On “Daily Kos, the best response is people power”
Sadly, this does not seem to apply to DK’s environmental response.
On Saturday, January 6th, Jen Hayden posted a diary compilation (“ICYMI”) of recent noteworthy political diaries on DK, and as I scrolled down the offerings I was struck with her statement in reference to flipping George Santos’ vacant seat:
“Time is short, and Republicans are rolling out their dark-money machine. But as we've always preached at Daily Kos, the best response is people power.”
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/5/2215623/-ICYMI-Dark-Brandon-comes-out-swinging-hard-at-Donald-Trump
To judge from the numbers and what they say about interest, this does not appear to be the case when dealing with the most important political issue of all times, as environmental collapse has the horrendous potential to wipe the slate clean of all the others. Soon.
Troublingly, “people power” on DK still stops short of committed aggressive environmental political action.
If what I’m saying triggers your defenses, that might just be denial kidnapping your better judgement.
If you are already satisfied with your contribution to environmental management, you shouldn’t feel defensive — you should feel supported by and supportive of my message.
Imagine if this site payed as little attention to the ‘power of the people’ to vote .
This might provide you with an insight into the frustration, consternation and anxiety felt by the climate active. Tragically, the ongoing environmental avoidance of the greater majority here stymies meaningful political action on the scale demanded by this emergency — the proof being such action barely exists.
And so we dream of a statement like this:
“Time is short and El Niño is rolling out darkness over mankind.
But as we’ve always preached on Daily Kos, the best environmental response is people power.“
For those writing climate diaries on DK and struggling to raise awareness, getting others to recognize the value of individuals as agents of change remains an up hill climb. The fact that this should be the case on a progressive liberal website based in and committed to the principle of ‘people power’ is remarkable, but understandable as well.
I myself, do not ‘enjoy’ reading climate diaries, or other environmental articles, as it can often be upsetting and destabilizing. It is at times the psychic equivalent of ‘waltzing through a field of land-mines’. But I steel myself to the task and take it head on. Informing myself is my ‘daily bitter pill’ — which does provide relief.
When coupled with action, it is restorative.
As a result, any undermining of my ‘comfort zone’ is more than offset by the fact that absorbing such information becomes cumulatively empowering. However, this empowerment only becomes manifest through committed action.
El Niño is currently eradicating the ‘bliss’ from ignorance and without it our comforts will soon be shattered. In such circumstances “concern” needs to be replaced with workable knowledge, if we are to have any hope of mounting a response on the level needed.
While the fossil fuel industry, various corporations and many world leaders undermine climate pro-action, aside from Biden’s laudable, but still inadequate environmental legislation, the best we have to offer for the larger part is “people power” in the form of individual and group efforts. Its progeny is ‘ground up’ action, with each of us alone, or working in private sector endeavors, doing our share to the best of our capabilities. The refusal of many to recognize the value of this is denial based avoidance of their inherent responsibility, as self-assuming ‘mature adults’.
Simply put, we all own this mess and we all owe it to the future to clean up after ourselves. Waiting for someone else to do it, especially while continuing to ‘party’, enables the ‘profiteers’ and warrants the label “accessory to a crime”. We are not separate from these power and money based forces of destruction, but participatory in a deeply intertwined co-dependent relationship.
And since much major change often comes from fragmented efforts ‘snow balling’ as they gain mass and momentum, “the best we’ve got” is plenty good enough to get started. Many understand this and have started long ago. Though not optimal, individual action still has a positive environmental impact and as the aggregate grows, it puts pressure on world leaders and the financial sector by framing this crisis in terms they understand — power and money.
As we start to reshape their paradigm by our actions, they will have no choice but to respond. Politicians and business are highly sensitive to these sorts of seismic shifts in the ‘rabble’, and only change their game when their survival depends on it. Currently they are still too blinded by their avarice to realize how threatened their agendas already are by the ‘elephant’ of looming environmental collapse. But this has begun to change, as it already shows signs of crumbling.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/13/2217198/-When-Is-It-Time-To-Leave-Expect-1-Million-US-Climate-Migrants-This-Year?utm_campaign=trending (while boatsie’s diary received 236 recs, it falls far short of what a particularly salacious ‘Orange Hydra’ post is apt to attract.)
Environmental diarists on DK and those who contribute action-supportive comments, know full well what we’re up against and have no delusions about our odds of success. That we do not give up, is not due to naivety or Pollyanna denial, but rather to well-rounded, properly sourced knowledge and our humility when it comes to sorting and parsing the facts, as well as sharing the results.
The climate committed on DK already know that it would be preferable if we were all on deck during this emergency, with world leaders, industry, the press and even corporations making intelligent decisions insuring their long term survival. But for the time being that’s not happening and the majority has waited too long for others to act.
DK reader’s do not get a pass for being liberal, empathetic and politically proactive.
Climate denial cuts across all demographics, rich or poor, weak or powerful, average or brilliant, concerned or callus, informed or absent.
It has ways of circumventing all of these arbitrary boundaries.
I’ve heard many times, even from Kos himself, that DK readers care about climate, but “knowing there’s a problem” is worlds away from hands on commitment to solving it. “Not knowing what to do” is avoidance, as ‘knowing what to do’ starts with becoming informed. Despite the fact that many work hard and sacrifice to provide the opportunities to do so on this site — environmental ‘curiosity’ remains a ‘starved cat’ on DK.
Caring without action is worthless.
Avoiding, rather than confronting, is not ‘caring’ — it’s fear.
Fear is natural in the face of this monster…I’m afraid everyday when I confront it.
However, giving in to fear is the worst possible reaction to danger and if knowledge is power, avoiding it leaves you defenseless.
We must face our fears and stunt them with action.
Daily Kos, for your own sake and the sake of your children, please find your ‘people power’ while there’s still time — and ACT!
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/4/2215074/-Overnight-News-Digest-Democrats-and-climate-activists-are-on-a-collision-course-in-2024 (Magnifico’ digest, with this title lead article, received 34 recs — there is a clear connection between the Democratic Party/environmental disconnect it points out and the form this takes on DK)