Greta Thunberg detained at The Hague climate demonstration
Climate activist detained after Extinction Rebellion protesters tried to block road near Dutch parliament
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Regardless of your opinions about her specifically, it's a simple fact that positive societal change doesn't happen by asking nicely. Look at every civil rights movement ever. Nothing got done until people were inconvenienced and companies lost money.
No change doesn't happen by asking nicely, but I think some joined up thinking by these groups would get them further than performative protesting and getting arrested. If you want change then you lobby politicians on the positive benefits of change, and businesses on the potential profits to be had from implementing it.
You: Hey government, here’s my vote!
Giant Corporations: Hey government, here’s $1 trillion
That's unrealistic. A supreme court justice only costs an RV and some vacations. You only need a few billion to buy control, assuming your interests are aligned with the other billionaires and they don't negate your spending.
I’ve seen lobbying donations of $30,000. Our country is ABSOLUTELY fucked.
Bye America 🇺🇸 (more like buy America amirite)
That's not the real bribery. The real bribery is uncountable, sometimes literally bribes that are obscured, or more often positions in companies for them and their friend's and family, consulting fees, etc. This can all add up to hundreds of millions.
Heck... even one of those vacations that the person you responded to was referencing probably comes to over 50 - 100k per when you consider fully burdened cost.
There's more than one country in this world
What civil rights advancements have been won with this strategy?
But all the lobbying has already happened - for decades - and nothing has changed. Fossil fuel companies have poured in billions over the course of decades, and still are, to counter lobby and spread misinformation to keep the status quo.
You're only seeing the 'performative' protesting in the media and not the lobbying because it's easy to report on, but in reality this movement is on its last legs. It is THAT level of desperation now.
Do you think they'd still be protesting if the government actually implemented the policies brought forward by climate scientists decades ago?
Why do you assume the two are exclusive?
Because they are. Groups like PETA, or Just Stop Oil are clowns who hurt their own cause. Performative protesting might win people a participation prize but to everyone else it's just "look at meeeeee!". At a certain point it actually becomes toxic to the cause. I know if I wanted to harm environmental campaigning then I'd invent Just Stop Oil.
Meanwhile big business are sending lobbiests in to change politician's minds, to make arguments that appeal to their rationality, or self-interest. THAT is what environmental campaigners should be doing - lobbying, extoling the benefits of environmental action, changing minds. Getting arrested in front of cameras over and over just becomes pathetic and performative.
Yeah that's bullshit. Society has been improving overall throughout history. Lots of positive change is brought about by people chasing bigger profits.
Only when those positive changes lead to bigger profits than staying the course
had me in the first half
I honestly cannot tell if this is meant to be ironic or not.
