Extinction Rebellion

brianlux

Everything I've read about this activist group so far looks promising. 

The principles of XR make sense to me.  I particularly like this approach to change:

1. "We have a shared vision of change—creating a world that is fit for generations to come.
2. We set our mission on what is necessary—mobilising 3.5% of the population to achieve system change by using ideas such as "momentum-driven organising" to achieve this.
3. We need a regenerative culture—creating a culture that is healthy, resilient, and adaptable.
4. We openly challenge ourselves and this toxic system, leaving our comfort zones to take action for change.
5. We value reflecting and learning, following a cycle of action, reflection, learning, and planning for more action (learning from other movements and contexts as well as our own experiences).
6. We welcome everyone and every part of everyone—working actively to create safer and more accessible spaces.
7. We actively mitigate for power—breaking down hierarchies of power for more equitable participation.
8. We avoid blaming and shaming—we live in a toxic system, but no one individual is to blame.
9. We are a non-violent network using non-violent strategy and tactics as the most effective way to bring about change.
10. We are based on autonomy and decentralisation—we collectively create the structures we need to challenge power. Anyone who follows these core principles and values can take action in the name of Extinction Rebellion."

https://rebellion.earth/the-truth/about-us/

The latest activity:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/07/extinction-rebellion-new-york-protest-arrests

Jason P

Extinction Rebellion is a good name for an 80’s death metal band. 

Jason P

.

Meltdown99

I liked the bridge they scaled in Montreal...first thoughts, one wrong move and someone are going extinct today.  That's all I have.

brianlux

This is great!  Reminds me of some of the guerilla theater activism that help bring about the end of the war in Vietnam.  I'm stoked seeing this kind of non-violent civil disobedience being used as efforts to create positive change!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/08/extinction-rebellion-activists-glue-themselves-to-home-office-and-dft

Extinction Rebellion activists glue themselves to DfT and Home Office

Thoughts_Arrive

Much hated here in Australia. Just have to read online comments.
Our government ministers are saying they should have their welfare payments stopped if they are protesting. Sounds like fascism. 

Meltdown99

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Much hated here in Australia. Just have to read online comments.
Our government ministers are saying they should have their welfare payments stopped if they are protesting. Sounds like fascism. 

If you are on welfare then your number 1 goal should be getting a job and supporting themselves.  

Jason P

I feel sad when I see people do extreme things like this. 

brianlux

Jason P said:

I feel sad when I see people do extreme things like this. 

Extreme situations call for extreme action. 

Are you an adolescent or a teenager, Jason?  I think not. If you were, and you believed your future was being ruined by selfish older adults (people like me), you might be more understanding. 

Jason P

the end is nigh

brianlux

Yeah, for old fuckers like me, maybe so.  I just feel bad as hell for kids today.  Their future is fucked, and my parents and my generation did it to them. 

Jason P

I don't take on the philosophy of mentally taking on the burden of something that we are not in control of.  That is not a positive.  Positive thinking will bring change much sooner than negative thinking.  Positive thinking leads to innovation.  Negative thinking leads to gluing yourself to a light pole.

brianlux

Jason P said:

I don't take on the philosophy of mentally taking on the burden of something that we are not in control of.  That is not a positive.  Positive thinking will bring change much sooner than negative thinking.  Positive thinking leads to innovation.  Negative thinking leads to gluing yourself to a light pole.

My positive take is that a lot of people are taking action.  Things only get better when people take action, do something.  I think that is very positive. 

Thoughts_Arrive

Meltdown99 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Much hated here in Australia. Just have to read online comments.
Our government ministers are saying they should have their welfare payments stopped if they are protesting. Sounds like fascism. 

If you are on welfare then your number 1 goal should be getting a job and supporting themselves.  

You can still look for a job and find the time to protest.

Meltdown99

Meltdown99

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Meltdown99 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Much hated here in Australia. Just have to read online comments.
Our government ministers are saying they should have their welfare payments stopped if they are protesting. Sounds like fascism. 

If you are on welfare then your number 1 goal should be getting a job and supporting themselves.  

You can still look for a job and find the time to protest.

If you are able bodied then your number 1 priority I getting off welfare.  Welfare should only be used as an emergency and people who on welfare need to get off their ass and look for a job...I have no problem cutting them off welfare.

Meltdown99

brianlux said:

Jason P said:

I feel sad when I see people do extreme things like this. 

Extreme situations call for extreme action. 

Are you an adolescent or a teenager, Jason?  I think not. If you were, and you believed your future was being ruined by selfish older adults (people like me), you might be more understanding. 

Thoughts_Arrive

Meltdown99 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Meltdown99 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Much hated here in Australia. Just have to read online comments.
Our government ministers are saying they should have their welfare payments stopped if they are protesting. Sounds like fascism. 

If you are on welfare then your number 1 goal should be getting a job and supporting themselves.  

You can still look for a job and find the time to protest.

If you are able bodied then your number 1 priority I getting off welfare.  Welfare should only be used as an emergency and people who on welfare need to get off their ass and look for a job...I have no problem cutting them off welfare.

So, if you're on welfare every single waking minute of every day needs to be spent trying to get off welfare?
You can only be on your computer looking for jobs for so long before you feel burnout. 
Just because you're on welfare doesn't mean you cannot balance your job hunt with other things in life.
Mental health care....

Thoughts_Arrive

You just love making incendiary posts on here?
First you shit on me for my depression, now you shit on those on welfare.
Yet you send me PMs being all nice to me?

Meltdown99

Thoughts_Arrive said:

You just love making incendiary posts on here?
First you shit on me for my depression, now you shit on those on welfare.
Yet you send me PMs being all nice to me?

