Re: <nettime> Wash Post: Greta Thunberg weaponized shame in an era of shamelessness

[Felix Stalder <felix@openflows.com>]

Hi Freddy,

I can assure you that there is a lot of hate towards GT in Europe as
well, so this cannot be a problem attributable to the "American brain".

I think it's an issue of how to deal with the climate crisis.

I see basically three different approaches.

The center left and center right (the old political mainstream) do
acknowledge the problem, but are not willing to do anything substantial
about it. This is, in a way, the paradox of reasonable realism which,
rightly, acknowledges the problem but also difficulty of fundamentally
transforming society. Both things are real, but they add-up to a
terrible political message: we are dying and we will do anything about
it. No wonder the center is evaporating everywhere.

The populist-right is basically rejecting reason and realism, simply
rejecting all evidence, from daily experience and from science. Given
the strength of that experience, and the fact that it is getting
stronger, means that the populist right has reject normal discourse
(which would force them to accept facts) and go for crazy and crazier.
Trump is the perfect example. He did not even accept obvious,
photographic proof that there were fewer people at his inauguration that
at Obama. Why? Because this, not matter how ludicrous, allowed him to
avoid any consequences that would have followed from accept this fact.
GT stands for an attempt to bring facts, science, back into the
political discussion and to demand that consequences are being drawn
from these facts. Shouting at the girl is a way of avoiding entering
into this type of discussion.

Then are two movements that fully acknowledge the the climate crisis AND
are willing to take radical steps.

There is a left-wing movement around the notion the Green New Deal,
which connects the response to the climate crisis with other social
crises, particular that of inequality.

And then there is eco-fascism which connects the climate crisis with
what they perceive as crises of white, patriarchal identity.


I think centrist realism is defeating itself and I wonder how much
craziness people are willing to accept in order to be able to ignore the
obvious. Clearly, quite a lot! But I doubt the climate crisis as reality
can be ignored forever. Which will leave only the last two options on
the table.

Felix




On 26.09.19 17:04, Freddy Spierenburg wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 26, 2019 at 10:48:02AM -0400, tbyfield wrote:
>> Anyone who listens to all of that and immediately wants to
>> punish or attack Thunberg -- they're not having that reaction
>> because they think she's wrong, but rather because, deep down,
>> they fear she is right.
> 
> Does the author truly believe so or hopefully believe so? I
> personally don't know if people are angry because they fear she
> is right. I've more got a feeling that this lengthy 'Wait but
> Why' post explains what is really going on:
> 
> 	https://waitbutwhy.com/2019/09/american-brain.html
> 
> 
> 
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