Being in Discomfort: Blaming, Shaming and Abstaining
How avoidance of difficult feelings helps drive the climate crisis
As a student of Eastern philosophy and psychology, and a wondering sort of person, I’ve been puzzled for years about why we haven’t been able to mobilize people when it comes to the climate crisis. I’ve been following the environmental space for decades and on many occasions thought that events such as the release of the first IPCC report would lead to action. But we didn’t act in any meaningful way, and no matter how dire the warnings, we’re still dragging our feet.
On reflection I think it comes down to the very human tendency to seek pleasure and run away from pain. People really don’t want to be with difficult emotions. Faced with knowledge that is uncomfortable we seem to default to three types of avoidance:
Blaming. We all like to blame other people for our problems, personally and collectively. When our relationships go bad we blame the other. When the economy or politics go bad we look for scapegoats. Emotionally, this resonates with our lizard brains and gets votes. But it’s a disaster for the groups being targeted and society as a whole. The Nazis did it, very successfully, and it looks possible we’re going down that road again with racism, anti-LGBTQIA2S, and misogyny on the rise.
A common argument I hear for not acting is that more populous countries like India and China are responsible for more warming than we are so there’s no point in us doing anything. (I could write a whole column on the moral repugnancy of this argument, but not today). Blaming is a strategy for not taking responsibility for our actions (past and present) and not taking action on things that we could change.
Shaming. Some friends I’ve spoken to about the climate crisis have responded by expressing shame. They say things like, “I fly all the time for work, and I’m a terrible person, but I need to support my family.” Shame is not a useful response because it’s not true (alternatives don’t exist) and it’s paralyzing. Shame leads people to shut down and tune out rather than looking at the myriad ways they could help, like voting for pro-environment policies or supporting grass-roots organizations in their community.
Abstaining. I chose this word because it rhymes with blame and shame, but really what I mean is abdication of responsibility. All kinds of responses fall into this category, but some of the most common are cynicism (“we’re screwed, so I’m just gonna take as much as I can get in the time we have left”); baseless optimism (“technology will solve it, or other people will look after it”); denial (“it’s a conspiracy”); or shut down (“I find it overwhelming so I won’t think about it”). Religious sects that can’t wait for the apocalypse belong in this category as well, but there’s nothing that can be done about them other than hope they get a private one.
All of us use these strategies from time to time, and sometimes we need them in order to cope, but used unconsciously they cause negative repercussions for everyone. Blame leads to irrational anger and persecution of innocent people. Shame leads to depression and inaction, and avoidance (abstaining) is toxic because it takes a lot of energy to repress negative emotions. The strategies we use to not feel, like shopping, addictions, or scrolling through cat videos are the equivalent to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We need constant fixes and end up feeling hollow, while driving the over-consumption that is such a big part of our environmental problems. Meanwhile, the world is burning.
I’m not sure that awareness of these patterns is enough to shift our collective behaviour. If you’d asked me ten years ago if alt-right conspiracy theorists would have the following and power that they do today I’d have laughed. But blame and anger is more emotionally compelling than feeling hard emotions and being accountable for our choices like grown-ups used to do. But underneath that blame and anger emotions like fear, sorrow, and feeling unloved are usually driving the bus.
Environmental action will require some inward reflection and work on our own hearts and minds, as well as cultivating curiosity, creativity and open-mindedness outwardly. We need to help each other process tough emotions if we’re ever going to get anywhere. We can evolve cooperatively, or we can embrace extinction. Ultimately, the choice is ours to make.
Weekly Digest
Art with heart. Did you know the SCGC website has beautiful maps of Lake Simcoe and its watershed for sale? Perfect for cottagers, or for anyone who loves the lake, check them out here. The funds will be used to further our work protecting the nature you love.
Our Margaret Prophet appeared on an episode of TVO’s The Agenda last week. Here’s a link to the discussion about whether Lake Simcoe should be treated as a Great Lake. https://www.tvo.org/video/should-lake-simcoe-be-treated-like-a-great-lake
Public Information Town Halls
Together with the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition and FROGs (Forbid Roads over Greenspaces) we are hosting a series of public town halls on the Bradford Bypass.
Following on the point, above, about how non-profits are filling gaps left by governments, we've done new research, which will be presented at these town halls, showing important information on the public health implications of the highway that was missed by proponents. (This research is embargoed at the moment, but we will be posting it on our website once it becomes available.)
Dates:
June 4, 4 - 6pm, Bradford and District Community Memorial Centre (Auditorium Room) (Google Maps Link)
June 11th, 3 PM – 5 PM. The Link, 20849 Dalton Road, Sutton (Google Maps Link)
June 20th, 6 – 8 PM. Holland Landing Public Library, Trillium Room, 19513 Yonge Street, Holland Landing (Google Maps Link)
Join the Pod
If you care about preserving the environment for future generations, for wildlife, for mental health—for any reason—we need your help. Please consider liking and sharing this post, sign up for our monthly newsletter, join us as a volunteer, or send us a donation. Big or small, anything you can do will be gratefully received.