Maniates makes a legitimate argument and as harsh as its portrayed, I believe his critiques hold true. Americans are too often regarded in a childlike manner when it comes to environmental realities. We look for the easy, simple, even 'stylish' solution in hopes that our societal collective efforts will payoff. As Maniates states, it's going go to take "a lot more than eco-friendly light bulbs and recycling to make a difference."
I don't however, agree with Maniates examples of the leaders who spoke frankly about the "...knotty, vexing challenges... firing our individual and communal imagination, creativity and commitment." Understandably, they are used as honorable images of men who proposed sacrificing solutions to fighting the enemy; be it the British, the Fascists, or the Racists.However, they don't really apply to this situation. Within the environmental crisis, we are our biggest enemy. Through our own lifestyles, ethics, and cultural behaviors, we pose the greatest threat to the environment, which makes 'rising against' a contradictory idea. How can we be motivated to unite and take a stance against... ourselves? The odds of seeing comparable revolutionary leaders regarding the environmental crises are significantly different simply because of the nature of the "enemy" or "perpetrator."
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