Thank you, Naomi Klein. I was just about to type something up in response to all of the cynics of the Peoples Climate March, but Ill just let Klein explain it instead, because it summarizes my feelings exactly: Knowing the amount of work, energy and coalition-building and care that has gone into the organizing, the march -- which obviously isnt perfect -- but I think it was grossly mischaracterized as being simply some big green thing. When Its actually been incredibly grassroots. Do I think a march is going to do anything? No. The point is this march is different in that its a manifestation of real rooted movements that are fighting fracking in their backyard, and refineries that are giving their kids asthma, and students who are demanding divestment of fossil fuels at their universities, and faith groups who are doing the same in their churches and synagogues. And what the march will be is a moment where people feel the size of this movement, and it will give people the strength to go home and continue at these moments of convergence too. Every once in a while its nice to see how big you are. Especially since so many of these movements are local. It can feel small and isolated. There havent been many moments of convergence like this for the climate movement, so I think its great. And I dont see the point of throwing stones. The decision was made to have an open call so that any group could endorse the march as long as they abided by certain organizing principles. And so the groups that are drawing attention, some of which Ive gone after in the book, are not the groups who organized it. Theyre just groups that endorsed because, for whatever reason, they thought it would be useful for them. Which I think speaks to more of the strength of this movement, and that everyone wants to be a part of it. But I just think to dismiss all of this incredible organizing in this kind of guilt-by-association way, frankly Im a little offended by that.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 18:18:41 +0000
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