OK; I'll start an employment agency...
Peak Oil Jobs No.1 The Dentist
You know the script, as prosperity in the West began to ride on a river of cheap oil, so the extraction rates and drill bits rose in tandem. But I am not talking about millions of barrels per day or the rig counts on order. Since the end of World War II, extraction rate for teeth has spiralled and the dentist's drill bit has whined with ever increasing regularity.
Back in 1945, VE Day in Europe was a watershed for teeth. Rationing had been in force for over 5 years and would continue to do so until about 1950 as war debts were paid off and money was diverted towards rebuilding the infrastructure. Such delicacies such as sweets and chocolates bars had been strictly rationed and the Hershey bars of visiting American soldiers were much coveted.
However, when the good times began to roll again in the 1950s, demand for confectionery took off. The effect was devastating as tooth decay took a grip and millions marched off in trepadation to the dentist's chair. I plainly recall the stories of my own father and siblings opting for complete extraction of their upper or lower teeth for dentures. This was a cold, calculated ploy to deal with current toothache, avoid future dental costs and eat as many sweets in the future without the pain.
Of course, no dentist would recommend such a course of action today. Indeed, oil-based prosperity has ensured that the dentist has been one of the successful careers of the pre-peak oil era. In fact, as the peak of global oil production approaches, dentists in countries such as Britain are confident enough of their power and influence as to defy the state-owned National Health Service by leaving and thus ensure they can charge what they believe is the going rate with whom they please. That is about to change.
A recent study of medieval skulls in Scotland demonstrated the high quality of their dentures. The reason being that their diet was not of the hedonistic variety available today. Going further back in time, we read in the Bible about how the "whiteness of teeth" was a sign of Divine Judgement via famine.
Teeth are going to be that bit whiter going down the Hubbert slope and that bit better in quality. You can bet your eyeteeth on that. Food is going to become more expensive and imported sugar cane is set to rise inexorably until a serious drop in demand occurs. This will occur when dental fees will be regarded as an expense too far and the simple solution of cutting down on chocolate intake will ensue. Slowly at first admittedly, after all, the stuff is addictive, but more so as dessert becomes an option or smaller in its portions.
When globalisation was coming to the fore, I thought that the job of dentist would be one of those localised jobs untouchable by workers in India and China. Now as I see a trending down in calorific intake mirroring Hubbert's distribution curve, my advice to anyone assessing their careers is simple. Don't go into dentistry. You may find your choice will be as painful as a molar job.
newerainvestor.blogspot.com |
