My humble apologies to Jim Meek for “turning [him] into a redneck” (The march of the eco-narcissists, Sept 25). Jim argues that pretentious environmentalists are making him look bad at cocktail parties, with their self-righteous talk of phasing out oil sands development, and developing a meaningful federal climate change policy. I have news that Jim may not have heard yet: Environmentalists tend to be self-loathing, not narcissistic. As an environmentalist, I carry guilt around; it’s in my soul. For example, rarely do I manage to get over my emissions guilt when considering whether to use my ancient Greenpeace-sticker-adorned Volvo, or to borrow a neighbour’s bicycle trailer to do the job. I think the frustration that Jim feels when he attempts to defend the tar sands or his food choices at a dinner party is more likely a by-product of his conscience battling with his sense of entitlement. Sorry I make you feel like a redneck, Jim, but blaming the environmental movement for making you look bad is a pretty meek argument.
Full article:
The march of the eco-narcissists__Chronicle Herald_Sept 25, 2010
