Stonehenge was spray painted (or gassed?) by Just Stop Oil protesters

I have to give to Just Stop Oil. This particular protest is a lot more head-turning (though a lot less adorable and hilarious) than the last Just Stop Oil protest that took place on my desk. The one that was executed by an 82-year-old reverend and her friend Judy who lightly chiseled the window surrounding the Magna Carta.

Not that Sue and Judy didn’t send shockwaves throughout the oil industry with their protest. I’m actually surprised that Just Stop Oil even felt the need to try to burn Stonehenge after Sue and Judy made such a powerful statement last month. I really thought, after their Magna Carta masterstroke, that the British government would realize their mistake and completely eliminate their absurd use of oil. But apparently that’s not the case. So I guess they moved on to burning prehistoric structures. Or orange gas. Or whatever they were using in that video.

For lack of a better term, I’m trying to play devil’s advocate right now to try to understand what Just Stop Oil thinks desecrating Stonehenge will accomplish. I guess in their minds, that Stonehenge stunt was a success. They’re trying to draw attention to their cause, so they do something like this, the video goes viral and idiots like me pay attention. But then what? Just Stop Oil demands the implementation of an emergency plan to completely stop the use of oil by 2030. It is clear that this will not happen. But I guess it’s a “ask something crazy and hope they meet us 1/100th of the way” situation. Maybe if they piss people off enough, that one day in court, when the government votes on something related to the environment, they’ll think, “Well, maybe if we vote with the people in Just Stop Oil, they won’t be throwing bags of cat poo at Windsor Castle next month. »

But I don’t think that’s how people think. I think people are much more motivated by meanness. I think it’s much more likely that Just Stop Oil supporters will just piss people off to the point that they’ll become even more stubborn and vote against them out of spite. I honestly think they are doing more harm than good to their cause. I guess they are succeeding in raising awareness. I didn’t know who Just Stop Oil was until they released those lovely old ladies on the Magna Carta. And I guess if you ask them, that’s the only thing they try to do. But that seems very short-sighted. I can’t say I have a personal attachment to Stonehenge. Or that I care at all about the monument. But I know a lot of people do. And bullshit like this will only make people more unhappy with Just Stop Oil.

Great protest guys. You caught my attention. But if I were you, I would change my strategy. You don’t convince anyone by vandalizing rocks. The only people who think, “Good for you!” » when you watch this video, there are people who are already on your side. Any neutral person watching this thinks you guys are assholes.