Another painting that protesters didn’t damage. Image of The Nightwatch from Wikipedia.

Policymakers don’t listen to the scientists. They willfully take money from oil lobbyists and green light the destruction of the Earth’s climate. They do this year after year, with very little interference.

But in recent years, a few nuisances appeared: Groups like Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion. These groups had the temerity to take the climate scientists seriously about the severity of the crisis that is unfolding before our eyes. They had the nerve to actually upset the apple cart and annoy the status quo.

OMFG. Some of them glued themselves to banks or put paint on the glass protecting famous paintings. Fortunately, none of these tactics worked. The media (and the dutifully obedient public) focused on the (undamaged..shhh!) paintings and the inconveniences these actions caused. These actions failed to increase concern about or spur meaningful action on the climate crisis.

Well, the climate movement has reformed and promised to not bother anyone or get in the way or cause inconveniences. In a new kind of protest, under the auspices of Extinction Rebellion, a small group of children in a museum unraveled a banner protesting the damage to the climate that will make their adult lives a living hell. “Rise up faster than the sea” were the stirring words on this banner, words that few will ever see or know about.

As far as I can tell, this protest was covered in only two news outlets— and neither of them publish in English. Here’s a link to one of the articles, translated using Google Translate from the German.

The 10 young people, aged 15 to 22 were escorted out of the museum. Isn’t that nice?

So, reduced to these kinds of actions, would activists have been able to empower women to vote? Would these kinds of protests have ended segregation? Would these kinds of protests have achieved anything at all?

Is this all we are willing to do to stop the destruction of the climate, the collapse of civilization and the deaths of untold millions?

Or can we do better?