Written by Brett McGuire
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16 October 2010
I would make a really lousy cheerleader. Ask anyone who knows me well.
Last Sunday, or 10/10/10, saw the culmination of a year’s work to raise consciousness around the growing threat of climate change, and to persuade individuals to get involved and help reverse some of the damage. Envisioned by environmental author Bill McKibben’s group 350.org, the event was dubbed a Global Work Party, and by just about any measure it was a rousing success. However, I refer you to my first sentence above when I tell you I am about to poop on your party.
The success or failure of an event, like anything else, depends upon one’s perspective. Bearing this in mind, I should make clear, first and foremost, that the efforts of everyone who volunteers at Hayes Valley Farm, as well as every single person who found themselves part of the organizing efforts on behalf of the Global Work Party, were among the most heroic I have seen in years. There were over 7,000 (yes, that is seven thousand) events taking place in over 180 countries across the globe. In fact, Democracy Now! noted that the events of the day had been described as the largest single organized event on behalf of climate change action in history! The problem I have is that Democracy Now! is an independent news broadcast and, though they are my personal favorite source of information, their reach remains somewhat limited. Looking elsewhere, that is to say, in the corporate media, I would describe coverage of the event as deficient at best. For the sake of clarity, I will rephrase in case it has not sunk in yet. The largest single organized event on behalf of climate change action in history, taking a year to coordinate, went largely unreported by those agencies entrusted to keep us informed about our communities and our planet. One can only assume that it must be more important to try and sell you another car or a box of Tide.
See. Not a cheerleader.
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