I love Bill McKibben. And I love his team of whip smart writers and thinkers at 350.org. Right now, Bill is in Cancun at COP16 to observe and report. Recently, he had this to say -
"...after fifteen years of empty promises, it's pretty clear that Washington is playing the world for suckers . . .if we actually want to stop global warming, then we have to build a movement big enough to force change. Otherwise we're suckers too."
Right on, Bill. You see, Bill and 350 are building that movement, one big enough to combat the fossil fuel industry and, hopefully, all the crooked motherfuckers in Washington D.C. (sorry, but this includes our President, if only by willing association, if not slavish devotion) who see to it that the U.S. bullies the developing world into climate compliance. For Bill’s efforts in movement building, I commend him. Yet, as a fellow observer of the Climate Wars, I’m forced to wonder aloud whether any of us have really begun to build anything yet.
I love Bill McKibben. And I love his team of whip smart writers and thinkers at 350.org. Right now, Bill is in Cancun at COP16 to observe and report. Recently, he had this to say -
"...after fifteen years of empty promises, it's pretty clear that Washington is playing the world for suckers . . .if we actually want to stop global warming, then we have to build a movement big enough to force change. Otherwise we're suckers too."
Right on, Bill. You see, Bill and 350 are building that movement, one big enough to combat the fossil fuel industry and, hopefully, all the crooked motherfuckers in Washington D.C. (sorry, but this includes our President, if only by willing association, if not slavish devotion) who see to it that the U.S. bullies the developing world into climate compliance. For Bill’s efforts in movement building, I commend him. Yet, as a fellow observer of the Climate Wars, I’m forced to wonder aloud whether any of us have really begun to build anything yet.
If the number of Facebook fans and Twitter followers determines the strength of a movement, we’re kicking a ton of ass. But if a movement is defined more by real world gains, then I’m afraid we may be charging up the wrong hill. We’re hell bent on changing hearts and minds—on the Internet. Meanwhile, back in the real world, the Tea Party, Sarah Palin and other Rapture-believing nut jobs are winning seats and power. You betcha there’s a powerful, effective movement being built right now that’s passionate about climate change, but it’s not ours.
That said, the Internet is a powerful tool for organizing. It’s the ultimate phone tree: "We’re going to burn down the White House. Be there at noon. Oh and bring a torch." But I worry that we’re equating clicktivism—as defined by the popular "click here to send a message to..." with real activism. Activists hit the streets, not keyboards. Eugene Debs was an activist. Malcolm X was an activist. Neither would have considered holding hands on a beach or tending to arugula in a raised bed useful social change mechanisms. We’re nerdy wallflowers, afraid to dance, and it’s way past time we admit it. Why are we failing? Because we’re wimps.
Somehow we’ve been convinced that we have to "play it gentle". That scaring people and getting angry doesn’t go over well. THAT IS BULLSHIT. Visceral, hard direct action, anger, indignation and shock are what got us this far. The horror of a rapidly changing world is why we’re addressing climate change in the first place. In your face awareness raising is extremely successful. We’ve been sold a bill of goods by infiltrators that have ripped out the spirit, sharpness and fight we used to possess. Now we’re playing nice all the time. We’re fucking around in the sand. And we’re losing ground. Anger and passion don’t work? Really? Tell that to Martin Luther King, Jr. Tell that to Mother Jones. Tell it to Gandhi.
But, Tod. You’re wrong. We’re ready to take it to The Man...just as soon as, you know, we get a few more people together. Here’s where I differ most strongly with 350.org. I firmly believe the army we currently have—the united army of wimpy bloggers—is as big as it’s going to get. Sure, we’ll gain a few here and there, but they’re being offset by defections, by those who have tired of inaction or are simply too busy trying to survive in this new and permanent economic dive. While we sit on the sidelines talking about planning events to start growing our movement, the opposition is stockpiling new troops and weapons at a terrific clip. Ignorance spreads a lot faster than wisdom. The coffers of the fossil fuel industry? Ya think they’re shrinking? The lines are drawn, folks. It’s time to fight while we have any chance at all. Can we recruit some muscle? Yes, we can.
As we rush to attack the bastards where they live, let’s stop shying away from the real activists out there, learn from them, and cozy up right quick to these three key groups:
- FARMERS
In raising urban awareness of the plight of rural farmers Farm Aid almost got it right. What they should have done, and what we must do, is unite urban and rural farmers. Whether you grow tomatoes on your stoop or 50,000 acres of soybeans, you are farming food. This is a powerful missed connection, especially as ‘food awareness’ skyrockets. We need to forge alliances between all farmers of all sizes...and watch the resultant information exchange move rural farmers toward our positions. Farmers are incredibly maligned. Give them respect and the dividends will be huge. Take a peek at the original what we must do. Not bad, right? The Grange, currently rather right leaning, has the potential to be an incredible ally. This desire to better the future for the children of farmers hasn’t died. It has simply been co-opted. And eyes are opening all across America’s topsoil. I’m telling you, the farmers are key.
- GRANDMAS
I recently watched I’m telling you, the farmers are key. for an in-development documentary and was struck, rather forcefully, by the idea that we have to do a far better job recruiting elders to the cause, especially grandmothers. We have plenty of middle class college students—but they’re simple to dismiss in this economy as spoiled kids tilting at windmills. But not so with grandmothers. Who better to fight for the grandchildren? Who better to take the fight directly to the enemy? Just watch the video, you’ll see exactly what I mean. I’ll take one grandmother over twenty college students any day (I’m not quite lecherous enough to crack a joke here). But we don’t know how to talk to our elders. If you don’t tweet, you’re blind to us. So sad.
Okay, now we have an amazing base. We just need some glue. Enter ...
- THE CREATIVES
In his book "Art Power," art critic Boris Groysasserts that there are really only two types of art today, objects for consumption and ideological propaganda. While I may quibble, overall I think he’s spot on. Currently, we’re engaging the creative community a little bit, but I think we can do a lot better than this (sorry, Bill!). Back in 2000, I asked Shepard Fairey and others to design posters for an anti-Bush project I put together. We distributed over one million posters that cleverly eviscerated George W. It was my first taste of a genuine propaganda campaign. As most of you know, Fairey went on to create the iconic Obama print, one that had an undeniable impact. But these are just posters. Imagine if the creative community got together to create films, erect sculptures, manipulate the very infrastructure of our cities. Sure, they’re already doing all of this. But we need to coordinate our efforts more closely, build budgets to pay for their services. We can, and must, do better.
So all we need to do is get out from behind our computers, stop being wimps, join forces with grandmothers and farmers and pay talented creatives to create moving propaganda. Then we’ll be an army to be reckoned with. Is that so hard? It’s not, really. Not if we really and truly give a damn. I have to confess, when I look around and check the pulse of our movement, I’m not so sure that we do.
