Hey so I’m sort of getting involved in my local XR (Extinction Rebelion) group but I have to say after a couple of meetings I’m feeling like it’s not really my type.
I appreciate the enthusiasm and I like the ideas of how the organization runs in a decentralized way but I feel it’s very demonstration oriented. Nothing wrong with demonstrations but I starting to think that the time for that has passed.
I had a sort of idea of the group also having initiatives to promote empathy with the cause, teach about what people can do both on a personal and large scale. From personal decisions to give them the knowledge to use their local political power to make changes. I know that’s a bit utopian. Also I don’t have many alternatives where I live…
I don’t know. Is XR just a PR thing? All about making people either hate them or love them? Do you think groups like this make a difference?
Sounds like what you want is something like the transition town to me. There is a network of them around as well and you can find chapters projects. There are other groups in a similar vain as well, mainly ecovillages, which also have a network.. The difference being the former tries to transform existing communites, whereas the later wants to built new ones. Other then that green politics might also be an option.
As for XR they are really trying to get attention to keep the climate crisis in public discurs. That is certainly needed as we are not going to fix this crisis overnight. However obviously protest is more about destroying things, then building things, so there are limits.
You are right it’s kind of exactly what I was looking for, I will look further into that, thank you! As for XR I’ll push forward trying to build connections and meeting like minded individuals who might even be interested in adjacent stuff like what you mentioned.
I’m just afraid that it’s all destruction and PR stunts. I believe in demonstrations, up to a certain point. I just feel like they accomplish too little when they are generic. I read somewhere that XR UK was very poorly seen by general population which is a shame because a few years ago they weren’t (at least so much).
I’m afraid that the regular person is going over the hill of being concerned with the planet and just gets annoyed by road blocks and demonstrations fronted by young people to pretend throw paint at art and just give up. Because those people that are affected feel like there is little they can do about the big parts of it. I know the argument of union strikes civil rights protests but I feel like the public opinion is not going in the right direction.
In the end I feel that if there is going to be any hope of moving the needle of the big issues regular people need feel included and like it’s their cause too.