It takes a lot longer for an idea to go from the fringes to mainstream acceptance than many people might think.
And because of that, once it’s reached widespread acceptance, the idea – any idea – can seem like old hat to anyone who embraced it early on.
Take global warming (…please). It’s only recently that the issue has ‘heated up’ in the media and general public’s minds. And that’s a good thing.
But go back some 40-odd years to when we were thinking about the effects of air pollution. You just need to replace one word in Tom Lehrer’s song ‘Pollution’, to make it as relevant today as it was back then: ‘So go to the cities, see the crazy people there. Like lambs to the slaughter, they’re drinking the water and heating* the air…’
*breathing
