To wonder if a lot of the Just Stop Oil protesters are not very nice people on a personal level

[HazelSchmazel]

There are a few Just Stop Oil threads around and I've noticed that a couple of posters have stated that the protesters are not very nice people.

Which got me thinking .....

A few years ago, I was in a horrible relationship with a rather unpleasant guy - a selfish, alcoholic, abusive cheater, who treated me like dirt and ended up stealing a considerable amount of money from me. Despite being a daily meat eater, regularly flying, driving a gas guzzler, having children etc. he would regularly pontificate on saving the environment (and would castigate me on environmental grounds for having a cat - even though I'm a childless vegetarian, who never flies!). Needless to say, the whole experience made me very unhappy.

Fast forward to the present, and I gather that he is now a very active Just Stop Oil protester.

Now, I'm bracing myself to be shot down in flames, as I appreciate that of course, it's unreasonable to judge an entire movement based on one bad apple.

But could it be the case, that there is something about JSO that attracts these nasty characters? Just wondering ......

You are not being unreasonable, my cheating , child abandoning ex , was very keen on the critical mass cycle movement, back in the day

IMO activists are a mixed bag, just like everyone else.

You are being ridiculous

I reckon sometimes people go into activism so they can see themselves as good people ("How can I be a bad person, I'm fighting to save the poor/whales/planet!") despite behaving badly in personal relationships. A version of self-licencing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-licensing

Personally, I've found nearly all "extreme" people, to be not very nice people, whether their "extreme" was politics, religion, environment, animals, or whatever. I think there's something unhinged about anyone who holds extreme views/opinions.

The far nicer/normal people are the moderates, the ones who may be religious, but don't let it rule their lives, the ones who care about the environment, but don't travel miles for marches/protests, but who'd join a peaceful/harmless, march in the local city centre, etc.

To misquote Shakespeare, "Me thinks he doth protest too much!"

You make a very good point. The campaign by its very nature, hurts ordinary people, not big oil. You have to be lacking in empathy to block roads. Statistically there will be people heading for cancer treatments or kidney dialysis. There will be emergency ambulances. They literally play with other people's lives. They don't care if their actions kill people. Plus they turn people against their cause. Heartless and completely counterproductive.

I think they're incredibly brave, risking public scorn, arrest and manhandling by the police, getting a criminal record, and possibly also imprisonment to forcibly put a vitally important issue on to the public agenda, so the rest of us can just stay at home complaining about having to recycle and wringing our hands a bit about the earth being on fire.

It doesn't mean they'll all individually be lovely people, and in my experience people who are willing to stand up and be counted are often pushy, obnoxious types. Doesn't make them wrong though.

I don't think their views are extreme either (as the pp said). It's the situation that's extreme. "Moderates" on "peaceful/harmless" marches have been completely ineffectual at halting the degradation of the planet.

I'm not sure gas guzzling petrol heads are a particularly decent bunch either

Does thinking they are not very nice people anyway mean you don’t have to listen to what they are protesting about?
Very few of us would want to risk being arrested or even be a bit uncomfortable while protesting, these people care enough to do that, maybe by necessity it means they are bolshy, argumentative, extreme personalities it doesn’t make them wrong.
Maybe they need to “ be kind” and write nice letters to their MP’s or sign petitions or even be a bit more daring and not cut their grass for NoMowMay.

Activism attracts a lot of narcissists, who want to be perceived in a certain way and love the attention.

A lot of the Just Stop Oil crowd seem to be very privileged and don't think about the effects of blocking ambulances from getting through or stopping someone's commute.

I think this is partly because there's a lot of privileged people in JSO. Who needs to care about a commute when there's a trust fund?

I am pro things that are positive for the environment but in a way that doesn't make life awful for the ordinary person and/or alienate lots of people

Also I spent last weekend at a Climate Camp, I’m extremely nice and old and don’t look like it’s “my sort of thing”. The other people there all seemed nice, we protested but in a low key way so is that okay?

Anyone who happily blocks ambulances from getting where they need to go are AHs in my opinion.

I know one and he talks a lot about how society must be disrupted. He drives a guzzler. He no longer works but was angry at us for not supporting him in his views. I hear from work contacts that he’s already thinking about his next activity because he fears prison. Some people are still engaging with him on social media.

What you describe is a massive hypocrite who liked to grasp at any stick with which to beat you and others, while feeling self-righteous. Someone like that isn't going to be well-liked by other activists either.

I suppose some people do channel excessive self-righteousness into protest and there are certainly personalities attracted to extremes and to proselytising - often addictive personalities too.

But my experience of activists of whatever sort, is that the vast majority are very decent, good people with a strong moral compass and a greater than average sense of responsibility to act on their beliefs. Lots of vicars' children amongst environmental activists for example; people who've been brought up with a strong sense of morality, duty and community spirit, channeling that in another direction.

Agreed. No cause, no matter how important, justifies this.

There are certainly styles of protest, so groups, that attract different types.

I don't think you can generalise. My only thought is if it becomes so dominant that they neglect things such as contributing to the running of a household.

Thanks all for your thought provoking posts - much appreciated.

Perhaps I didn't make my point very well. I agree that we need to move away from the use of fossil fuel. Furthermore, I'm very grateful for my vote, which was largely achieved via the route of civil disobedience.

My musing was more along the lines of what made JSO so appealing to such an empathy-free, narcissistic - and frankly horrible - individual. I'm not questioning the ethics of JSO - that is being done on other threads

@Allfur Actually, the man in question IS a gas guzzling petrol head - and I don't find them a particularly decent bunch either ......

I don't think they are very bright... just look into who is funding them.
I believe they are lead to stupidity for a reason, they got higher than average sentences for a reason, we should be outraged about it.... instead we agree- for a reason.

Anyone attracted to JSO has to have very strong principles, and people with strong principles tend to be uncomfortable to be around socially.

Of course you're being U OP. By your logic, you might as well ask if all people who fly regularly are alcoholics, everyone who eats meat embezzles their partner, and all abusers drive big cars. Some people go on protests because they are aggressive individuals looking for an excuse for a fight. Some care passionately about the cause.

*lot of the Just Stop Oil crowd seem to be very privileged and don't think about the effects of blocking ambulances from getting through or stopping someone's commute.

I think this is partly because there's a lot of privileged people in JSO.*
I think this is a lot of the problem. All very well to shout ' just stop oil' but they don't have to worry about getting to work, rising fuel prices impacting on the cost of their food or why someone who has a 2 week holiday in the sun is different from someone who flies by private jet or has 3 holidays a year etc. They possibly don't also have to worry about getting a job with a criminal record.

The ones I've come across aren't nasty or mean they're just really, really over privileged, and nieve.
Basically they've never had to worry about paying for anything or needed to get to work to pay bills, tbh most have never even had a real job because mum and dad pays for everything and as such haven't got a clue about the real life consequences of what they are doing and advocating for on average people

I'm drawing a parallel with Julian Assange. Right about the US government. Very wrong about how to treat women.

That's a really interesting point @Citrusandginger

Completely anecdotal of course, but I've come across a few men like this, who are principled, but treat women very basly