to support extinction rebellion - more London action tomorrow

[54321nought]

I am not sure what, but I have seen their previous demonstrations, and support their cause.

We were given badges at one event, and travelled home on public transport wearing them, and received absolutely nothing but 100% support from other travellers, which was nice, as I expected some hostility, publicly wearing their badges while roads in London were closed by them

Causing disruption like they do raises awareness only of what a bunch of morons they are. If you want to actually make a difference educate people in a way that a) doesn’t make their lives more difficult, b) isn’t insufferably patronising and hypocritical and c) is actually correct and not made up “facts”.

@Lostmarbles2021

The history books will judge them as similar to the suffragettes etc. We are heading for extinction and doing next to nothing about it. The younger generation have been well and truly f’d over by the generations above. We’ve known what’s coming since the 1980’s yet done very little to change our greedy, overindulged lifestyles. I’m embarrassed to be part of that generation as I know we will be judged harshly in the future (think about the women that campaigned against the suffragettes, or those that campaigned to keep the slave trade).

FOE and Greenpeace have tried the non direct (and direct at times) approach for years but ER are getting the point across.

I’d be there to support them if I could but donate to them regularly instead. Greta and ER are the heroes of our time.

They aren’t my heroes. Your username is very apt.

Firstly, I would just like to preface this with the fact that I loathe the abuse Greta has got since a child. She's been a victim of misogyny and her commitment to the environment seems genuine, or at least started out that way. (Quite shocked to find out the facts about the yacht stunt though).

I do think it's interesting that she's autistic though. Autistic children are black and white thinkers, and children tend to polarise anyway. It's why we are idealistic and a bit intolerant of differing opinions when we are young. Then generally people start to see more nuance.

Autism has allowed Greta to see the very real danger that global warming presents to the world. Yet her vision is too black and white to be implemented at the speed she expects. It works be absolutely amazing if at the next climate conference, all nations decided to really commit to climate change as the number one issue, but the reality is so much needs to be in place for that overhaul to happen it can't happen overnight. You'd have to have all nations agree to stop the relentless GDP race. Overhaul their food systems. Stop all war etc.

You just have to look at the constant squabbling over fishing waters Brexit generated to realise these things take time. And what you're asking for is so much bigger. Instead of fishing rights geographically environmental damage would need fishing to be outlawed.

I agree we need to change, but I think xr have this particular black and white thinking which is unrealistic, especially when they don't seem to realise the sacrifices they'd personally have to make if they were truly successful.
Greta's black and white thinking is a gift in that she's used it well. But it needs to be backed up by action not just demands.

@ActonSquirrel

I'd respect them if they flew to China and did it there.

Any steps we take are useless unless nations like that start reducing their carbon footprint.

They wouldn't dare. I wish they'd just fuck off. Looking at most of them their carbon footprint is awful.

They are active in China

They are world wide

@ActonSquirrel

I'd respect them if they flew to China and did it there.

Any steps we take are useless unless nations like that start reducing their carbon footprint.

They wouldn't dare. I wish they'd just fuck off. Looking at most of them their carbon footprint is awful.

And the point is, WE are the source of the pollution in China, that is our pollution, outsourced

Not read the thread but hate wankers who prevent people getting to work and earning a living. I doubt it wins many people to their cause.

Only us?

They are active in China

How active are they exactly?

And the point is, WE are the source of the pollution in China, that is our pollution, outsourced

Just us. No one else?

The pollution in China is for no one but us. China doesn't need to produce anything for themselves? They don't produce for any other nation?

Action has to be taken by governments though.

Big companies are not going to do anything while shareholders are demanding their profits.

Billionaires are sending themselves off into space or - I imagine - building secret biodomes.

Governments will only act if they are forced to which means pressure from all sides - other governments, the voters, the media.

XR are just one aspect of this and what they do is highlight that not enough is being done. Yes they piss people off and yes it costs taxpayers money etc etc but this is not a long game where these things can be debated politely and at length.

We are at the brink of ‘too late’ yet it seems to me most people are more interested in their right to get on a plane for their holidays and complaining about cycle lanes appearing in their roads.

My partner spent years working for the UKs biggest waste/recycling company and always said these people would make a MUCH bigger environmental impact by simply going around and removing the black bags which people put in recycling bins at work.

Over 40% of their dry mixed recyclables used to go to landfill due to contamination as the tip won't accept it with black bags in and can't pick them out by hand for risk of needles etc, and because it's not really viable once they get mixed in.

Millions of tons of cardboard/plastic across the UK getting buried each year and then more trees are cut down to replace it. But rooting through bins doesn't seem quite as revolutionary does it!

