Extinction Rebellion - Tagging Along

There's me behind the old lady in the grey jacket and black jeans on the right.

I was in town last Saturday and stumbled upon the Extinction Rebellion rally and decided to join in.

I had come in to town on the mistaken assumption that it was a weekday, and I was planning to swap a few books over in the Town Hall reading room, so I just so happened to have a few books on economics with me, including Michael Hudson's 'J is for Junk Economics', and a black permanent marker, so I decided to make my own sign, which I held with the title of the book also visible.

Unfortunately I don't really think most environmentalists are interested in looking at economics, even if it is the shortest path to saving the environment. I think it's too dry and boring. Not quite hip enough. I told this woman that we can have as many of these events as we like but unless we deal with the economics driving public policy it'll always be one step forward, ten steps back.

I got a sense of defeatism from the few people I spoke too. As if things were inevitable. I just said I have more hope than that. I'd rather read a few books and get myself informed than have performance art pieces to sing us all to death.

Also, this kind of performance really only appeals to the kinds of people who are already convinced about climate change. I think you'll find that climate change denier's opinion about such self indulgence ranges from apathy to disgust and ridicule. So you're not going to win over any hearts and minds with a piece like this.

Any good rally should leave the participants with something practical to do after the whole thing is over. Curtis White accuses the environmental movement of always declaring victory too early and walking away from the wreck. What was the practical purpose of this gathering? Are we to go home and do something practical like send a senate submission to parliament? Or start some sort of campaign? Or is the work done now? It's just a day out to sing ourselves to death and what? Go home and watch Masterchef?

The whole thing stank of middle class melancholia.

We're going to need to be far more positive and practical than this. Economics may be dry, but unless we tackle it head first we can have all the public events we like and it won't make a lick of difference.