“The plan is to hold this space,” he said. “People in the Northwest and
around the world are prepared to build these movements (of mass
disobedience) and keep fossil fuels in the ground.”
And when the “protest” is over, you’ll hop in your SUV (using fossil fuel) and drive home. When you get home, you’ll shower (using fossil fuel to heat the water), and sit down to a good meal of fresh meat and vegetables (trucked in to your local market with fossil fuel, and cooked with fossil fuel), before kicking back with a glass of beer (made with fossil fuel energy), to watch TV (fossil fuel energy), and feel like you made a difference with your protest.
What was accomplished, except maybe getting your name in the paper and eventually getting arrested for trespassing?
And then you may not even bother to vote because all the candidates are the same–none of them are green enough.
Protesters began pitching tents, erecting colorful flags and signs and
setting up the railroad blockade Friday evening. Some did yoga or
mediated, others chanted and sang.
Was that an effective response to the issue? I’m 100% in favor of renewable energy, would like to see a comprehensive governmental push to encourage the transition to renewable energy, but protests like these may actually make your cause look worse, not better. Remember the wildlife refuge squatters? Okay, you’re more well mannered and probably all very pleasant people, but I ask again, what do you expect to accomplish by doing this–besides making you feel like you did “something?”
I will say I agree with a need to move away from fossil fuels etc, etc…
But how many, do you think, of those “colorful flags”, tents and no doubt hammocks… Are polyester?
True…
But “having a point” and “effectively making a point” are two different things.
They aren’t quite as bad ass as bloggers, that’s for dang sure.
Someone poop in your post toasties today. What you got against activists?
I’m a blogactivist sitting in easy chair exceedingly active and somehow I doubt that that is helping near as much as blocking a train or spending days on end outside to make my point.
WIT, whatever it takes, this means-sit outs, sit ins, marches, protests, blogging, calling, strikes, boycotts and the whole gambit of activism.
I knock no one for making an effort and you can bet your bottom dollar that someone that will go out and pitch their tent in front of a train is also doing many of the other things on the list.
We use less oil when we camp, so bonus!
Meanwhile, refining went on elsewhere…
Update: A train needed to come through, so they were all arrested and cleared out.
So much for the revolution.