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> There's a pretty broad spectrum of civil disobedience between this I agree with. and when you go past innocent civil disobedience and disrupt not just the li
by fargle 4y ago
> There's a pretty broad spectrum of civil disobedience between
this I agree with. and when you go past innocent civil disobedience and disrupt not just the lives of those who, according to you as judge and jury, are responsible, but other folks, you are into mild forms of eco-terrorism. when someone dies, it's not as mild.
> Well yes.
ok, then I believe the moon is made of green cheese and is inhabited by lizard people. If you don't believe me, you haven't studied the facts enough. Are you convinced? No? I'll call you names then, block traffic and make you late for work. In this whole exchange you're focused on the truth and righteousness of your cause - I'm saying your methods of convincing people are faulty and your idea of how to instigate change is as dangerous as it is ineffectual.
> alternative
you get a majority of regular people together and out vote them out. the people that are in power are there because we (not you or i, but we) let them be. you need to bring the argument to people in a form that is convincing, not spit through your teeth that it is extinction!, damnit!
the reason nobody does anything about big oil is that they are too powerful for a small noisy minority to do anything about. they are not too powerful if everyone believed as strongly as you do. but everybody doesn't.
and stunts and behaviors and extremism are highly unlikely to change that. you're not convincing powerful people to fear you, you aren't convincing regular people to follow you, you aren't convincing thoughtful people to listen. folks that act that way are doing more to harm your cause than help it, regardless of whether it's true or not.
- yellowapple 4y ago> when someone dies, it's not as mild. When millions (let alone billions) die, people like you pretending that said deaths are acceptable because the people who warned about it and sought to prevent it dared to mildly inconvenience some rich people will not be remembered fondly - assuming anyone's alive to remember you at all. > then I believe the moon is made of green cheese and is inhabited by lizard people If there was any evidence for that whatsoever then maybe you'd have something vaguely resembling a point. > you get a majority of regular people together and out vote them out Which does not happen when the incumbent rich and powerful control virtually all mass media and strongly influence the pool of candidates for political offices. Said rich and powerful are quite content to manipulate people like you into condemning those who dared to at least try to prevent the untold death and suffering instead of, you know, the very people putting their own wealth and power above humanity's survival. Said rich and powerful are also quite content to limit democratic options to that effect. "Choose between ignoring the problem or paying lipservice to it" is not a reasonable choice. > and stunts and behaviors and extremism are highly unlikely to change that Asking nicely hasn't changed that, either.
- fargle 4y ago> When millions (let alone billions) die, people like you pretending that said deaths are acceptable And I didn't say that it was or pretend it either. > If there was any evidence for that whatsoever then maybe you'd have something vaguely resembling a point. I gave you exactly as much evidence as you gave me for a thesis that is approximately as rational: e.g. millions BILLIONS of deaths. There's climate change and there's acting like chicken little. > Asking nicely hasn't changed that, either. and that is the epitome of having a tantrum. I didn't get what I wanted by following the rules WHICH WERE UNFAIR so I started lashing out and blathering. Listen, it's great to be passionate about a worthy cause. But you have to meet people where they are. YOU have to bring the debate to them with facts, not just say "well you're an idiot if you can't see what is plainly...". You can't expect to solve any problem at all with anarchy. Firstly, you haven't asked nicely, nor either defended the dire urgency of your idea. Secondly, "asking nicely hasn't changed that either". YET. Patience is a thing that is probably foreign to the people slicing tires and chaining themselves to bridges but it's something that you will learn.
- yellowapple 4y ago> And I didn't say that it was or pretend it either. Your quibbling over the tactics of activists demonstrates rather plainly otherwise. > I gave you exactly as much evidence as you gave me https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2108146119 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2108146119 > for a thesis that is approximately as rational: e.g. millions BILLIONS of deaths Those are indeed the stakes. > There's climate change and there's acting like chicken little. There's being uninformed and there's being in active denial. > and that is the epitome of having a tantrum Says the one playing defense for butthurt millionaires. "I didn't get to take off in my plane because those big meanie hippies blocked the runway which is SO UNFAIR so I called the police to arrest them and haul them away on buses because their lives matter less than my convenience and comfort" > YOU have to bring the debate to them with facts The facts are widely available, and are well-understood by most people. They are unfortunately ignored by the tiny minority of people who actually have any capability whatsoever to stop our planet's destruction, and we're all condemned to suffer for it. > Firstly, you haven't asked nicely Yes I have, as have plenty of others. It didn't work, because the ones actively contributing to the problem are the ones with a vested interest in ignoring us; their material wealth matters more than human lives. > Patience is a thing that is probably foreign to the people slicing tires and chaining themselves to bridges We're already past the point of no return. At this point climate change response is about mitigating further damage, and every second wasted means more damage, more suffering, more death. Climate activists have been extraordinarily patient given the circumstances - and the consequences of hand-wringing over people recognizing a dire situation for what it is is something all of us will learn, the hard way. Like, if you think climate activists now lack patience, wait until mobs are banging down your door for every last scrap of food and potable water they can find amid global famine. You'll be thinking back fondly on how politely those activists chained themselves to bridges.