The most difficult part of being an activist is getting people to change their minds. When I first returned to environmentalism in 1997 I had this crazy idea that people would respond to logic and common sense. I also thought people would work together for a common cause.
Boy was I wrong.
I know look at the Tea Party movement with great fascination. This is a group of people totally incapable of seeing their hypocrisy. They debunk global warming and routinely bash immigrants, gays, and Muslims. They want less government, but still want their Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They want less taxes but also want to lower the deficit, but they really prefer less taxes (and let the next generation pay down the federal debt).
From an article about Tea Party hypocrisy:
They are only concerned with fighting government spending that benefits other people and are desperately seeking to save their own precious benefits. They think the costs are well worth it and they have no intention of shouldering the burden themselves. These costs will be incurred by future generations whose taxes will be higher and whose benefits will be lower or nonexistent.Point being, I can't expect a Tea Party member to help save the environment. Oh, unless it personally benefits them. The Tea Party Patriots are like the NIMBYs that I regularly deal with (Not In My Backyard). These are the people who don't give a rat's ass about the environment until a developer is clearing the woods behind their home. Then they call the local Sierra Club group and want US to do something about it.
What we need are people willing to work for the common good, but people in general are selfish and do not want THEIR TAX DOLLARS helping a less fortunate person. They rail on about evil abortions, but they have no interest in adopting or helping to support all the welfare babies that an anti-abortion law would create. And they certainly would not support a tax increase to feed the unwanted children that they forced desperate mothers to have.
So, getting back to my point, how can I expect Tea Partiers or all the other selfish, irrational people to work on a common challenge like global warming? Even if there's 1,000 scientists saying that global warming is human-made, all it takes is one community college professor, funded by an ExxonMobile grant, to challenge global warming, and suddenly it's a "debate."
And, the entire idea of being a conservative is resisting change, so it's just better for the frog to die in the slowly boiling water than to jump out. And in fact, an underlying theme of the Tea Party movement is to "make things like they were." So, it's simply easier to deny something than to make a few lifestyle changes.
As I look at the political landscape I see a divided America, and as a result of the division, little is getting done. How can we address the great problems of the world, like depleting oil supplies, global warming, and overpopulation? If I took a survey, I'd say that the majority of Americans will simply deny all three problems. Whether from ignorance of selfishness, it's hard to gauge a person's true motives, but one thing is for sure, and that is they won't be helping the environment.
I mean, my gosh, most people don't even recycle, and that is mind-boggling to me. And there is another large group of people who spend their days sucking smoke into their lungs and flicking their nasty cigarette butts on the ground. I don't expect these people to be on board either. I've met a few environmentalists who smoke, but these folks are in the minority.
So, who will work with me to save the environment? Those liberal professors and teachers? Yes. The Unitarian Universalists, Episcopalians, and Reformed Jews? Yes. The cyclists, hikers, and kayakers? Yes? Overall, the group of people who are passionate about the environment is small. And against us is a massive coalition of people who are ignorant, ambivalent, selfish, indifferent, and apathetic. It is an uphill battle, for sure.
But I do regularly meet people with inquisitive minds who WANT TO KNOW and WANT TO LEARN what this environmental stuff is all about. These are people that I have a special respect for, and these are the individuals who give me hope.
5 comments:
I was at a party last night goose and i walked past a conversation... i heard, "I don't want my taxes paying for other peoples..(whatever)" then, "I'm not a socialist!" I inserted as i walked by, it just came out, "If you're against socialism you're for selfishism." - tom ferguson
I see that, but Tea Partiers don't see that at all. They forget that capitalists have the upper hand, and the capitalists only dish out enough benefits to avert social unrest. I guess they feel that the underclass is getting too much. The idea of the poor getting government health care is just killing them.
I am with you all the way. I am a native Midwestern person who has worked hard all my life and feel a moral imperative to give back. And one person can make a HUGE difference. Case in point: A terrific organization named World Land Trust-US wrote me an inspiring letter about the organization's efforts to purchase and preserve the last remaining habitat for two of the world's most magnificent parrot species-the Yellow-Eared Parrot and the Fuentes Parrot located in the country of Colombia. Fewer than 100 individuals of both species located in one last refuge was all that remained. Unless WLT-US raised the funds to purchase this land the species would be driven extinct as the birds will not breed in captivity and a potato plantation was planned to replace the wild habitat. Although I am not a wealthy person, I dug into savings and offered to provide half of the funding ($20 per acre) as part of a dollar for dollar matching gift campaign. The result was success beyond our wildest hopes. The public response allowed WLT to raise the necessary funds in just one month. Then the good people of The Netherlands joined with a gift of 85,000 Euros allowing for a further expansion of the reserve. The parrots and other beautiful wildlife are now thriving, which gives me great satisfaction. I have always said that even if I had to live out of a dumpster I would never regret my gift.
That is a great, inspiring story. I only hope that I can do something as grand in my lifetime. I guess my proudest accomplishment was helping to get some green politicians elected, but eventually they are bumped off or switch to the dark side, so I now see politics as a temporary solution. What you did was more permanent, provided that the land will be respected and protected, and those who manage it will not become corrupted. As you can see, I've grown quite distrustful in my old age.
Legal contracts are written for each land purchase to preserve the property in perpetuity. In the 20 year operating history of www.worldlandtrust-us.org, not a single deal has gone bad. We only work with established native country NGOs and I am most impressed with the commitment of local people and organizations to preserve their natural world. Additionally these projects provide a critical societal benefit. Regarding the Colombian reserve that I previously wrote about, establishment of the reserve has ensured the local population with a permanent source of clean drinking water.
We all give back in different ways. You have a gift for writing, provide important public information presentations, and affect positive change by engaging in civic affairs.
Thanks for all you do, Goose, and I love your blog!
Post a Comment