ONCE UPON A TIME THE YEAR BEFORE GRETA THUNBERG WAS BORN
In exposing the social roots of scientific ideas, Gould followed in the footsteps of one of his intellectual heroes, Frederick Engels--Karl Marx's close collaborator. Gould praised Engels' 1876 pamphlet The Part Played by Labor in the Transition from Ape to Man. In it, Engels correctly rejected the claim that "our evolution was propelled by an enlarging brain" and offered a "perceptive analysis of the political role of science and of the social biases that must affect all thought."
April 2019
Dear Extinction Rebels, Affinity Groups and Local XR Chapters of the world,
Aims of the action:
Busy central areas in cities: town squares, statues, pedestrian areas
Locations with iconic backdrops for dramatic/symbolic effect, e.g. Eiffel Tower in background, London phonebooths, tourist hotspots, statues (make careful choices) Government buildings
HQs of organisations we want to galvanise support from (Greenpeace, WWF, Amnesty) HQs of corporations we criticise e.g. BBC, Cuadrilla, biased media
Companies linked to fossil fuel industry and fracking e.g. HSBC, Barclays
On the floor in a place where lots of people get an aerial viewpoint e.g. a square surrounded by skyscrapers
Places people are queueing/slowed down and have time to read your message Places with high pollution levels/ecocide
Replacing ferry flags Billboards/ temporary walls of construction sites (poster designs together)
Localised designs - mention the specific borough/neighborhood Give artwork to Tate Modern/museums/art galleries
Non-violent communication: Flyer at locations that are going to be targeted on 15th April (go softly, we want people in these areas on-side)
Remember: You don’t have to flypost, you can ask to put things up on school/university noticeboards, in windows of cafes, on flyer tables
[ ALL TEXT COLORS GUARANTEED REAL ]
A scientist of the people
PHIL GASPER describes the contributions of Marxist biologist Stephen Jay Gould.
BIOLOGIST STEPHEN Jay Gould ...was one of the most influential evolutionary theorists of his generation... His monthly column, "This View of Life," ran for 300 consecutive issues in Natural History magazine from 1974 to 2001.
Gould's parents were New York leftists, and he once boasted that he had "learned his Marxism, literally at my daddy's knee."
... in 1971, Gould joined a Students for a Democratic Society march to support the uprising. [and] Science for the People, one of the radical science organizations that emerged from the antiwar movement.
PHIL GASPER describes the contributions of Marxist biologist Stephen Jay Gould.
BIOLOGIST STEPHEN Jay Gould ...was one of the most influential evolutionary theorists of his generation... His monthly column, "This View of Life," ran for 300 consecutive issues in Natural History magazine from 1974 to 2001.
Gould's parents were New York leftists, and he once boasted that he had "learned his Marxism, literally at my daddy's knee."
... in 1971, Gould joined a Students for a Democratic Society march to support the uprising. [and] Science for the People, one of the radical science organizations that emerged from the antiwar movement.
Later, Gould was on the advisory boards of the journal Rethinking Marxism and the Brecht Forum... dedicated to using "Marx's uniquely valuable contributions…to study conditions today and possibilities for transcending capitalism and building an emancipatory society."...
In exposing the social roots of scientific ideas, Gould followed in the footsteps of one of his intellectual heroes, Frederick Engels--Karl Marx's close collaborator. Gould praised Engels' 1876 pamphlet The Part Played by Labor in the Transition from Ape to Man. In it, Engels correctly rejected the claim that "our evolution was propelled by an enlarging brain" and offered a "perceptive analysis of the political role of science and of the social biases that must affect all thought."
April 2019
Dear Extinction Rebels, Affinity Groups and Local XR Chapters of the world,
Aims of the action:
Paint the Streets is a full week of breaking laws and social norms to:
• Use images and performances to tell the truth on climate breakdown, ecological collapse, and the injustice of our toxic system and failing governments
• Raise the alarm on the environmental emergency
• Remind the world politics is failing but there are solutions and hope.
• Raise awareness for April 15th: call to arms
• Drive people to the website or to search online
• Break the media echo chamber - reach out to new audiences
• Shock, mystify, bring hope, stir up anger, or inspire people
•
• Don’t tag over raver posters or spray tags - Organised flyposters/ graffiti groups can be territorial or get violent.
2. TARGET IDEAS
Universities, colleges, schools Public transport - trains, back of buses, bus stops and stations Busy central areas in cities: town squares, statues, pedestrian areas
Locations with iconic backdrops for dramatic/symbolic effect, e.g. Eiffel Tower in background, London phonebooths, tourist hotspots, statues (make careful choices) Government buildings
HQs of organisations we want to galvanise support from (Greenpeace, WWF, Amnesty) HQs of corporations we criticise e.g. BBC, Cuadrilla, biased media
Companies linked to fossil fuel industry and fracking e.g. HSBC, Barclays
On the floor in a place where lots of people get an aerial viewpoint e.g. a square surrounded by skyscrapers
Places people are queueing/slowed down and have time to read your message Places with high pollution levels/ecocide
Replacing ferry flags Billboards/ temporary walls of construction sites (poster designs together)
Localised designs - mention the specific borough/neighborhood Give artwork to Tate Modern/museums/art galleries
Non-violent communication: Flyer at locations that are going to be targeted on 15th April (go softly, we want people in these areas on-side)
Remember: You don’t have to flypost, you can ask to put things up on school/university noticeboards, in windows of cafes, on flyer tables
