Jack Stern from Ocean Champions wrote an interesting post on the Shifting Baselines blog about the frustrations of trying to mass mobilize citizens to pressure Congress to do right by the ocean. He said:
This to me is our biggest problem in getting people activated on ocean issues: they have a hard time seeing or feeling most of the destruction that happens in the oceans, and so no matter how much we squawk about it, it’s a “problem for the future.”
Ponder that quote for a minute. He’s right about two things, but still misses an important point. It’s true that everyday citizens have a hard time personally relating to problems in the open ocean. It’s also true that they tend to view environmental problems of every kind as manifesting themselves in the future rather than today.
But like many of us, Jack seems to believe that outrage leads to action, and that’s just not true. At least not by itself. Alarm is just one ingredient in the recipe for action on the part of everyday citizens.
“Now matter how much we squawk,” most of the citizens who hear us lack the knowledge and confidence to act on the outrage we provoke unless we tell them what they can do. If we don’t paint a clear picture for how their actions make a difference, they won’t see it, and most won’t bother. And because they think their individual sacrifices are of little consequence, we need to tell them and demonstrate that others are doing their part and we are all working together towards a common goal.
And Americans’ tendency to think their individual efforts aren’t worth it is particularly pronounced when the necessary action is civic or political in nature. Check out this excerpt from Belden Russonello & Stewart’s landmark Communicating About Oceans: Results of a National Survey report. Note how citizens perceive that writing Congress is one of the least effective things they can do to protect the ocean.
You can shock people all you want, but unless you help people overcome the sense of futility about their actions, that outrage won’t get you much.
That’s why Secret to Success #4 is to both Warn and Encourage.
Thanks to Mark at Blogfish for the tip.
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From my own point of view and experience, “alarm” and “outrage” have been grossly over-used in recent years, especially when it comes to the environment. Yes, there are some situations in which a person *should* react with both alarm and outrage, such as direct pipelines of raw sewage into a watershed. I think the stress should be on information and education, with a strong emphasis on doing something rational and effective with long-term positive effects.
Eric,
I think you’re right, outrage alone isn’t enough. Thanks for tackling this issue, love your stuff.
Mark
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