For most of us, climate activists throwing soup at the Mona Lisa and gluing themselves to art only makes environmentalists look unhinged and hysterical. They are doing for the environment what PETA did to animal rights . . . alienating millions while reducing science to the level of graffiti. However, in an LA Times opinion piece, USC professor Shannon Gibson has praised this in-your-face activism as a positive force in prompting a broader dialogue.
Dr. Gibson teaches environmental studies in the College of Letters, Arts, and Science. Here bio states that “as a participant-action researcher she focuses on the role of disruptive politics and social movements in climate and health governance.”
A column in “The Conversation ” Gibson says that all of the vandalism is a good thing in “deliberately shocking” the world into a new reality:
“By combining radical forms of civil disobedience with more mainstream actions, such as lobbying and state-sanctioned demonstrations, activists not only grab the public’s attention, they make less aggressive tactics more acceptable and possibly more successful.”
She added that
“in meetings with global activists in recent weeks, my colleagues and I have noticed their emphasis shifting away from government policy fights to battles in the streets, political arenas and courtrooms. The lines between reformists and radicals, and between global and grassroots mobilizers, are blurring, and a new sense of engagement is taking root.”
Gibson insists that this “radical flank effect” is produced by “in-your-face activism” and support for more “moderate action.”
The other possibility is that it paints the entire climate change movement as a bunch of batty activists gone berserk.
However, Gibson insists that “protesters’ perceived madness is indeed method.”
Of course, it may not be perception but actual madness.
Yet, it appears a mad method that is taking hold of academia. Georgetown Law Professor Josh Chafetz declared that “when the mob is right, some (but not all!) more aggressive tactics are justified.”
The mob has become the measure for righteous rage for many in higher education. Vandalism and attacking art has now become part of what is portrayed as a healthy and productive dialogue.
When the mob is right …
In other words, left-wing protesters are fine no matter what they do, but any non-left-wing protesters are not allowed to use the same tactics.
That would be an insurrection.
”Georgetown Law Professor Josh Chafetz declared that “when the mob is right, some (but not all!) more aggressive tactics are justified.”
Will the professor be as understanding when the mob of sound mind take his advice and begin to return the favors?
These idiots are just being used by the CCP to harm the West’s energy production. Notice that they are so desperate to end the “violence against the planet” but they never say a word against China and their continued building of coal plants???
These leftist USEFUL IDIOTS are no different then the USEFUL IDIOTS in the 80s that demanded, demanded, that the US not build nukes, not use nuclear power and definitely not put missiles into Europe. Of course they didn’t say a word about Soviet missiles, just Nato missiles. When Reagan didn’t cave guess what happened…we negotiated that BOTH sides remove the missiles. If it was up to the USEFUL IDIOTS it would have been just the West that removed them.
These young idiots that are attacking art and traffic are just USEFUL IDIOTS that are being used by the Professors and the anti-American left, along with the CCP to weaken our country.
PS. I wish someone would ask the professor cited above if she believes that the pro-lifers that protest at Planned Parenthood are succeeding in moving the window and therefore just being effective. Or is it just left wing protests that are fine. Remember that J6 is the end of the world but when protestors attacked the WH, injured many, many SS Agents, forced a president to head into a bunker and burned a church across the street it was all fine.
Good point. Back in the 90s operation rescue was a thing. Their tactic was to block abortion clinic doors. The immediate purpose was, not so much to shock anyone (they did that with pictures of aborted babies), but to save lives that day, and there were testimonies by moms who had babies that would have been aborted but for OR’s actions on a specific day.
Joe Biden was one of those useful idiots in the ’80’s you refer to.
What makes you so certain it’s the CCP? I think it’s more likely Spectre… I mean the WEF. They want to return to feudalism and convincing idiots to destroy Western Civilization by, on the one hand, encouraging violent “activism” and, on the other, convincing the unwashed morons of the masses that violent “activism” is a good thing because it makes peaceful “activism” seem level headed is the way to convince a civilization to suicide itself. Seems to be working.
OT … Scotus arguments on the Trump ballot issue are set for this Thursday.
No soup for you, gibson! NEXT!
There is a video of a bunch of these loons trying to block traffic. The people get fed up with them and start dragging them off the road. One women grabs one of the idiots by the hair and drags her away.
It was awesome to see!
It’s one thing to shock people in a political cause by making them aware of shocking facts (e.g., 19th century abolitionists showed people the whip-scarred backs of escaped slaves). It’s quite another to shock people by defacing priceless art or causing hours-long traffic jams which block ambulances and have other negative societal effects but add no new information to the debate.
