Post by @bss@social.coop

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Snoro/117178590537249647

I began my climate activism 35 years ago:
- Decided to not have children
- Became a vegetarian
- Cut my use of the automobile, switched to cycling
- Started organizing in my community to build local infrastructure to help others take similar direction action
- Committed to no air travel
- Commited to a low consumption life

Most Americans will quit before they even try because they don't want to be bothered. They'll say it has to be systemic change via legislation but won't bother to lobby "their" representatives nor will they protest. They'll put a lot of effort into making excuses for why they can't do anything and why they shouldn't bother because it's the wealthy and the "corporations" that are the real problem. They'll refuse to acknowledge that they themselves are a part of the wealthiest 10% of the global population and consume far, far beyond their fair share of resources. Again, they'll wag their fingers at the wealthiest 1%.
1/
#Climate #US #Capitalism #Politics #Degrowth

#degrowth #climate #politics #us #capitalism

4 Replies

1 Boost

shonin

@shonin@c.im 5 hr. ago

@bss A friend of mine really tried. I admire him but won't achieve his level of commitment, I'm afraid.

https://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM23/Something.html

Charles Grey Something for nothing WEB

Beardy Star Stuff 🌹🏴🇵🇸

@bss@social.coop 7 hr. ago

We say we need systemic change (we do) but we also refuse to organize to force that systemic change via political process/general strikes/protests, etc.

We also refuse to do the math of collective action. Which means we say that individual action cannot solve the problem but that's only true because we have millions of people that refuse to acknowledge they are a part of a collective of millions of people. In the US that's around 349 million, all of them pretending they are helpless.

The majority of those millions people refuse to cut consumption and instead insist on increasing consumption. And they refuse to acknowledge that they are using more than their share. In the imperial core of capitalism the culture is one of hyper-over consumption by a privileged white middle class that refuses to take any responsibility or action.

Millions of individuals refusing to do the math. Refusing to accept their responsibility as a part of the collective whole.
2/
#US #Climate #Capitalism

Beardy Star Stuff 🌹🏴🇵🇸

@bss@social.coop 6 hr. ago

Individuals that acknowledge they are a part of a collective population can:

- Engage in mass protests/general strikes to force political change
- Educate themselves about degrowth and the feasibility of a future within a capitalist system that insists on perpetual growh
- Refuse to cooperate with that system of perpetual growth by committing to constant behavior change as individuals and within communities
- Organize local community structures that promote degrowth via emphasis on local UpCycling and repair of goods.
- Organize local infrastructure for safe cycling
- Organize local build-out of solar/wind to the extent that it is possible starting at small scale as is currently being done in Africa and other nations in the Global South.
- General boycott of new goods and services except when absolutely necessary
- Boycott air travel
- Commit to a no-meat diet, cut food waste generally
- Commit to lifestyle that acknowledges need for #degrowth and adaption to #climate change

3/3

Jeff C

@JeffC1956@mastodon.social 4 hr. ago

@bss
My favorite ideas for "activism" are encompassing and widespread... something groups do instead of individuals. They include:
- ecology education
- sociological influencing to reduce consumption
- better municipal scenario and spatial planning
- more electrification, micro-grids
- resilient, small-scale sustainable agriculture
- bamboo (and other tech) replacement of plastics
- grassroots political organizing
- less infrastructure
- higher pollution taxes