The Western world (especially Europe) has been alternately amused and exasperated by the actions of climate activists over the last few months. With a blend of dedication and stupidity that seems characteristic of so many progressives these days, these eco-zealots somehow think they’re making a difference.
Their latest weapon of choice is superglue (which – correct me if I’m wrong – is a petroleum derivative). Using this marvelous adhesive, many activists are choosing to glue themselves in various places so they can’t easily be removed, which is somehow supposed to be persuasive to their argument. Consider:
- In Germany, a man stuck his hand to a road with superglue and sand. His goal was to stop traffic – which worked – but apparently he failed to consider the permanence. When medical personnel were unable to dissolve or file away the glue, German authorities used power tools to remove the tarmac around his hand. The mighty eco-warrior walked away from the scene with a chunk of the road still adhering to his skin. Apparently nobody was motivated to help him get rid of it. Presumably he’s at home, picking it off with tweezers.
- Also in Germany, two climate activists glued themselves to the bar of the conductor’s podium at a concert hall. However, they didn’t realize the bar was removable, so security simply lifted up the bar and frog-marched the activists off the stage, to the cheers and applause from musicians and audience alike. (Watch the video. It’s hilarious.) While I haven’t heard what happened to these activists afterward, I’d like to think authorities were similarly unmotivated to unstick the pair from the podium bar and merely sent them on their way.
- Again in Germany, a group of nine eco-activists glued themselves to the floor of a luxury car showroom, demanding that the German transport sector be decarbonized. Unimpressed, the dealership workers simply turned off the heat and lights, locked the doors, and went home for the night. The next day, the activists demanded bowls so they could answer the call of nature in a semi-dignified manner, which the dealership refused to provide. Once again I don’t know the follow-up to this story, but presumably even dedicated eco-activists don’t like to poop in their pants.
There are endless other examples of blocking roads, blocking runways, dumping milk, sabotaging milk trucks and processing plants, cutting pipelines that provide aviation fuel, and of course notoriously defacing famous works of art in museums all over the world.
The one thing these actions have failed to do is convince anyone of the validity of these people’s tactics.
Oh sure, lots of people believe in climate change and would like to see something done about it; but few believe blocking roads (including ambulance traffic), trashing priceless artworks and disrupting orchestras is the way to go about doing it.
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“A study at the University of Pennsylvania suggests these shenanigans do exactly the opposite,” notes this article. “When people see activists destroying art and culture, they hate it. It makes them support the climate change agenda less.”
“I am begging them to stop using these tactics,” said the executive vice president of the American Conservation Coalition, a conservative environmental nonprofit. “You cannot annoy people into agreeing with you.”
The uniting factor in all these stories is the childishness of the activists’ temper tantrums, whatever cause célèbre they’re currently protesting. When pressed for explanations of their destruction, the activists explain they’re “raising awareness.”
Funny, that’s the same argument such elites as John Kerry and Leonardo DiCaprio use to justify their excessive use of private jets to give climate-change speeches and accept climate-change awards at distant international climate-change conferences – they’re exempt because they’re “raising awareness.”
Along with the hypocrisy of the rich and powerful on the climate-change message, these boots-on-the-ground eco-activists are either unwilling or unable to change their lifestyles and stop using the very products and services they’re protesting.
“Leading activists with climate change protest group Just Stop Oil have admitted that they drive petrol cars, but still claim that this doesn’t make them hypocrites,” notes this Summit News article.
The Telegraph reported one 50-year-old climate scientist named Dr. Larch Maxey admitting, “Some members still drive cars and fill up with petrol – but rejected the idea that it was hypocritical.” Maxey says that people who call for the oil industry to be shut down but then drive petrol cars shouldn’t be called out for hypocrisy because they’re “just doing our best within that to push for the necessary change.” Instead, they claim “they are ‘victims’ of the ‘fossil fuel economy.'”
Of course. When in doubt, paint yourself as a victim. When it comes to personal actions required to fight climate change on a personal level, most activists aren’t interested. Why? Too much work, I guess. They argue climate change is mostly corporate-driven, which is why throwing tomato soup on a Van Gogh is a FAR more effective strategy. Follow their logic?
“Last year, it was revealed that the leader of Insulate Britain … doesn’t even insulate his own home and indeed ‘doesn’t care’ about insulating homes,” concludes the Summit News article. “The truth is, they’re all hypocrites who care more about attention-seeking and social media clout than they do the actual cause they’re supposed to be fighting for.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m far more likely to listen to someone’s side of the story if that person is willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Show me your absolute dedication to your cause through personal actions and sacrifices, and I’m all ears. Show me your contempt for logic (did you know blocking highways vastly increases air pollution and wasting of gas?) and bizarre hypocrisy (the leader of “Insulate Britain” who refuses to insulate his home?), and your message is falling on deaf ears.
“Eco warriors are the worst humans,” noted one weary critic. “Patronizing. Hypocrites. Fueled by ideology and dogma (not scientific). We have years of this bull***t to come. How depressing.”
Yes and no. Yes, we’re facing years of this baloney. But on the bright side, consider the entertainment value! Somewhere in Germany, there’s a couple of squabbling eco-warriors wandering the streets still glued to a conductor’s stand, and some dude with a chunk of tarmac stuck to his hand he’s trying to pick off with tweezers. You can’t make this stuff up.
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