They conducted six surveys, four in the United States, in which they interviewed 5157 participants, and two in Denmark, with 1336. They identified those who are “drawn to chaos” through their affirmative responses to the following statements:
- I fantasize about a natural disaster wiping out most of humanity such that a small group of people can start all over.
- I think society should be burned to the ground.
- When I think about our political and social institutions, I cannot help thinking “just let them all burn.”
- We cannot fix the problems in our social institutions, we need to tear them down and start over.
- Sometimes I just feel like destroying beautiful things.
The interesting thing here is the first bullet point. As a matter of intellectual honesty as it relates to my current pessimism, I am always trying to assess whether or not I suffer from the same psychological affliction. Some deep and poorly understood need for chaos. I completely agree with the notion that most people who are "prepping" for the end of the world would fit a psychological profile with which I would prefer not to be associated. I certainly would answer questions 2-5 in the negative.
What is the difference between fantasizing and simply being worried about it? I think it goes back to action. The individual choices that we make are important, but collective action is far more so. To quote D.W.W. in the Times:
"...conscious consumption is a cop-out, a neoliberal diversion from collective action, which is what is necessary. People should try to live by their own values, about climate as with everything else, but the effects of individual lifestyle choices are ultimately trivial compared with what politics can achieve.
Buying an electric car is a drop in the bucket compared with raising fuel-efficiency standards sharply. Conscientiously flying less is a lot easier if there’s more high-speed rail around. And if I eat fewer hamburgers a year, so what? But if cattle farmers were required to feed their cattle seaweed, which might reduce methane emissions by nearly 60 percent according to one study, that would make an enormous difference."
Just because the effects are trivial, does not mean that they don't matter however. It's best not to be a hypocrite, methinks. Also, I think neoliberal has become the hot new pejorative buzz word on the left, and it's annoying. The implication above is that if you're an average Joe or Maria and you're feeling quite helpless about what you can do in the face of a potential climate emergency and you buy a Prius, you're somehow part of a Hillary Clinton, deep state, complacency apparatus. Poppycock. I think you should buy a Prius, and then make it clear that any candidate for political office shan't get your vote unless they take the problem seriously.
Although, to be fair, I think he might be saying it's a cop-out on the part of politicians when they call on individuals to be conscious of their consumption. Still, statements like that promote nihilism among everyday consumers in my opinion.
Although, to be fair, I think he might be saying it's a cop-out on the part of politicians when they call on individuals to be conscious of their consumption. Still, statements like that promote nihilism among everyday consumers in my opinion.
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