might consider stricter regulation of new gas stoves in response to health concerns about indoor air quality.
Within days, those stoves had become fodder for partisan influencers and campaign merchandise.
"God. Guns. Gas Stoves," wrote U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, (R-Ohio) on Twitter.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis' political organization quickly came out with aprons for sale in the style of a yellow Gadsden flag, once an icon of the Tea Party, but with a gas stove where the rattlesnake usually sits.
"Not only is Biden coming for your paycheck, he is coming for your stove. You heard me right. The White House is now attempting to ban all gas ovens and burners," said Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Gas stoves became part of the culture war in less than a week. Here's why
Posted from npr.org
Culture
Health
Safety
State of Florida
Fox News Channel
Posted >1 y ago
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No counter balance from NPR? Imagine that. California will ban any new construction for homes and businesses to have natural gas connections NEXT year! New York City , Seattle, Ithaca are going to ban new construction from having natural gas hook ups. The house we own has a gas stove, hot water heater and furnace. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Why? Because we live in an older neighborhood with tall trees and Augusta has a lot of tree lined streets all over the city . At least once or twice a year we get winter storms in the area that knock down a lot of trees that topple across power lines. The last occurrence was last month. We live at the end of an electric line serving a couple of hundred people and no critical facilities, we are a low priority for repair of power lines. We have had power out for nearly a week. We stay at home because we can cook, take warm showers and we have a wood fire place for warmth and a gas generator. We discuss getting a house generator hooked to natural gas. My small generator is configured to run on natural gas and I have an outdoor grill that runs on natural gas. The liberals are trying to take those choices from me! You are going to see continued pushes from liberals to take away options especially natural gas options.
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Maj Robert Thornton
No surprise here LTC David Brown, npr is the apologist for the the left. There is no wonder why they didn’t say anything about the places that are in the process of banning natural gas usage. I wonder about the places that are planning to ban natural gas hookups, how will people be able to get their Generac generators hooked up? Especially in areas like California with their well known rolling blackouts.
And yes, my stove water heater and heaters are all natural gas. I don’t want it any other way,
And yes, my stove water heater and heaters are all natural gas. I don’t want it any other way,
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“Cooking with gas” campaign
Similar framings were used around the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, she says, when conservatives opposed to it referred to it as "a command and control institution." Aronczyk says those arguments framed addressing environmental problems as an economic trade off.
As the right-wing furor about gas stoves heated up last week, Fox News ran segments featuring restaurant owners saying a gas stove ban would destroy the food services industry. Aronczyk says for decades, many of the most dedicated activists in environmental movements have believed that collecting and presenting scientific evidence would motivate people to join up and take action. That's definitely not been the case, she says.
Meanwhile, she says, PR firms and marketers for the natural gas industry have worked on creating positive associations with their products through campaigns like "cooking with gas," which included hiring chefs to convey a message that being a good cook means cooking with gas. It's part of a playbook, says Aronczyk, that essentially hasn't changed since it was being used by the tobacco industry in the 1960's and 70's.
An argument about cooking at home is much more tangible than the complexity of how gas stoves may contribute over time to climate change or public health. Those causes are about collective action and collective harms. "They're remote and they're abstract and they're out there in the future," says Arie Kruglanski, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is set to open an information gathering process on gas burning stoves in March."
..."“Cooking with gas” campaign
Similar framings were used around the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, she says, when conservatives opposed to it referred to it as "a command and control institution." Aronczyk says those arguments framed addressing environmental problems as an economic trade off.
As the right-wing furor about gas stoves heated up last week, Fox News ran segments featuring restaurant owners saying a gas stove ban would destroy the food services industry. Aronczyk says for decades, many of the most dedicated activists in environmental movements have believed that collecting and presenting scientific evidence would motivate people to join up and take action. That's definitely not been the case, she says.
Meanwhile, she says, PR firms and marketers for the natural gas industry have worked on creating positive associations with their products through campaigns like "cooking with gas," which included hiring chefs to convey a message that being a good cook means cooking with gas. It's part of a playbook, says Aronczyk, that essentially hasn't changed since it was being used by the tobacco industry in the 1960's and 70's.
An argument about cooking at home is much more tangible than the complexity of how gas stoves may contribute over time to climate change or public health. Those causes are about collective action and collective harms. "They're remote and they're abstract and they're out there in the future," says Arie Kruglanski, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is set to open an information gathering process on gas burning stoves in March."
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