What does it say about the utter impotence of our mainstream democratic institutions that the demographic leading the charge to save our own habitat from destruction is one that doesn’t even have representation? Democracy isn’t a vote, it’s a struggle. It’s giving a damn.
Are you surprised that they are immune to your bullshit? That they are afraid of and anxious about what is truly worthy of fear and anxiety instead of what you need them to fear so you can perpetuate your corrupt and reeking power hierarchies?
Children are our future not because one day they will grow up but precisely because they aren’t grown ups. Precisely because you haven’t yet had a chance to indoctrinate them with your bullshit and break their spirits. Our future depends on them not becoming “grown ups” like us.
politics
@aral IMO the future depends on them voting, and realising the power they could have. That's one of the biggest struggles. There's currently a correlation between age and likelihood to vote that skews the whole of politics in favour of older voters.
politics
@rosjackson Indeed, within our current, corrupt, centralised, hierarchical political structures, the vote is hugely important. What percentage of your agency on issues filters through that is debatable and changeable depending on the specifics of the country/supranational entity we’re considering. But let’s also start planning for and building infrastructure to enable non-hierarchical politics to decentralise power and increase individual agency in the political process.
@aral one of my favourite teachers told me something that stuck to me: since they haven't internalized that much prejudice, kids are remarkably good at what we call critical thinking, except it's not critical for them, it's just thinking. It's unfortunate that they're usually pretty silly, so we often go like awww, that's so cute, instead of huh, that kid is kindda right...
@aral I am fascinated by the ideas behind Democratic Schools (the Sudbury model), which is so elegantly described in the book "Free to Learn" by psychology professor Peter Grey. I have feeling you would like it 🙂 http://www.freetolearnbook.com/
@rsolva Will check it out, thanks, Ruben :)
@aral If you want to get a taste of the concept before reading the book; here is a 15 minute TEDx-version you can check out next time you feel like procrastinating: https://hooktube.com/watch?v=E6wlTtQBlhI
Bonus lecture containing a slightly more academic angle on the topic: https://hooktube.com/watch?v=kKg6aCFXnak
(Hooktube is, if you do not already know, a way to watch YT-movies without tracking).
@aral You think kids 'discovered' and 'proved' climate change all by themselves? Or have they been indoctrinated into it by the endless promotion of it by 'vested interests'?
@pperrin Does my reasonable belief that gravity exists depend on having answers to those first two questions? Do you require this level of rigor of everyone who believes in the scientific consensus on any subject?
@valrus It is up to you what you believe - but it is wise to recognise the difference between knowing something, believing something or just accepting something. Even more so when you are commenting on what you think other people (kids) should believe.
@pperrin my dude, that is precisely and unambiguously what you were doing in your comment I originally responded to. Bye.
@valrus I asked a question... you made a statement... bye.
You got the long end of the environmental stick, and you have the gall to berate the ones who got the short end...
@hypolite every doomsday cult has had its acolytes. Funny that this one made predictions, all of which proved wrong, so new projections are set way, way in the future... and changed it's name over and over. What is it this week? Extreme weather?
@hypolite 😂😂😂 what a friendly lot the mastodon people are - ha ha ha...😂😂😂-- your attitude is likely to encourage people to ensure you have no where to live 😂😂😂
@hypolite now go and play nicely with the other little children, we grown ups have things to do...
@aral You mean how long has a vested interest in the way things are altered how we effect positive change? :P
@aral We gotta start somewhere, and it takes someone saying something longform for someone to shorten it. i kinda have a vested interest in the question, so that's a shortcut.
@AraneaeDiscordia @aral climate change promotion is just another vested interest. Partly different vested interests, but the really powerful back every horse, so will win either way (a balanced portfolio).
The only 'solution' is to stop stealing peoples earnings then there is no tax pot to be raided by anyone, and then people can decide for themselves how to use what they create.
@pperrin @aral yes and no? Making sure the climate is livable is not the same thing as making one's mortage. If you think taxation is theft, you're not paying attention. Look at the culture of corporate spending; how they use their money, what their goals are. They got that lack of taxation here in America. What did they do with it?
@AraneaeDiscordia @aral Making people poor does not improve their lives, it makes their lives shorter.
But in the past we didn't see the kinds of numbers of protesters which occurred yesterday and so there is perhaps more of a chance that things might improve, if only because in future there will be fewer adults believing that global warming is a hoax. Also the emphasis on rebellion, with the children ignoring the street barriers they were supposed to obediently march along is a hopeful sign.
Then again, is it surprising? Kids have nothing to lose. You haven’t managed to shackle them yet with your student loans, your rat races, your myths about professionalism; your manufactured fears and anxieties about managing to subsist in your inequitable societies.