I'm a thousand percent onboard the desire and intention of combining movements into a synergistic whole which has transformational power. (Power-with, not power-over) And I'm a thousand percent with your perspective, Patrick, in which such synergistic combinations and convergences of movements is what is presently called for.
That said, I believe my diagnosis of why this isn't already occurring in a big way may differ a bit from yours (?). Personally, I think the problem of common visioning is MOSTLY the result of the power structure of mainstream media and education. Media and education shape our culture more than any other factors I can think of -- even as compared with political parties and churches! And what we call "mainstream" media and education have -- as I see it -- been captured by the very same ethos as has captured our governing bodies (parties, institutions).
As I like to say it, "all politics is the politics of an ethos".
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines 'ethos' as "the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution". Ethos, then, is very similar in meaning to the common sense of the word 'ideology,' but there are perhaps important particulars to distinguish these words from one another -- a topic not unworthy of conversation.
Speaking of Merriam-Webster Dictionary ..., that same dictionary defines 'obsolete' as "[a] no longer in use or [b] no longer useful". In my diagnosis of the core problem of our current culture (material, economic, political, social, etc.) our problem is best understood -- primarily -- as one of several layers of obsolescence of type b.
A structure and plan can come later...just housekeeping. What is needed, and what a "movement of movements" lacks is a core philosophy. If this isn't an ecological core that dictates the agenda of the movement, it is just floundering and treading water. It has been tried..and it has always failed. it always will. The only successful movements have been those with a unifying core that shapes and dictates theory and practice. A structure and plan are abstract and arbitrary and can be shaped as people want. The recusal of reform movements from an ecological philosophy and analysis is why we are failing. A proper ecological analysis subsumes all the social and economic issues with which humans are concerned. These issues must be addressed only in the context of ecology and planetary survival and must be shaped and conform to the exigencies of earth's systems and species. If you havent learned this yet, you are just wasting your breath. That's why the green movement/party has failed. You need to read Greta Thunberg and Bill Rees. Your heroes...McKibben, Hedges, Hirsch, etc....are tangential, ineffective and ideologically perverse. They are not leaders and have done little or nothing that has any influence or impact because they
are ideologues , not leaders, and have never addressed the fundamental causes of planetary collapse.
Not sure what you are asking for. I have no copy of the last comments I made so i have to re read your comment and write my comments again. You should warn your readers to keep copies of their comment before they send them or they could be lost. Hope you can get this problem resolved!
Something is wrong with your web site. This is the third time that my comments have not gone through. Unfortunately I did not make a copy of my comments so they are lost. Let me know when you have fixed your problem....LS
No intersectional community, movement or society can reverse our march over the precipice unless it confronts Overshoot and adopts as its central doctrine a biocentric ethic that does not elevate humanity over other species. The heated debate over climate change is a narrow one that only allows discussion about energy policy. Climate change is only one of many factors that have led us to Overshoot; biodiversity loss is another one. Multiple political and social ideologies are battling each other, "ignorant armies clashing by night" and refusing to confront the ultimate cause of planetary collapse. Overpopulation, overconsumption, habitat destruction, ocean fishery collapse, disappearance of insects, permafrost melting....all of these are in Overshoot mode and are not addressed today in discussions except by a handful of scientists and activists. Our media and political institutions have failed us; as Greta Thunberg says, it is only "Blah, blah, blah". We lack principled uncompromising leadership, not appeasement or tinkering at the margins. Without this central comprehensive that our entire society is in terminal death throes barring radical change in human behavior, values and consumption, multifaceted political organizing is just spitting into the wind. (That the US Green Party in which Patrick participated failed to understand this is why they disappeared into oblivion).
I'm a thousand percent onboard the desire and intention of combining movements into a synergistic whole which has transformational power. (Power-with, not power-over) And I'm a thousand percent with your perspective, Patrick, in which such synergistic combinations and convergences of movements is what is presently called for.
That said, I believe my diagnosis of why this isn't already occurring in a big way may differ a bit from yours (?). Personally, I think the problem of common visioning is MOSTLY the result of the power structure of mainstream media and education. Media and education shape our culture more than any other factors I can think of -- even as compared with political parties and churches! And what we call "mainstream" media and education have -- as I see it -- been captured by the very same ethos as has captured our governing bodies (parties, institutions).
As I like to say it, "all politics is the politics of an ethos".
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines 'ethos' as "the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution". Ethos, then, is very similar in meaning to the common sense of the word 'ideology,' but there are perhaps important particulars to distinguish these words from one another -- a topic not unworthy of conversation.
Speaking of Merriam-Webster Dictionary ..., that same dictionary defines 'obsolete' as "[a] no longer in use or [b] no longer useful". In my diagnosis of the core problem of our current culture (material, economic, political, social, etc.) our problem is best understood -- primarily -- as one of several layers of obsolescence of type b.
- continued -
A structure and plan can come later...just housekeeping. What is needed, and what a "movement of movements" lacks is a core philosophy. If this isn't an ecological core that dictates the agenda of the movement, it is just floundering and treading water. It has been tried..and it has always failed. it always will. The only successful movements have been those with a unifying core that shapes and dictates theory and practice. A structure and plan are abstract and arbitrary and can be shaped as people want. The recusal of reform movements from an ecological philosophy and analysis is why we are failing. A proper ecological analysis subsumes all the social and economic issues with which humans are concerned. These issues must be addressed only in the context of ecology and planetary survival and must be shaped and conform to the exigencies of earth's systems and species. If you havent learned this yet, you are just wasting your breath. That's why the green movement/party has failed. You need to read Greta Thunberg and Bill Rees. Your heroes...McKibben, Hedges, Hirsch, etc....are tangential, ineffective and ideologically perverse. They are not leaders and have done little or nothing that has any influence or impact because they
are ideologues , not leaders, and have never addressed the fundamental causes of planetary collapse.
Not sure what you are asking for. I have no copy of the last comments I made so i have to re read your comment and write my comments again. You should warn your readers to keep copies of their comment before they send them or they could be lost. Hope you can get this problem resolved!
Something is wrong with your web site. This is the third time that my comments have not gone through. Unfortunately I did not make a copy of my comments so they are lost. Let me know when you have fixed your problem....LS
No intersectional community, movement or society can reverse our march over the precipice unless it confronts Overshoot and adopts as its central doctrine a biocentric ethic that does not elevate humanity over other species. The heated debate over climate change is a narrow one that only allows discussion about energy policy. Climate change is only one of many factors that have led us to Overshoot; biodiversity loss is another one. Multiple political and social ideologies are battling each other, "ignorant armies clashing by night" and refusing to confront the ultimate cause of planetary collapse. Overpopulation, overconsumption, habitat destruction, ocean fishery collapse, disappearance of insects, permafrost melting....all of these are in Overshoot mode and are not addressed today in discussions except by a handful of scientists and activists. Our media and political institutions have failed us; as Greta Thunberg says, it is only "Blah, blah, blah". We lack principled uncompromising leadership, not appeasement or tinkering at the margins. Without this central comprehensive that our entire society is in terminal death throes barring radical change in human behavior, values and consumption, multifaceted political organizing is just spitting into the wind. (That the US Green Party in which Patrick participated failed to understand this is why they disappeared into oblivion).