Saving Us From Ourselves: Don't Be A Fanatic

While I think it is about time that, as a country, we begin to seriously consider our consumption and its impact on the Earth, part of the problem I have with the environmental movement as a whole is that some supporters have surpassed a moderate interest and are hovering around in fanatic territory. (You should see some of the outlandish emails I get being on PETA's email list!) When extreme attitudes are expressed in an off-putting way, it does nothing to further the cause and often can serve to scare away people who would be otherwise interested. For instance: there are reports that Woody Harrelson forgot to bring his vegan shoes and belt to Cannes. His assistants could not track down any non-leather alternatives, so he had his shoes and belt flown to France! This is extreme (and extremely ridiculous). When someone becomes so rigid in their beliefs that they have accessories flown halfway around the world, things have gotten out of control. (Note: I will be adding this story to my on-going list of reasons why I believe the Apocalypse is close upon us.)

Moreover, certain environmentalist thinking can be compared to the extremism exhibited in some religions. In an opinion piece called "The Church of Green" in the Los Angeles Times, author Jonah Goldberg equates environmentalism to "nature worship." He states:

Environmentalism's most renewable resources are fear, guilt and moral bullying. Its worldview casts man as a sinful creature who, through the pursuit of forbidden knowledge, abandoned our Edenic past. John Muir, who laid the philosophical foundations of modern environmentalism, described humans as "selfish, conceited creatures." Salvation comes from shedding our sins, rejecting our addictions (to oil, consumerism, etc.) and demonstrating through deeds an all-encompassing love of Mother Earth. Quoth Al Gore: "The climate crisis is not a political issue; it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

Attempting to guilt or shame people into a cause, or behaving yourself in ways that no reasonable person could equate to their own lives does nothing but push people further from the cause. While the opinions expressed weekly in this column are pro-environmental, they stop far short of fanaticism. My third grade teacher taught me that "Too much of anything is no good" and that philosophy applies even when one's aim is to do the right thing by the environment.

Image Credit: Flickr user TheAlieness