Purpose of post- to nut out some ways of avoiding one of my facilitating blindspots/weaknesses. I just had a flash, to a truly appalling climate meeting I went to in Stirling (up in the Adelaide Hills) a couple of years ago. We were all sat in a circle – so, there’s no power or control... Continue Reading →
Online meetings about skills and knowledge- some suggestions….
Who has what skills and knowledge in your group? What would happen if one of the person who is in charge of the website, the social media, the dealing with Freedom of Information Act requests died/left town/turned out to have been a cop all along? What would it do to the ability of the group... Continue Reading →
Who has/wants what skills and knowledge? An online workshop.
Last week I was invited to do a workshop with the South Australian branch of Citizens Climate Lobby. This blog post goes into some of the detail (tmi, in fact). I wrote it so I'd have something to refer to if/when I get the opportunity to do more, and as a way of forcing myself... Continue Reading →
Debate speech: XR has done more harm than good
Here's the text I prepared and delivered for what was, in the end, a deeply unsatisfactory debate held recently. I am Dr Marc Hudson. Speaking as editor of Manchester Climate Monthly, I put the case “that Extinction Rebellion has done more harm than good to the movement towards climate action.” I will stick to XR... Continue Reading →
The Age of Consequences – of lies, comforting myths and what is (still) to be done
"We" are in the early years of the age of consequences now. Other species have been living with the consequences of our depravity for hella long time. Our own species has been pretty grotesque to its own members for millennia, with that getting dialled up to eleven after European "explorers" and adventurers took their guns,... Continue Reading →
Eight top tips for how to destroy your group’s morale
State budgets are going to take a massive hit thanks to Covid. Education? Kids can watch youtube, that'll do! Health budgets? It starts with one nurse between two, it ends up suicide pills a la On The Beach. With regards to what used to be called, unironically “Public Safety” well, while there’ll always be money... Continue Reading →
Guest post: In (partial) defence of Extinction Rebellion
A few days ago I published something under the title "XR- useful, useless or worse than useless?" Given that I wrote it, there were of course no tpyos, no sweeping generalisations and no inflammatory denunciations whatsoever.Someone I know slightly kindly wrote an email, and I encouraged them to turn it into a longer comment. Originally... Continue Reading →
Losing friends and failing to influence people #392: “Activism as a Ponzi scheme”
Here’s another post destined to lose me friends/supporters/followers/ears. Perhaps. (IDGAF) It came to me recently, at a [description removed on advice of career coach]. Most of the “activism” I see is a Ponzi Scheme. In case you don’t know it, a Ponzi scheme is named after an Italian conman, Ponzi. He advertised a glorious future... Continue Reading →
Worse-than-useless documentaries about “activism” – the why, the how, the what instead
We are allowing ourselves to brightside ourselves. FFS This is no better than the fucking gaslighting by those who would have us sleep through the apocalpyse. [Sweariness warning. I am trying to be more Omar - not the killing people bit, but the not cussing. Today, I'm failing. If that means you can't fucking share... Continue Reading →
After the Goldrush: 11 theses (and 15 songs) about Extinction Rebellion and “what next?” #oldfartclimateadvice
Preamble The numbers tell the story, or a story. The numbers attending the latest Extinction Rebellion rebellion were far lower than a) last years two efforts and b) their private hopes. The emissions reductions are far higher than we would have thought this time last year, but that’s a) not enough to hit this year’s target... Continue Reading →
marchudson.net 