Infantile acts by programmed morons – this has been haunting the environmental movements since, at least, the late 1980s. Earthfirst single-handedly set the environmental discussion back decades. Looks like the dunning-kruger crowd has one of their own at USC teaching people that being an idiot is valuable – it is what the left does, on all levels because that is easier than actually understanding and solving problems (and most importantly – easily corruptible).
Eric Hoffer predicted that the great expansion of higher education in the 1950’s would introduce mass behavior, i.e. anti-intellectualism, mob behavior, into American colleges. He has been proven correct.
Serious censorship happening AGAIN in Turleyville. Whether it’s Turley’s webmaster or WordPress doing the censoring is anyone’s guess. Nonetheless it’s long past time that Turley dump WordPress and move to Substack, where both authors and commenters appear to have a shitload more free speech.
Not certain that it’s deliberate censorship, but WordPress definitely has a sh*tload of annoying quirks, which I have also observed in blogs other than Turley’s.
There is a substantial number of “adults” today who effing *belong* in diapers (and I’m not thinking of age-related incontinence, either)
That is the most over-riding and overwhelming stupidity of these woke ninnies. They are apparently blissfully ignorant that the political wheel inevitably will turn, and when it does, most or all of the unconstitutional, illegal, immoral, and unethical tactics that they now employ to attack their opponents will be (re)directed at them. Since I pride myself on acting on principle, I will also protest those tactics in that situation. But at a much lower volume…
Or just tell him “I agree” right before you punch him in the mouth…
My favorite quip from this event: Mona Lisa was protected by glass…made by the Koch Industries.
“In your face activism.” Ok that was a good one, I admit it. So I think the really interesting point here is that there is no objective standard by which the human race has progressed from 1503, when Leonardo da Vinci, who wasn’t even mainly a painter, took a few minutes off from inventing the airplane to bang out what is possibly the most iconic piece of artwork ever made, to 2023, when people express themselves by throwing soup at said piece of artwork. Meanwhile a new “diaper spa” has opened somewhere in New England where adults can, for 300 dollars an hour, run around in diapers. We are regressing. Darwin was wrong. In the immortal words of since-cancelled YouTube icon Pewdie Pie: “Humanity was a mistake.”
That’s crazy Boston. You know, the ones that are asking citizens to take in the illegal invaders that Joe Biden invited?? https://diaperspa.com/faq
In the video, the climate activist goes from saying we need to save the planet to complaining about the cost of fuel. Does she not understand that climate activists are the reason fuel is so expensive? Coal is cheap, and they have demonized it.
“. . . complaining about the cost of fuel.”
And use soup cans — made with oil. Wear plastic glasses and clothing — made with oil. Use glue — that’s manufactured with oil. Eat food — made possible by oil. Use smartphones — that are impossible without fossil fuels. Fly on private planes . . .
Consistency is not their strong suit.
“disruptive politics” = Brownshirts (or is it Greenshirts?)
Once again, no: the first impeachment was about Trump illegally withholding military aid from Ukraine to extort them into announcing that they were investigating Biden.
Leftist law Professors are getting on board with calls for ” second amendment solutions” .
Seriously . How can a trained legal mind. with decades of experience, condone these acts. Its the same idiocy that gave a green light to the 2020 summer of love.
The flip side is keeping their mouth shut when:
the FBI
Targets Parents attending school board meetings
Use confidential Human sources to spy on Catholic Church
Target Protestors at abortion clinics, and ignore pro abortion violence
The point is. Violence is encouraged depending on your politics.
The question becomes, when the levers of power are in different hands, will the same acceptance be practiced.
They intentionally and voluntarily chose to Super Glue their hands to the wall. Let them figure out how to free themselves.
“Let them figure out how to free themselves.”
Well, they’d have to use a solvent — made with fossil fuels. As the glue is.
RE:”Georgetown Law Professor Josh Chafetz declared that “when the mob is right, some (but not all!) more aggressive tactics are justified.” Should you happen to run into him at GW, figuratively that is, ask him at what aggressive tactics directed at him personally would be justified. One of your contributors would like to know, in that his sort always have the answers for everyone else but themselves.
I was thinking the same thing. Let’s see how this professor would react if a group of angry students intimidated her in her classroom, parking lot, any place expressing displeasure with her views. I guarantee it would not be positive
Throw red paint on his car. He thinks it is okay..so let him see how okay it is.
Those who can….do. Those who can’t….teach. Those who can’t teach…..teach teachers.
Another AWFL = Aflluent White Female Liberal
+100
Why don’t they do this to crappy art?
“…climate activists throwing soup at the Mona Lisa…Professor Shannon Gibson has praised this…”
~+~
Gibson Hurl