41 pages • 1 hour read
Rachel MaddowBlowout
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
American Exceptionalism
Maddow provides various examples of people who believe in the American dream so fiercely that their lives nearly confirm that American exceptionalism is a natural force at work in the world, as real as gravity. Notable examples include Aubrey McClendon, the natural gas tycoon who revitalized the economy and morale in Oklahoma City through the prosperous period of Chesapeake Energy’s golden age in the late 2000s. Rex Tillerson is another example of American exceptionalism at play, especially when it comes to American oil around the world.
Economic Self-Interest
So many of the central figures in Blowout are motivated not by noble ideals or altruistic desires but by economic self-interest. Money speaks loudest in in the oil and gas industry, which the book’s cover proclaims is the “most destructive industry on Earth.” President Teodorin Obiang of Equatorial Guinea is a prime example of this; he amasses a vast collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia while his nation’s citizens endure abject poverty. One person’s extravagant wealth incites another person’s dire need, which is especially apparent through the extreme examples found in the international oil industry.
Foreign Interference
The most glaring example of this theme is Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election, yet all throughout the book Maddow provides anecdotal, even emblematic examples of how foreign governments and entities interfere in the affairs of other nations. Borders and sovereignties become secondary to the interests of hackers and agenda-driven politicians, and the common thread here is the blundering, nonstop momentum of the oil industry. The bizarre tale of the Russian Illegals, captured by the FBI in an investigation worthy of a spy novel, shows that foreign governments are still actively infiltrating other nations, and is a reminder of the interconnectedness of the world.
Power Versus Politics
The real wielders of power in Blowout are not politicians but businessmen, from Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy to ExxonMobil’s Rex Tillerson (though Vladimir Putin and Teodorin Obiang are notable exceptions). It’s not congressmen, senators, or even presidents driving the narrative here. In the world of Big Oil and Gas, where money reigns supreme, company CEOs act as lords of the empire, expanding and conquering the world through corporate expansion and various forms drilling. The complicating factor that rises toward the end of the book is Donald Trump’s close tie to Russian interests, which boil down to one main thing: an economy completely dependent on the success of its oil and gas. Politicians can’t hold a flame to the machine of Big Oil and Gas, and this has never been more evident than in Blowout.
Environmental Impact
Maddow shares several vignettes that point toward the global oil industry’s long-term damaging effects on the environment. From the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the man-made earthquakes in Oklahoma, these stories are an undeniable account of Big Oil and Gas’s disregard for permanent negative environmental impacts around the world. In her closing arguments in the final chapter, Maddow writes, “Oil and gas industry incentives are accelerating us toward destruction on multiple levels—geopolitical imbalance, governance, environmental injury, and climate apocalypse” (367). Yet Maddow recognizes that Big Oil and Gas account for thousands of jobs. The battle here is not to eliminate the industry but to replace it with something better, something less corrupt and less environmentally damaging. The problem, Maddow argues, is that we have not yet found this solution.
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