It's far more rude to be polite.
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We're currently witnessing two contradictory trends in action:
- Green is becoming more mainstream
- Our ecosystem is becoming more threatened
Take-Home Message: It's good that we're learning and changing but evidence makes it crystal clear that we need to do much more.
One possible obstacle: Green manners.
You see, while environmentalists bend over backwards to avoid being too "moralistic" for fear they might "turn off" Average Jane and Joe, new estimates of ocean heat uptake are 50% higher than previous calculations. (That means climate change is not going away.)
"Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance," says Derrick Jensen, explaining that even if every person in the United States did everything An Inconvenient Truth suggested, "U.S. carbon emissions would fall by only 22 percent. Scientific consensus is that emissions must be reduced by at least 75 percent worldwide."
Translation: Something's gotta give...and fast.
WATCH VIDEO: Rachelle tries to teach Ed some manners
Rosa Luxemburg once said: "The first revolutionary act is to call things by their true names." In other words, Rosa would probably agree with me when I say that when faced with a crisis of epic proportions, it's far more rude to be polite. In a big picture sense, we'd be better off worring about the future of the planet than worrying about being perceived as "pretentious."
The New Green Manners
1. Keep Living the Green Life
There's never a bad time to do the right thing.
2. Recognize and Appreciate the Urgency
Small changes are important but the clock is ticking, folks.
3. Expose Corporate Criminals and Take Action
Good start: Boycott the climate villains.
4. Link Up With the Anti-War Movement to Fight the Planet's Worst Polluter
P.S. The planet's worst polluter is the U.S. Department of Defense.
5. Make a Commitment to Activism
Action is always better than hope.
