I wouldn't advise any sort of illegal direct action on teh intarwebs, especially in an unlocked post. (ELF, if they do exist, can use their imaginations.)
The problem with a lot of these actions -- legal or otherwise -- is that they're still largely symbolic. When Julia Butterfly hung out in a tree, she didn't stop clearcutting. The forest was clearcut, but her particular tree and a few others were saved. That's not very useful. Contrast that sort of action with, say, Chico Mendes' campaigns in the Amazon, which was all about making workers realize that they had a stake in protecting the environment and in using resources sustainably. It's a harder, longer, and less dramatic fight, but it's ultimately more significant and effective.
Focusing on one yuppie's SUV might be cathartic, but even if it's destroyed, it doesn't change the car-centred outlook of North Americans or the poor urban design of North American cities that forces those outside of the downtown core to drive.
Anyway, as I said earlier, I very much admire the efforts of Judi Bari and of groups that have addressed issues of environmental sustainability rather than establishing a human vs. nature dichotomy, which often becomes an even more pernicious worker vs. environment dynamic. Look at how many environmentalist groups have been infiltrated by the far-right, for example, or that have adopted anti-immigrant stances. I wouldn't advise ELF on what they should do because I wouldn't join ELF in the first place, but they could start by asking themselves what it is that they actually hope to accomplish.
no subject
The problem with a lot of these actions -- legal or otherwise -- is that they're still largely symbolic. When Julia Butterfly hung out in a tree, she didn't stop clearcutting. The forest was clearcut, but her particular tree and a few others were saved. That's not very useful. Contrast that sort of action with, say, Chico Mendes' campaigns in the Amazon, which was all about making workers realize that they had a stake in protecting the environment and in using resources sustainably. It's a harder, longer, and less dramatic fight, but it's ultimately more significant and effective.
Focusing on one yuppie's SUV might be cathartic, but even if it's destroyed, it doesn't change the car-centred outlook of North Americans or the poor urban design of North American cities that forces those outside of the downtown core to drive.
Anyway, as I said earlier, I very much admire the efforts of Judi Bari and of groups that have addressed issues of environmental sustainability rather than establishing a human vs. nature dichotomy, which often becomes an even more pernicious worker vs. environment dynamic. Look at how many environmentalist groups have been infiltrated by the far-right, for example, or that have adopted anti-immigrant stances. I wouldn't advise ELF on what they should do because I wouldn't join ELF in the first place, but they could start by asking themselves what it is that they actually hope to accomplish.