Extinction Rebellion: The Synthesis of Nihilism and Self-Righteous Arrogance

Once again the streets of London have been swarmed by mass demonstration - Christ, the phrase gets tiresome. It seems that every other week there’s some sort of movement or social group demanding some sort of action from the British government to “get involved” with a myriad of superfluous, unimportant, or otherwise completely singular issues that cannot be applied to the majority of the population. Whether it’s the Afghanis marching for Britain to get more entrenched in a foreign conflict that has produced nothing but pain and billions of pounds of wasted potential, anti-mask protests, Black Lives Matter, or as I recall from my time there in 2019, Brazilians protesting outside their embassy in the wake of the Bolsonaro victory - London has unfortunately become a hub for every group and nation to air their grievances… except, funnily enough, the majority of native Brits. 

The Extinction Rebellion is no different. The self-styled “green resistance” could be seen demonstrating on the high streets and hubs like Trafalgar Square - waving their hourglass flag logos, adorning themselves in red cloaks, playing dress-up as a myriad of tragic and almost Shakespearean characters, and of course blocking regular commuters and workers from going about their day. Even before the pandemic, XR has held demonstrations and mobbed the poor citizens of the UK for the last two years - whether they’re sitting on top of trains, stopping lorries from making their deliveries, or demanding, with cries and moans, the the government “do sumfink!” 

As the name implies, the Extinction Rebellion is a movement dedicated to “stopping humanity’s extinction” in the face of climate change and environmental destruction. Their predictions for an unlivable world by the year 2030 has given them the casus belli to become even more of a public nuisance, as they truly believe that if we do not succumb to their demands, humanity will be doomed to a fate worse than death - planetary destruction. Whether they’re truly convinced that this is the reality, or whether they’re merely subversive Marxists with a splash of bright green paint to appeal to the kiddos, they’ve become a problem that neither the City of London, nor Parliament seem to be willing or able to address. 

Of course it’s easy to dismiss these characters from an elite position. Many of the Etonian and Oxford scholars probably see these people for what they truly are - a collective of unwashed hippies, failed art students, dregs, and fools. But just because this is the easily observable reality doesn’t mean that we can simply brush them aside as “kids being kids” or letting them off lightly because they “genuinely believe in their cause” as many politicians both Conservative and Labour have been doing for the past year.

The reality is that the Extinction Rebellion is a Doomsday Cult - a cult that functions on the predatory tactics of fear, yet is characterized by such incredible arrogance that it’s going to lead nowhere good…

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Historically speaking, prophecies of “Armageddon” at our doorstep have been vast and almost incalculable. Every other week there seems to be the emergence of some kook with a placard, or some divine knowledge that hellfire and civilisational cataclysm are bound to occur in the lifetime of those preaching the dramatic prognosis of the end of time - or at least the end of one age and arrival of some sort of just and fruitful age that emerges out of the rubble of the devastation.

It is indeed one of history’s greatest ironies that Doomsday preachers can be found throughout time - oxymoronic as that statement is, the damage that these people do, and the mass moral panic that is caused by such characters is understated, even if their immediate consequences only affect small gatherings of devoted followers swept away by the sensationationalist leaders. 

The historical timeline is littered with these figures.

William Miller, founder of the Millerite movement, was able to determine when the world would end by a literal and pseudo-mathematical interpretation of the Holy Bible. He urged his devoted followers to give up their worldly possessions in preparation for the Biblical devastation to come. When that date, March 21st 1843, passed by as just another day, he simply pushed the goalposts back a few more years. And then when the next date came and went, the goalposts shifted once again. And again. And then he died - tragic.

Despite the whittling down of followers after each ‘Great Disappointment’ as they came to be known, the effects of Millerism still exist today - Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists are offshoots of the same doom-and-gloom ‘Christianity’ that emerged in the mid-1800’s. We all can appreciate how annoying they are when they come knocking at your door and leaving morbid, yet amusing leaflets about how our doom is imminent.

Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, was another figure who preached an imminent catastrophe that only he and the devoted could outlast. While the Mormonism of today is hardly that of the original foundations - having adapted to be more inclusive to minorities that were once seen as ‘devils’ or modernizing itself to become more of a political body rather than a religious one - the foundations of Mormonism are still characterized by that same appeal to fear of the end times.

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While these old examples are good to point at, perhaps more contemporary examples are needed to engrain the point.

My favorite State in America, California, has produced cult-figures like no other:

Whether it is Charles Manson and his predictions for ‘Helter Skelter’, Marshall Applewhite and the ‘Heaven’s Gate’ cult, or Jim Jones and the ‘People’s Temple’, these movements and the cultures around them owe a lot of their success to the media and mass press of the time - unlike before, these loons could have their predictions streamed across television and radio or preach their messages and spread their aesthetics through forms of popular culture - especially in the case of Manson, and the hippie movement.

There’s a reason why these men in particular are such strong examples, and are household names in regards to the topics of cults. They played on people’s displacement and waywardness in the modern, post-war world. Through their own deluded thinking, or sinister and sick intentions, they inspired horrors beyond a sane imagination - almost 1,000 people coerced or forced into drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid, a pregnant actress and her friends murdered in a Hollywood Hills home in an almost sacrificial manner, and the unsettling images of black-tracksuited bodies lying still, covered in purple cloth after consuming a deadly mix of applesauce, vodka and phenobarbital.

