“Just Stop Oil”
This has been the trend during the month of October, and who knows how long would it continue to be…
Lots of us understand the dangers of polluting the environment with all kinds of toxins, maybe not all of us but it’s not trivial in the public eye.
We all have some sort of agreement that this is indeed an issue that needs to be addressed, maybe we could argue about its rank in our priorities list, but very few people dismiss it as completely unimportant.
So the question is: Is it really the right approach to raise awareness for your cause by making a mess around the place?
You want attention for your cause, and that’s understandable, but you should earn it, not force it.
Maybe the fossil fuel industry is truly evil, maybe they aim to ruin the planet for generations coming, but is this the right way to combat it?
Why This is the Wrong Approach
It’s understandable that powerful corporations can get corrupt, and when they do they become really ugly monsters that are mainly driven by greed.
But how to combat a monster?
Trying to become the monster isn’t the right tactic, because the resources won’t be available for you to become one.
In his book, David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell describes how gigantic monsters can be defeated and that actually being the underdog is an advantage.
What environmentalists have that fossil fuels advocates don’t is the flexibility and freedom of being lightweight.
Instead of tearing up the public opinion and forcing it into your direction, you should gently sway it by your side.
treat it as a marketing campaign, you can’t force people by law to buy your products, but you could make your products far more appealing than the competitor that the consumers won’t even think of the alternative.
Just imagine for a second being forced to eat veggies instead of independently choosing them, would you enjoy that?
The Right Approach
The right approach to the environmental cause is the right approach for any cause, you have to analyze what truly motivates people, what are they trying to achieve, and what is preventing them from adapting your solutions. Then you should work to build better products, better campaigns, more convincing arguments, and more practical and efficient solutions.
This is how to make people join your team.
By choice, not by force.