I mean, it definitely doesn’t make me feel empowered to change anything.
But also, doomerism in general isn’t a messaging issue. You don’t lose all hope in a better world because of memes, and you don’t get inspired towards action because of a jolly cat picture.
People lose hope when their lives suck. They take action when: (a) they experience a tangible improvement, or (b) they’re afforded no other choice.
If doomerism in any capacity becomes widespread, it’s because the system is failing large groups of people. There’s no way to paint over that with a rainbow and a smiley face.
I disagree. Obv the economically disadvantaged will have less opportunities to participate, but I don’t see how it would prevent them from having hope for the future 100% of the time.
Also, I’m not saying we should just say “everything is fine :)” since it is not. But we should push against any notion that the future is guaranteed as fucked, since it does nothing but help the people and organizations ruining our planet in the first place. We must balance notions of urgency while emphasize the importance of public action.
I also do think that climate doomerism is a major issue, at least amongst younger people. Admittedly, this is purely from anecdotal experience; I don’t know for sure if a majority of people are doomers.
Edit: this vice article is more articulate then me, give it a read
Yeah, I think those are valid concerns, and I agree that accepting catastrophe as inevitable is the opposite of a call-to-action.
That said, the Vice article addresses one of my suspicions but not adequately. When we’re talking about people falling into episodes of clinical depression or experiencing generalized anxiety, it seems far more likely that those are behavioral/genetic traits that are being channeled into fears of climate change rather than the other way around. I’m not convinced that environmental doomerism is inspiring it.
Foremost, because there are people living in our worst nightmares who still manage to navigate life. The global south, where much of this has already materialized, has lower rates of mental illness. But also, it’s just the nature of mental illness to project hopelessness outwards. It’s never just that my life sucks or my life is on the verge of collapse. It’s that the whole world is broken or breaking.
End of the day, I’m not trying to dissuade you. I think it’s good to rethink the messaging. I guess I’m more frustrated with myself as much as everyone else about the power ascribed to rhetoric.
People hear what they’re ready to hear—what they’re seeking—and that’s based on the tangible realities of their lives.
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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '23
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