No body is shitting on you. All people have done is offered suggestion...you choose to ignore people’s help.  Forgive me for expecting able body humans to support themsaelves.  

So dude do not ask people for help or advice...because quite simply you tmrefuse to even attempt to help yourself.

by the way if you had any clue what I’ve been through since 2011...well let’s just say I’m still surviving and my life is better now than ever...1 big reason.  I never gave up.  And when people offered help I accepted and listened...all of which none you.  And I notice you never responded PM.  Why?  Do you really want change?  Then prove it to yourself.

Meltdown99

And if your looking for pity you are interacting with the wrong person.  I have read enough of your post.  Your life sucks in your eyes but you  are afraid of life.  Correct.  

cincybearcat

brianlux said:

Jason P said:

I feel sad when I see people do extreme things like this. 

Extreme situations call for extreme action. 

Are you an adolescent or a teenager, Jason?  I think not. If you were, and you believed your future was being ruined by selfish older adults (people like me), you might be more understanding. 

Brian - when you were a teenager, didn't you think your future was being ruined by the adults?

cincybearcat

Meltdown99 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Meltdown99 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Much hated here in Australia. Just have to read online comments.
Our government ministers are saying they should have their welfare payments stopped if they are protesting. Sounds like fascism. 

If you are on welfare then your number 1 goal should be getting a job and supporting themselves.  

You can still look for a job and find the time to protest.

If you are able bodied then your number 1 priority I getting off welfare.  Welfare should only be used as an emergency and people who on welfare need to get off their ass and look for a job...I have no problem cutting them off welfare.

I understand the thought process here...but just because you are living off of tax payers $ doesn't mean they own you.  If you are meeting all the requirements they should get the funds.  You are right that their #1 priority is finding a job, but have you looked for a job?  It's not something you can do for 24 hours straight for very long.  Now - if they engage in anything illegal....different story. 

Thoughts_Arrive

Meltdown99 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

You just love making incendiary posts on here?
First you shit on me for my depression, now you shit on those on welfare.
Yet you send me PMs being all nice to me?

No body is shitting on you. All people have done is offered suggestion...you choose to ignore people’s help.  Forgive me for expecting able body humans to support themsaelves.  

So dude do not ask people for help or advice...because quite simply you tmrefuse to even attempt to help yourself.

by the way if you had any clue what I’ve been through since 2011...well let’s just say I’m still surviving and my life is better now than ever...1 big reason.  I never gave up.  And when people offered help I accepted and listened...all of which none you.  And I notice you never responded PM.  Why?  Do you really want change?  Then prove it to yourself.

Whatever.

What PM? I never received one.

HughFreakingDillon

Michael Stipe releases first solo song Your Capricious Soul (and apparently has a full album ready to go) and proceeds are going towards Extinction Rebellion. You can buy the song only from his site, www.michaelstipe.com, and you can choose to pay as little as $0.77, or more. And you get:

-the song
-the video
-an animated flip book
-a print-ready poster
-lyric sheet
-stencil

pretty damn good for 77 cents. 

brianlux

cincybearcat said:

brianlux said:

Jason P said:

I feel sad when I see people do extreme things like this. 

Extreme situations call for extreme action. 

Are you an adolescent or a teenager, Jason?  I think not. If you were, and you believed your future was being ruined by selfish older adults (people like me), you might be more understanding. 

Brian - when you were a teenager, didn't you think your future was being ruined by the adults?

Not by all adults, but, yes, I was very concerned that my parents G.I. generation might be responsible for a nuclear holocaust that would end my life at a young age.

And now there is a generation of younger folks who are concerned that my boomer generation may be responsible for ruining their future. I think they are more likely correct in their assumption than I was of mine when I was in my teens.  I think global warning is more likely to create of disastrous future than nuclear war is.

Jason P

I can't imagine being 9 years old and have my parents freaking me out into believing the world will end in 12 years (when did the official timer start?)  

brianlux

Making a statement like that is a bit like Bible thumpers prediction the year of the rapture.  Best to ignore any statement from anyone presuming to know when something as big as human extinction will occur.  No one can say with any certainty at all.  I don't know of any such "12 year from now" statement.  Sounds like b.s. to me.

facepollution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3kJwQBZOkM 

brianlux

facepollution said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3kJwQBZOkM 

Interesting exchange and I would agree that both of them make good points.  We are faceing some serious environmental challenges, but no one knows how bad things will (or won't) get, or when. 

But the point the XR's are trying to make is that the possibility of a lot of death and suffering is very real.  I just finished reading Timothy Egan's excellent book, The Worst Hard Time in which he describes the events leading up to the horrific dust bowl in the high plains during the 1930's.  In the early 30's, record breaking wheat crops where harvested in that area.  A few short years later, the land was destroyed and many people suffered and died.  Now it is true we have learned some things from this event, but great damage is being wrecked upon places like the Amazon rain forests and although the consequences of this or the result of surpassing the 400 mark of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be longer than a few short years, it may also be quite possible that these factors among others will cascade into widespread conditions with terrible consequences.  This is not meant to be a statement of doom, but to ignore these factors and assume everything will be "OK" I think is very foolish.  But hey, we are a very foolish species.  Best of luck to us.

pjl44

I believe in climate change, but haven't heard a solution that seems remotely workable. It seems to me our global society has industrialized to the point where the horse is out of the barn. At least until a new, cleaner energy source is discovered.

I don't think it's an awareness problem and I think blocking roadways and forming drum circles does more harm than good. I think a lot of people on the sidelines are looking for more reasonable solutions than hysteria.