Extinction Rebellion Founder Interview

[DrewNows]

This is an interesting interview, i sort of enjoyed it. Loved the perspective and understanding presented, touching on spiral dynamics. It seems the Russel Brand viewers in the comment section didn't see it as being a good focus as a movement. I did not know what this movement was so i looked it up, wiki says: "Extinction Rebellion is a global environmental movement with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse."

Oh here's another one i haven't watched: 

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by DrewNows

[SoothedByRain]

Just came here to post her talking about Spiral Dynamics. She speaks as though she is working from above Stage Green as a Spiral Wizard of sorts which is very interesting. I wasn't expecting such when I clicked on the video. She has started a movement based vastly on, or at best, pushing, Green ideals and values in an attempt to move "green people" into action through the necessity of our dire situation.

The question I have is do you all think she is knowingly working with what she has to work with or do you think she has assessed herself higher than her level of development and is pushing at buttons she doesn't understand from a needy egoic place of survival?

You mentioned the youtube comment section. Vastly undeveloped impetuous comments from stage red, blue, orange and maybe green mindsets. Wouldn't pay it much mind. I asked the question above, which in itself is impetuous, because one can't judge her on thats short clip, nor on her stumble of an explanation and sharing of herself in such a short, on camera, live on air, segment. Nonetheless I still wonder what others think? 

Spiral Wizard?! or Survival Hippy!?!

Wonder if she's read David Loys Ecodharma?

I wonder if she has watched Leo's lectures on Love, Fear, Conscious Politics etc etc.

This is the sort of Stage Green that makes up the vast amount of Extinction Rebellion.

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by SoothedByRain

[DrewNows]

On 10/23/2019 at 3:14 AM, SoothedByRain said:

Spiral Wizard?! or Survival Hippy!?!

 

Both haha guess that makes her a surviving spiral hippy wizard 

[Guest]

I'm an extinction rebellion activist. Don't assume that we are a stage green movement just because it's eco activism - extinction rebellion is actually a stage yellow movement, at least in design. It's a decentralised self-organising system that makes decisions in a post-consensus way, is purpose-lead, incorporates systems thinking (the theory includes spiral dynamics itself; we are currently working on projects such as appealing to stage blue people), is post-ideological, using an experimental approach influenced by complexity theory, we want to incorporate everyone's perspectives into the discussion, embracing that diversity, and we attempt to operate from a place of not-knowing, paying attention to feedback as we probe the system. There's a concept of 'regenerative culture' that is based on reintegrating human behaviour into nature's patterns. Those are all stage yellow attributes, right?

XR is not traditional eco activism. It's something new.

[DrewNows]

@Stretch makes sense to me! Thanks for sharing those thoughts 

[andyjohnsonman]

 

[Scholar]

Orange critique:

 

[SoothedByRain]

@Stretch extinction rebellion is actually a stage yellow movement, at least in design

This is what my initial query above was pointing at. One or two or ten people within the whole. Tier 2 of the spiral is less than 1% of the whole. 

I was pleasantly surprised to hear Gail was observing and probing from a "higher" perspective. Thank you for your additional comment. I shall look into Regenerative Culture as I've not heard of it before.

I haven't listened to the whole Russel and Gail podcast the clip was taken from. Plan to do so when free. Since you say you're an "insider" of sorts would you be able to link me to one or two video/lecture/discussions from ERebellion or on Regenrative Culture that you value and feel cuts through the noise please? I'd appreiate such as it would save me hours of wasted time if you have them saved and on hand to share  Failing that, I shall continue to browse on me own.

@DrewNows Haha. Surviving Spiral Hippy Wizard to the rescue!

---

"Some of my kin look just like trees now, and need something great to rouse them; and they speak only in whispers."

"Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut or acorn. They had voices of their own. Saruman! A wizard should know better..."

- Treebeard.

 

---

Edit: Just found this on @Stretch comment history via his/her profile.

Edit 2:

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by SoothedByRain

[Guest]

@SoothedByRain
There are certainly lots of people in XR I'd describe as being more stage green, but nevertheless the way we're operating and the things we're doing are unmistakeably stage yellow. I suspect we're reaching a potential explanatory limitation of spiral dynamics (remember, it's only a model and the reality will be far more complex). Ultimately, it's unimportant - the developments we call 'stage yellow' are being expressed in a significant way through XR, which is a good thing for our species survival as orange is killing us and green is ill-equipped to deal with the systemic complexity of the problem. 

For regenerative culture, look up Daniel Wahl, 8shields, Joanna Macy's 'The Work That Reconnects'. Regenerative culture is a huge scope and can be a bit nebulous (I'm actually currently designing a workshop to help tackle that). On the macro scale it's really about the new paradigm that we will move into if we're to survive (one based on regeneration rather than depletion/ exploitation). It's ultimately about repairing the root problem - the perception of separation. On the micro scale (XR itself as a regenerative culture) it's about working in a regenerative way so we can build a healthy resilient community of activists that can sustain and look after itself long term.

Other useful resources for Extinction Rebellion:
-  brief intro from website which includes our principles, values, demands

https://rebellion.earth/the-truth/about-us/

- roger hallam (co founder) bbc interview   

- I could provide some book titles from the XR reading list if you were interested...

- ... But the best way to learn about it would be to get yourself down to a local meeting and experience it first hand 

With love,

Ross