As much fun as it is to hear someone tell you at every opportunity that he or she is a vegan and you should be too, imagine being told in mid-August that you don’t need air conditioning and should do away with it.

That’s the gist of a column in the Washington Post today by Karen Heller. To her credit, Heller doesn’t get into Secretary of State John Kerry’s whole claim about the fight against air conditioning being as important as the fight against ISIS. But it will be hard for a lot of people to get past the Post’s headline:

Here’s a very quip recap, consisting of personal anecdotes and interviews. Doing without air conditioning reduces your carbon footprint, saves money, and can be sultry, mysterious, and sensual. Adapting to the heat enforces “relaxation and stupefaction.”

On the other hand, AC makes a horrible humming noise, reduces outdoor social interaction (like gun violence — just check out the stats in Chicago on long, hot holiday weekends), and has made Americans “greedy and silly.”

So, turn off the AC and be a better person, OK?

One major plus of AC that doesn’t get enough play in the piece: it takes uncomfortably hot air and makes it cooler.

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Speaking of emergency rooms, reporters covering Donald Trump rallies this month were practically begging for air conditioning and noting that attendees were passing out from the heat … and this was Connecticut, not Arizona.

Because … air conditioning is an absolute good.

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Tags: air conditioningJustice Don WillettKaren HellerWashington Post