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DARK_HOPE

                                                   September 10, 2004

Rebecca Solnit, author of
"Hope in the Dark", has a             (The number of books published
rap about "post-                      with "Hope" in the title
oppositional politics"                should probably be tracked
that has some appeal.                 as a social indicator.)

Part of the rap is that you
shouldn't get discouraged
because you can never tell       A small demonstration that
what effect your actions are     seems pointless can
going to have.                   influence one person who
                                 has some influence, to do
                                 something years later...

                                                       (Her example is Doctor
"You can't tell what the effects of your actions       Spock, who was inspired
are, and that's a reason to act, not to not act."      to come out against the
                                                       Vietnam War years
                                                       later by his memory of
    The problem with this:                             a handful of dispirited
    how do you know that your                          demonstrators hanging
    actions aren't counter-                            around in the rain.)
    productive?

                                   TREED
         My favorite example:
         the anti-nuclear power
         movement of the 70s.

         Intended to promote
         clean, renewable energy
         sources like solar or          Even if you don't
         wind, it's actual effect       buy anthropogenic      NUKE
         was to promote coal power.     global warming, coal
                                        is the dirtiest of
                                        available power
                                        sources.  If you do,
                                        it gets even worse...


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