Originally published at: Climate activists clash with angry commuters by blocking a street in Washington, DC | Boing Boing
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I thought perhaps it happened this morning - it’s the first day of school in DC 
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That really got people to change their minds! [the activists said, enjoying the privilege of not having to do an objectively unpleasant rush-hour car commute to earn their own livings or take the kids to school.]
I wonder if the protest action delayed emergency vehicles like ambulances or fire trucks?
I wonder if any of the protesters gave even a moment’s thought to that possibility. Which is amazing, considering how many of them were over age 50.
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Christ, I hate these stories. These types of activities do nothing to change hearts and minds, and almost seem designed to be as counter productive as possible.
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Let’s keep a whole bunch of gas vehicles idling far longer than they should be. That’ll help the environment!
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I always suspect that these kinds of protests are black ops by the fossil-fuel industry. Not only do they bring disrepute to serious climate emergency activists, but they re-inforce the industry’s BS concept that it’s individuals going about their everyday lives that are the main causes of the crisis.
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Me, too.
I appreciate direct action, but these activists are targeting people potentially way below them on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, asking them to act on stuff that is maybe not within their current ability to act on safely.
It’s like picking on people for using a plastic straw instead of the infrastructure that brought that straw into our everyday life in the first place.
It’s a bummer.
Dude, @gracchus , is that my second jinx today? I might just go for the hat trick at this point, or double it for a six pack.
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We have entire communities burning to the ground, cities having a month of temps over 110, heat domes… this is an emergency. People can maybe be inconvenienced on their morning commute to be reminded that we’re killing ourselves…
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Did you know that inconveniencing just one subway train is the equivalent of inconveniencing almost 250 cars?
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“I also wonder if the protesters intend to never again ride in a gas-burning vehicle?”
Yeah, how dare people who care about the environment not be perfect, and how dare they burn one ounce of gasoline… If you aren’t living a monk’s life off grid with no heat or electricity, you have no right to protest the destruction of our environment!
/s
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my only thought was that because it took place in dc, they were trying to get the politicians to notice. so maybe their target was “washington” rather than the future douglass commonwealth
there is something to protests which disrupt profit or politics - although it’s hard to say exactly if it’s the best tactic in this situation. people were certainly stopping traffic and blocking highways during black lives matter protests
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DC has a public transit system, so a carless existence is possible, and possibly less aggravating. The railcars close early so they can maintain track, though.
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I dunno, man. Maybe block the politicians and CEOs, the people who actually have power to DO SOMETHING, from exiting their driveways or gated community or something.
These people (or most of them) don’t have any power or control over that. They barely have some control over their own lives. Most of them are just trying to get to work so they can continue to eek our their existence.
YMMV
My work is pretty flexible, but if I was an hour late because of an accident or a protest, then I’d either had to take PTO or work late. Not everyone has as of accommodating of work place.
Also, evidently there was a similar protest blocking the road to burning man, and they were asking for a ban on single use plastics. Seeing as a lot of tech CEOs attend this purely elective event, it makes more sense to me.
Of course a cop ran through their roadblock and whipped out his gun to arrest people. 
I honestly don’t think they give a fuck if it inconveniences other people. “Oh no, they blocked the road. Sucks to be poor.”
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These people believe we should improve society somewhat…and yet they participate in society? Curious.
There are things to criticize here, but that they may not be able to exempt themselves from the car-centric construction of cities that is helping destroy the world is not one of them. They’re right on that, people should care a thousand times more.
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Sure, but it does seem to be targeting the wrong people.
And as an aside, whenever we’re talking dietary choices, and posters mention how damaging factory farmed meat and such is, there’s a reasonable push-back about seemingly picking on people for living within their economic means if that means buying meat or produce that’s not organic or local.
To me, this protest seems similar, they’re shaming random commuters, people getting to work after dropping their kids off, as if they’re the problem.
Yeah, that’s just silly. We all live within our society. The Good Place did a great job addressing this.
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… people always say this, but there are never any examples — “this is the ambulance that was delayed, this is the patient who died”
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and it certainly doesn’t stop companies from dumping their driverless cars onto san francisco streets despite hundreds of documented examples of emergency vehicles being blocked
perhaps neither is good, but at least a protest is a one time event not an ongoing corporation induced nightmare
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I’m dying in a stranded ambulance RIGHT NOW 
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on the bright side, sounds like you won’t have to worry about the wait for very long…
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