To ask: what could Extinction Rebellion do to convince you?

[WallyWallyWally]

So another series of XR stunts unfolded today: a tree surgeon climbs Big Ben and unfurls a banner. Some other activists have chained themselves to the door of the Kenyan embassy. A big wooden tipi has been constructed to block Oxford Circus. In the crowds, people have been painting their hands red and are leaving handprints on pavements to symbolise... something.

They’ve camped out in public places. Climbed on top of trains and planes Performed various theatrical performances. They’ve marched and glued themselves to buildings. Held up traffic, waved banners, got kids to stay off school.

What XR want Is: for governments to declare a climate emergency, for actions to be taken to address this and for citizens assemblies to be set up to decide what these actions should be.

I’m not arguing about the science of climate heating (I’m convinced). I’m not asking them not to be hypocrites (it’s impossible to live a truly green lifestyle within our society as it is).

So: what could XR do to convince you of the right-ness of their cause? What action should they take? What campaigns / stunts / awareness raising can they do that would convince you that the house is on fire? To the extent that you would lobby your MP / campaign / join them?

Irma the China question is one that comes up a lot and whilst there's no doubt they are having a huge impact on climate warming, they also have a lot of stringent policies in place to try to tackle pollution and so on, are taking on very ambitious tree planting programmes & technological projects on renewables and perhaps controversially do tend to have the structures in place to enforce citizen action. Plus, a lot of their footprint is due to demand from consumers in developed worlds, so, still our fault.

climateactiontracker.org/countries/china/

They could try having a grown up conversations with people rather than damage property or prevent them from getting to work.

If they want to be takme seriously how about act like bloody adults.

1300cakes

The problem is that for us oldies we have been told such stuff in the past that hasn’t come about that we just don’t believe any more.

Growing up we were told we were heading for an ice age.

Then we were told the hole in the ozone layer was going to fry us and give us all skin cancer.

We have lived through the nuclear bomb threats.

And been consistently told that we have only 5000 days before the world goes to shit then when that ran out we had a few months before the point of no return was upon us.

A couple of weeks ago there was an article I read which said we were past the point of no return.

Now you say we have 12 years.

It is like a doomsday cult that says the world is going to end tomorrow but then a week later revises the prediction to a week on Wednesday or if we are really good we might stave it off for another 10 years

Absolutely nothing.
The stunts make me loathe them for being so selfish.
If they didn’t do the stunts, personally I wouldn’t give their ‘message’ a second thought.
Double-edged sword really

Hypocrisy will not help the environment

Couldn't resist looking at XR's website;

"The XR France summer camp (17-25 August) was attended by 80 or so rebels living in joyous simplicity"

The XR 'rebel' taking photographs forgot to edit out the cars in the background! 8 hour drive from the UK?

rebellion.earth/2019/09/08/xr-france-summer-camp-an-account/

What could they do to convince me? Stop going to McDonald’s whilst they are holding central London hostage, for a start.

I've seen memes around how Japanese bus drivers are striking by still operating their routes, but refusing to take fares.

Occupy Wall Street took action by chaining open the doors of the NY subway to give people free travel.

Imagine how different the reaction would have been to XR if they could have given people free transport and made their lives better instead of harder.

Leaving handprints is also an own goal as the energy for the street washer and the detergent are also not helping the environment, wish these thickos would stop and use a brain cell before pulling such stupid stunts

Why aren't they at work anyway?

Go to China and campaign there because that massive country does 100's more damage than this tiny country

what could XR do to convince you of the right-ness of their cause?

They could start by not trying to teach me to suck eggs. I had a degree which included climatology and modelling environmental systems before many of them were born.

Then they could stop being emotionally incontinent.

They could stop wheeling out spectacularly immature teenagers.

They could start understanding nuance and how others lives actually are.

They won't though so they'll continue to be irritating and useless.

twitter.com/matthewlesh/status/1186242979050205184

According to Guido Fawkes XR are currently protesting outside the Adam Amith Institute who are blasting music such as Money by That Poppy and The Beatles’ ‘Taxman out of the window at the protestors.

They can fuck right off, that's what they can do. Their movement is hopelessly compromised by idiots and attention-seekers with no coherent strategies or solutions; they have completely failed to address the problems other activists and charities have repeatedly pointed out to them, and all they are 'acheiving' now is to make people shrug their shoulders about the environment.

After all of them have finished a prison sentence for causing so much disruption to other people and wasting the time of the police and those who are inconvenienced by their behaviour and costingthe tax payer so much money an apology and a promise not to do I again would be good.

It is like a doomsday cult that says the world is going to end tomorrow but then a week later revises the prediction to a week on Wednesday or if we are really good we might stave it off for another 10 years

But like Brexit.

I’ve no doubt that the issues need to be addressed, like a PP I think they need to use their weight to lobby effectively for consumer products to be reduced plastics and for supermarkets to cut plastics.

If Sainsbury, Tesco and co really wanted suppliers to reduce plastic I bet they could do it. So ER lobby to tax the supermarkets.

Get elected. Use your energy to get into councils and local government. Lobby local business to make improvements, insist new build houses have as many efficiencies as possible and car charging capabilities.

Look at the NHS and the way the products they use are all plastic wrapped. One of the biggest consumers in Europe; they are a huge consumer with gigantic weight.

Or glue yourself to stuff.

MarshaBradyo Sun 20-Oct-19 18:58:26
*It’s still very hard for people who are just normal workers - teacher, professor, nanny was mentioned earlier.

It would cost a lot and not everyone has that extra money*

NO SHIT So why wasnt the same thinking applied to the people who were trying to get to work by Tube last Thursday.

I almost cba replying to people who type shout NO SHIT into their phones. Just ask without the shouting. And ask someone who belongs to ER while you’re at it.

Im not on a phone. I cant afford an iphone

What are you typing on?

I think XR have made fools of themselves recently. Can't see them growing in number any time soon.

I don’t know when record releases money starts coming in it could get bigger. No idea how much that is in comparison to what they usually get though,

I would suggest that they focus on air pollution more which is a very current problem and might scare people into action rather than climate change which people can (wrongly) argue against. The stats on miscarriage, lung disease and asthma are terrifying.

TSSDNCOP

I was trying not to mention the B word😀

Fridakahlofan you are missing the point of ER. They aren’t there to fix things or give out a few new ideas.
They are their for disruption.

That is their one and only purpose.

www.standard.co.uk/news/london/extinction-rebellion-protesters-plot-further-action-in-london-during-christmas-period-a4266581.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1571652735