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Thursday 18 April 2019

A supportive and caring Extinction Rebellion



Sky has some comments by Extinction Rebellion participants who certainly seem to be a mixed bunch. 

It's a problem of inequality and injustice.

I'm vegan, partly for the animals and partly for the reason of climate change.

We also hope to show people the potential joy and release you get from actually doing something about this issue.

Extinction Rebellion seems to be something that has a bit of 'go' in it.

There's a friendliness and everyone is very, very supportive and caring - this is run through with a bit of apprehension and anxiety when the police change their tactics.

I have come down today because this is my day off and I have got lots of friends and family here.

But feelings are feelings when people get energised and at least people aren't being murdered etc.

I walked most of the way here from Land's End on the 'Earth March'. I was walking for four weeks. The atmosphere here is absolutely brilliant.

Example comments passed on by journalists here and elsewhere suggest that many participants have little or no knowledge of the scientific method, climate science, the wider environment, economics or anything technical which might be relevant to their cause. The principal attraction seems to be an emotional togetherness binge which pretends to be constructively anti-establishment.

The whole thing is a reminder of Baruch Spinoza's observations on emotion and understanding. To a significant degree emotion and understanding are mutually exclusive. As we understand something its emotional impact is lessened. If we wish to nurture an emotional impact then we have to misunderstand its cause.

The media have been fostering emotional misunderstanding for a very long time so this kind of reaction to an ersatz noble cause is hardly surprising. Yet the overall impression probably does not find favour with more professional promoters of the climate game. The juvenile silliness of it could be another signal that serious interest is waning.  

4 comments:

Sam Vega said...

"The media have been fostering emotional misunderstanding for a very long time so this kind of reaction to an ersatz noble cause is hardly surprising. "

Sometimes I look at the BBC articles on their site, and there is virtually no news at all. Just the bare bones that could be got from any news-feed, with a lot of analysis. Virtually all of the other articles seem to be some kind of freak-show designed to get an emotional response. Sex is probably the most common topic, especially the outer reaches such as polyamory, intersex kids, transsexuals, and sexual violence. Women's grumbles are next. Then the environment. Followed by health issues. Then celebrities. All of it seems to be designed to get people gossiping and emoting over their first cup of coffee in the office before the boss comes round. Today they had yet another article with video about fatbergs in the sewers.

wiggiatlarge said...

The current eco loons when viewed from a safe distance could be interchangeable with those from the flower power era, quite remarkable that the same dress style and mannerisms and thinking have survived within the movement for posterity when the world has moved on, or has it !

Graeme said...

In Finland they know better it's family pets that suffer from efforts to stop the climate doing what it does
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/12/world/europe/finland-populism-immigration-climate-change.html

A K Haart said...

Sam - "Just the bare bones that could be got from any news-feed" - that's why I often use the BBC as a link to stories. As you say virtually everything else is freak-show material. In that respect the BBC is even worse than the Mail which sometimes offers depth and variety. The BBC never does that.

Wiggia - that's a good point, it is very much like flower power protest. As if their parents and grandparents told them how it's done.

Graeme - oh dear it's depressing to find Finns have the same loons obsessing over the same imaginary problems.