It is undeniable that these crazed cults almost always end in tragedy, especially for the most loyal and devoted followers, led astray by the nihilistic philosophy, and unwavering and unshaken dedication to their cause.

So, when I see thousands of young and old swept away by yet another prophecy of end times, I start to get concerned - as should anyone who has witnessed the growth in size and intensity of the Extinction Rebellion.

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The Extinction Rebellion has all the classical characteristics of a cult - overt and eye-catching use of symbolism to draw in curious minds; predatory behavior on the fears of average, easily swayed people uncertain about what their future holds; exploitation of young women’s sexuality and nurturing instincts in order to further the perceived cause; emphasis on devotion to core ideals, or key ‘morally righteous’ figureheads that lead these movements, and an original sin dogma that encompasses every facet of its followers existence.

Have a conversation with your average climate alarmist and you’ll see all these features, and the thousand yard stare of disbelief when you question their tenants or have the audacity to tarnish their leaders as charlatans. 

“How DARE you attack Stephen Fry! He’s much smarter and successful than you’ll ever be! Silence!”

“Haven’t you seen An Inconvenient Truth? How can you deny what is happening to our planet? Humanity is the problem!”

“We only have until 2030 until life is unbearable on this planet! We must ACT NOW!”

I think you get the picture - this sort of mentality that teaches one to go against their own biological nature and function, to sacrifice independence and free will in exchange for the security of being a part of a greater movement, and the escapism from reality by not just predicting disaster, but hoping for disaster to prove the naysayers otherwise, will lead nowhere good.

Now, what about the figureheads? 

The most prominent leaders of XR are lifelong Green activists, Gail Bradbrook and Tamsin Omond. From early ages, these two have dedicated their lives to the Green Activist cause and the pursuit of ‘social justice’. Of course they aren’t perfect leaders - Gail drives a diesel car to help truck her around from event to event, or to ‘drop her kids off at sports events’, and Tamsin comes from a rather privileged background, her grandfather being Sir Thomas Edward Lees, 4th Baronet of South Lytchett Manor. Of course these factors don’t matter to their followers; how can we expect leaders to not embrace certain luxuries? As long as it’s ‘for the cause’...

 The most interesting character in the Extinction Rebellion posse is its exiled leader Roger Hallam, a failed organic farmer and former PhD student who studied social change through civil disobedience at King’s College. He is a striking figure - his long hair, beard and soured yet stoic face resemble much of the famous unwashed cult leaders from the 60’s - little can be found about his early life, his parents or upbringing, but I’d place a heavy wager that, given his age, he was likely a product of the hippie movement of his youth, perhaps inspired by parental figures or educators that were active during that era times.

His website is filled with the same Marxist moral-lecturing that grows tiring for anyone with any sense of independence or responsibility; 

“The only way we’re going to sort ourselves out is if we realise that this is not about us, but about our children...  About all that we hold to be sacred.  We’ve got to get ourselves and our egos out the way if we are going to make a change.  We are going to have to be willing to make sacrifices because what we are facing... threatens all life on this planet.  We have to let go of who we thought we were… and be willing to step into service for the sake of all that we hold to be precious. We need a spiritual revolution.”

Hardly the words of a simple climate activist - this is the rhetoric of a cult leader. His words become even more worrisome when his stated goals are to topple the current British government (peacefully, and with permission of course!) and replace it with a ‘Citizens Assembly’. I need not remind people of the atrocities committed by the Bolsheviks in their quest for ‘people’s power’, or the Committee of Public Safety’s renowned Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. 

Gentle words and phrasing often precedes mass atrocities. Extinction Rebellion is no different to its spiritual predecessors in this sense. They will promise peace, cooperation and ‘people’s representation’ - but inevitably they will resort to more disruption, more violent measures, and potentially even killing their perceived foes. Will they need the majority of the population’s support? Of course not! They’ve stated on their official website that they only seek 3.5% of the population to put their plans into viable action.

Because when one is blinded by some grand vision of ‘saving’ the world, they care not whether the means justify the ends. When faced with Doomsday, what other choice is one left with?

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While it’s often good fun to poke the sensibilities of greenies and environmental activists as being nothing but Quorn-eating, unwashed, hair-pitted hippies, the demonstrations have become increasingly disruptive - and the endorsement by Britain’s “intelligencia” (i.e.  Britpopper TV personalities) is garnering this movement a legitimacy that it doesn’t deserve, and a morale boost that will only bolster their boldness when it comes to disturbing the public order, and attacking the fundamental aspects of British politics, the economy, and culture. 

Although some followers may be half-baked intellectuals, failed art-students only there to get some photos, display some costumes or show of their incredible acting skills yelling at a piece of broccoli (yes, that happened), I’m sure there are many in the ranks who wouldn’t bat an eye if the next call to action went beyond ‘civil disobedience’.

The question is as we approach Doomsday in 2030, will the victims be themselves - or everyone else?