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Re the pointlessness of activism thing - they maybe dickheads and clowns but surely the fact we've spent a Sunday discussing the issue of SUVs and that something as dull as the need for retrofitting thermal insulation has made it into the news on a regular basis recently, means that even these stunts have some effect and purpose.
I agree with this. We are never going to get government-led change without a percentage of individuals radically altering their outlook, and people are unlikely to alter their outlook without some challenging tactics.
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@hoefla
Re the pointlessness of activism thing - they maybe dickheads and clowns but surely the fact we've spent a Sunday discussing the issue of SUVs and that something as dull as the need for retrofitting thermal insulation has made it into the news on a regular basis recently, means that even these stunts have some effect and purpose. As the woman blockading a fuel terminal recently said to the news reporter "You wouldn't be speaking to me now if I'd just written to my MP".
I was volunteering at a thing last weekend that involved 'engaging members of the public in discussions about climate change'. I didn't much like the conversation-starter we had, as it focused far too much on inconsequential individual habits, but it was an easy in and we (as many people as possible) just have to be talking about this stuff far more frequently than we are.
Invalidating activism because it doesn't target the worst climate-change denier is just a weird idea. Most people aren't complete deniers, but they are in denial to some extent. If the outright deniers haven't been persuaded that there's an actual problem so far, it would be foolishly optimistic / unrealistic to imagine anything a lowly activist could do would change their minds - but the aim isn't to change everyone's mind, it's to change more people, enough people and the right people. It's not always obvious who the 'right' person is - not just those with power and influence but other kinds of agency too. No-one goes out to do something they know is doomed to failure or that they know won't work - but it's never guaranteed to work either. Chances can be pretty slim. Sometimes, stupid stunts backfire. I'd love to put my 'spare' time into doing things with a better chance of success but I'm running out of ideas.
I used to be very sceptical about the "you're just doing this to make yourself feel better" aspect of activism, but fuck it, we're human. So long as it isn't the motivating factor, there's nothing wrong with feeling better about doing something than nothing.