this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2024
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If you ever wanted to read about fake druids vs. environmental activists, now's your chance.

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[–] EndlessApollo@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

Not paint, literally orange corn flour that'll wash off with the first rain. Stop spreading disinformation for big oil pls. Idk why they went for this instead of classical art, but acting like this is some terrible evil crime is exactly what oil companies want you to think, they want you to root against people protesting climate change, no matter how tiny their vandalism is in the grand scheme of things

[–] illi@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago

I can root for people protesting climate change and think this was incredibly idiotic.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago (12 children)

The article says it came out of a spray can. So how am I spreading misinformation?

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[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 months ago

What is it the activists wanted people to think? Did they consider their actions might lead people to turn against them instead of against the oil companies?

[–] Sorgan71@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Just stop oil is funded by the oil industry to make environmentalists look like morons.

[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Those stones will be suuuper useful to us after we died because our global ecosystem collapsed.

Maybe we should set up our own stones for explaining to future generations why we didnt do anything about climate change until it was too late.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (30 children)

I'm not sure how this helps though. These people can say to future generations, "well, we didn't get people to stop using fossil fuels, but we did damage a 5000-year-old monument that was made long before anyone had the idea of burning fossil fuels to make people aware of a problem they were already aware of but powerless to do anything about."

This isn't going to stop oil companies from drilling for oil.

It reminds me of a friend of mine I used to follow elsewhere on social media. Every day, she would post pictures of 'death row dogs' in nearby shelters that were going to be euthanized. There was fuck all I could do about it. I already have two dogs, from shelters. I don't have room for more and I couldn't afford more. So all it did was make me feel like shit. Then she started posting photos with "too late" messages and I stopped following her.

How does that help?

[–] Mirodir@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 5 months ago

but we did damage a 5000-year-old monument

As far as I could find out, they used orange cornflour that will just wash off the next time it rains. The most amount of damage anyone could seriously bring up was that it could harm/displace the lichen on the henge.

That's not to say that I specifically condone the action, but it's a lot less bad than this article makes it sound. It's the same with the soup attack on one of van Gogh's painting, which had protective glass on it. So far all the JSO actions targeting cultural/historical things (at least the ones that made it to the big news) have been done in a way that makes them sound awful at first hearing, but intentionally did not actually damage the targeted cultural/historical thing.

I think the biases of the journalist/news outlet/etc. are somewhat exposed by which parts they focus on and which they downplay or omit entirely.

[–] thetreesaysbark@sh.itjust.works 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Many of the recent protests about climate change have been less direct and more about stirring up controversy to force the public to actually think about their decisions.

My hat off to them as so far this style of protest has been working and has resulted in many of us pushing for better climate control.

You're right this isn't going to stop companies, but even if you disagreed with them it puts climate change in your conscious mind. Even if that simply means you'll try to make slightly more climate friendly decisions moving forwards, that's a win.

Personally I don't know if I agree with the technique, but I do feel like it has been working in terms of making people discuss this topic more.

[–] Blackbeard@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 1 day ago)
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[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

As always, while I support their claimed ideals, I can only see them as petty vandals who care more about attention seeking than their cause. They certainly won’t get any of my time or attention. If you’re against Big Oil, protest Big Oil and half the population will agree. If you’re intentionally seeking my outrage with unrelated crap, you got it: rot in jail

[–] kaffiene@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

It's orange power which washed off with water

[–] Sasha@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

They do it because the stuff you're asking for doesn't work that well, but this does (that said they do still engage in those actions as far as I'm aware). Activism is about making noise, there aren't many tools beyond that and they've worked for all sorts of issues in the past.

The point is that JSO doesn't exist in a vacuum.

https://wagingnonviolence.org/2023/12/the-method-behind-just-stop-oil-annoying-madness/

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago

the stuff you're asking for doesn't work that well, but this does

I didn't think that this works. The examples where people claim "is just like this" I don't see as being like this.

The ones that work are ones that have some relation to their cause. Forcing everyone to really think about an issue Inherent to the act. For example, going about and doing this to parked private jets, which they did.

Just doing anything to get attention isn't useful if there's no Inherent message in the act itself. Especially with climate where everyone already has awareness, just not action.

Being merely loud is not going to sway hearts and minds in your favor.

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Yeah I don't know why they wouldn't block the entrance to an oil refinery. Some people would be unhappy about this especially the people that work there. But the general public could understand, who knows it could possibly slow production for a few days.

[–] Adanisi@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (8 children)

They have. Compared to this, it got barely any news coverage.

That is why they do this. Their only goal is attention, and they do that quite well.

The way they seem to operate is quite smart, actually:

  • Their stunts get a lot of press and bring climate change to the forefront of people's minds, frequently.

  • They're not a political party, so pissing voters off isn't a problem. They can afford to be unpopular to further the cause.

  • Those who already care about the climate won't change that based on a small group they dislike.

  • Those who call them "terrorists" are people who call anything short of licking oil company boot "eco-terrorism". They were never going to be convinced to care whatever the group does. Probably read the Daily Mail.

  • Those who are apathetic about the climate are still going to be apathetic, with a bit of rage towards this group as with the others, but again, ultimately that doesn't matter as they still won't change anything based on a single group.

  • A small handful of people will be inspired by them and their constant reminders of climate crisis, and be motivated to push for change.

The last bullet seems to be the target audience of the group. And they're the ones who will actually do anything.

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[–] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Why not fund raise and set up a lobby group and fund politicians to pass laws. Why stand in traffic. Seems like the most ineffective backward steps

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Why not fund raise and set up a lobby group and fund politicians to pass laws.

Do you think some kids are going to be able to buy the support of politicians by outbidding the oil companies?

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Do you think some kids are going to be able to buy the support of politicians by outbidding the oil companies?

Politicians care about votes, money is just an easy way to get them. No, a bunch of kids by themselves brings nothing to the table. A bunch of extremists probably never gets to the table. Do you know what’s the only thing that may outrank those corporate interests? Votes. If you bring votes to the table they don’t even have to buy, you’ll get a response

Notice what’s being discussed here. You claim this type of action gets people talking but no one here is discussing their cause nor supporting it

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 months ago

Yeah because these people are making random attacks on landmarks instead of going after oil refineries and gas stations. Their strategy is confusing to the general public.

Targeting oil companies directly would force people to talk about the actual issue. "These radicals put orange dust on Stonehenge what are they trying to accomplish with that?" vs. "these radicals got an oil refinery shut down for a day, what are they trying to accomplish with that?" The former requires an abstract explanation (which isn't effective) while the latter has a very obvious answer to the point where most people won't even bother asking the question.

[–] CluckN@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago

Man big oil has it easy with all these slacktivists shitting in public and calling it a protest.

[–] swordgeek@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They're terrorists.

Not activists, terrorists.

[–] Adanisi@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 months ago

That word... I do not think it means what you think it means...

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

One hopes the powder doesn't cause any lasting damage to a priceless piece of human cultural heritage.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That is my worry. Even if it gets washed off by rain, it can get into cracks.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Eh.

That, too, is the history of the monuments.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

...while I may not like the forms their protest takes, I think - well, they certainly think - it's worth your ire if it opens people's eyes to the oncoming worldwide disaster.

suspect they're right.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Whose eyes do you think aren't open at this point that this stunt would open them?

Like I said elsewhere, this is like what PETA does and people are still eating a lot of meat.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

So you really think you understand what's going on?

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/6/16/what-grief-for-a-dying-planet-looks-like-climate-scientists-on-the-edge-2

because the scientists are scared shitless.

dunk on peta all you want, it's not going to stop the world cooking.

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