We are at the brink of ‘too late’ yet it seems to me most people are more interested in their right to get on a plane for their holidays and complaining about cycle lanes appearing in their roads.

Yup and XR are just like that and don't watch their own carbon footprints.

All XR do is turn people against doing their bit to help the environment

In fact their actions make you want to go out and buy the biggest diesel engined car and cruise Park Lane

It is the fact they know this annoys people so much that their message is lost but they don’t think that they should change

They equate f**king people off with success when it does the opposite

XR are just one aspect of this and what they do is highlight that not enough is being done. Yes they piss people off and yes it costs taxpayers money etc etc but this is not a long game where these things can be debated politely and at length.

No, they don't just piss people off. They actively damage people.

Do you get this angry when you see another wildfire or flood that is destroying homes and livelihoods?

I got pretty angry when I saw farmers abandoning meat pigs to the flames and waters yeah.

But the flames and waters don't have the capacity to be hypocritical, uncaring and selfish.

@Darker

Do you get this angry when you see another wildfire or flood that is destroying homes and livelihoods?

I've devastated about Afghanistan. That the women there have one day woken up a real life handmaid's tale.

2/3 of the Afghanistan population is under 30 so most people won't remember living under the taliban.

I'm devastated we just left all those poor people.

I get angry at that.

I've never owned a car. I use public transport. I have 1 TV, 1 microwave, 1 oven, 1 phone, a washing machine and no tumble dryer. That's it with gadgets I rarely took foreign holidays even before covid.

I yet angrier at rich people who live a wasteful lifestyle disrupting everyone else's lives. I get angry about people moaning about climate change but drive their kids the 10 minute walk to school.

No one on here wants to make a difference really. No one wants to give anything up their cars and conveniences. Not sure how you all hope to achieve it tbh.

I worried about climate change but we need a car each, the dc need a tablet each, we're devastated covid stopped us going abroad, we don't want to give up meat but isn't it brilliant a bunch of arseholes are bringing London to a halt.

Crack on then.

Not sure how you all hope to achieve it tbh

We can’t, individually. And we can’t wait for people to make the necessary changes voluntarily.

“Chicken is better than beef or fish.” “XR is mostly retirees.” “Some XR are middle class and some aren’t.” “They’re involved with groups who do vertical farming and x,y, z.” “Everyone who went to university in the 50s and 60s was poor.” “XR is active in China.”

And the most important part: sorry what? I'm not looking for any stats||? what stats do you think I'm looking for? If you want stats, find them yourself.

You’re right, OP. You’re not looking for stats. Since this thread started, you haven’t backed up a single thing you’ve said with a single fact. Others have tried to provide links or sources, but not you. You’re a teacher, so you say, and yet you don’t understand that the burden of proof is on the one who makes the claims?! You’ve shown that you don’t even know who makes up the majority of Extinction Rebellion (here’s the proof they’re OVERWHELMINGLY young, middle class, and degree educated: www.aston.ac.uk/latest-news/extinction-rebellions-activists-more-likely-be-new-protesting-study-shows). So you’re absolutely right; you should join XR. You’ll fit right in; protesting when you don’t even have all the facts, not even in the most efficient way possible, over something that you apparently don’t understand. Best of luck.

What an absolute hot mess of a thread. I hope you might be a troll; I really do.

We can’t, individually. And we can’t wait for people to make the necessary changes voluntarily.

What have XR done but piss people off?

No one wants to change. A woman posted on here earlier asking what ready made formula bottles to buy for baby who isn't born yet. She wanted the fully disposable bottles with the teats that are used once and thrown away as pre sterilised. Utterly wasteful.

I've not heard one single person on here vouch for XR have or can achieve as the answer is nothing

Show of hands who is giving up their cars after reading this thread?! I thought so...you gotta have it.

I can't stand Piers Morgan by the way but look at the idiots in XR ...that's what you're dealing with

They are active in China

I would be interested to see some evidence of this, op.
Protesting in China doesn’t end well for the protesters and if XR protested publicly they’d be thrown in a (horrible) jail before you can blink.

The history books will judge them as similar to the suffragettes etc.

As terrorists who rigged explosives in public places, invented the letter bomb, and then went on to blind innocent postal workers with it?

@Andante57

They are active in China

I would be interested to see some evidence of this, op.
Protesting in China doesn’t end well for the protesters and if XR protested publicly they’d be thrown in a (horrible) jail before you can blink.

I am still waiting for op to answer how active they are. Because it appears they haven't been for a while, can't really find much evidence of much at all.

I would agree it would be very difficult to do, in China, what they do here. It would not end well for them.

Which is why non of the people from the UK protested would try it there. They wouldn't dare, do it where their privilege doesn't protect them.