Imagine, if this happened to you, what would you think?
There you are chatting to a colleague about this and that and he says smugly “I give a tithe of all I possess to a relief fund for sub-Saharan Africa”. His tone proclaims him to be holier than holy and certainly holier than you, you godless person who should be giving to charity too.
Would you not think, what a (insert swear word of choice here)? Would you not think that this kind of behaviour was entirely socially unacceptable? Unless, your colleague is Bill Gates, in which case, you would, I assume, cut him some slack.
Why then, is it laudable for eco-swots to constantly go on about their eco-virtues? These people are messianic. I realise that they spent a long time wandering in the desert but they’re making up for it now. Who would have thought that the bearded, sandal and sock wearers would inherit the earth (for what it’s worth, of course)? They believe that the issues they raise are the most important thing in the world and, furthermore, you are too stupid to understand them, so they must lead you by their shining example. This is too important an issue not to preach about.
I know lots of people who give to charity, quietly and unostentatiously. They seem to feel no compulsion to set the world to rights by telling everyone else exactly what they should be donating and to whom.  Why do the eco guilt-trip brigade feel that it is only through witnessing and fully, oh yes fully, understanding their peerless behaviour that the rest of us can be brought to our senses? Personally, if I meet someone else who has to tell me why I must recycle for the planet, I intend to invest all our savings in a Hummer (well, given the stock market crash, a small deposit, say a tenner).
Can I be the start of the backlash, please?
For clarification: I do believe it’s good to give charity; I sort my rubbish for recycling; I only drive to work once a week, on other days I sometimes even cycle; I use rechargeable batteries and recycle the old ones; I bring reuseable bags to the supermarket; I try to take the train rather than the plane when I can. I just don’t feel compelled to tell everyone all the time. Though I appreciate I just did.
For further clarification: this probably isn’t relevant for Americans. You could possibly do with some eco voices in the wilderness over there. I would be very happy to export some of our fully-functional European models. This would probably be good for the balance of payments also and world trade would be the overall winner.
Perhaps I should stop while I still can.
Now wait, I’m American and do all the same things you do, except that I do not drive to work at all.
It might just be that I live in the AREN’T WE GREEN? portion of America (the Pacific Northwest) but I’m feeling bludgeoned by this message too. Here, though, it’s advertisers and businesses telling you how environmentally aware they are, and you should be too, and here are some expensive organic hemp shopping bags, please buy them. After living in Germany where it was more a part of daily life, I have the same reaction that you do. I want to go out and burn some plastic milk jugs or something.
I’ve typed a couple of responses, deleted them, typed some more, deleted those. Then remembered some advice I was given:
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”
Kai Thnx Bai.
🙂
The obnoxious acquaintance should read a book I’m reading for review right now, called “The Plague of Good Intentions” by Thomas Epley, about how all the NGOs and funding from World Bank etc for sub-Saharan Africa is basically worse than useless. It’s v well researched and very calmly laid out, not hysterical. Very eye-opening (and depressing).
I couldn’t agree more –
Aargh. Tricky. To defend the eco swots – as I see it, unless we all make a serious effort to reform, we’re all doomed. So simply private virtue is not enough. Hence the preaching – but it’s terribly arrogant to assume that the preachee is not doing as much as the preacher. And rude to boot.
Here in NZ we (me to) happily recycle all the plastics (along with the other stuff). And we’ve just learn’t via a tv doco that all our recycling plastic gets shipped to China!
reminds me of a line from a Flanders and Swann song “All my laundry’s shipped to Cairo……”
Good old clean, green, 100% pure New Zealand. So that’s how they achieve it!
I agree that we could use a little more environmental consciousness here in America. That being said, the Green party gospel comes across as, “Save the trees, save the whales, save everything except the human race. The latter should be eliminated as quickly as possible.” I take that message rather personally.
‘basically worse than useless’ Islaygirl? Let me run that past the folks in Northern Uganda who’ve recently had their hospital water supply fixed or boreholes built..
Damn, this is all I need, another clever, entertaining, well-written blog by someone who by rights should be collapsing in an inarticualte heap at the end of the day but is showing me up by writing like this…
I’ve been trying to formulate a post prompted by some Blog Action Day thing about saying what you’re doing as a blogger to help the disadvantaged and alleviate poverty, esssentially saying that the question really pissed me off, but as that was about 2 weeks ago now, I’ve missed the boat anyway. So I feel your irritation here.
Anyway, I came via Lesley’s at Peregrinations who’s tagged us both. I can see why she spoke so warmly of you!
hello whata wonderful blog i found you looking for stuff on our sons birth defect esophageal atresia and down syndrome and so on. I wish you the best and such a great site you have.
Greetings from Oklahoma. Just dropping by to say I enjoy your blog. Don’t remember how I got to it exactly. Anyway, I do agree to the point that it’s better to do good for the sake of doing the right thing rather to impress others but if on the other hand public recognition and pats on the head are what is required to get one to do the right thing… then so be it. It’s better than than nothing at all.
Anyway, rock on… hope to see a new post soon.
Lizzie –
The book wasn’t saying nothing should be done, but that a great deal of the aid was misdirected, etc.