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Welcome to Episode 4, in which the Australien Government interviews some kids behind the Melbourne climate strike; and then we dissect some of the BULLSHIT criticisms against the global climate movement and talk about how we can look after each other so we can make history happen. Here's the video associated with this podcast episode: Honest Government Ad | We're F***edHere are the articles mentioned in the podcast:- "Neoliberalism has conned us into fighting climate change as individuals" by Martin Lukacs- Forget Shorter Showers by Derrick Jensen- "Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions" - The Carbon Majors DatabaseIf you enjoyed this podcast please subscribe on your podcast app and recommend it to others!If you'd like to keep us going, support us in one of these ways.Keep up with our latest work on: Youtube | Facebook | Twitter | InstagramTRANSCRIPT FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED, Thanks to Kevin Wild for transcribing the audio.Hey everyone, Giordano here with the juice media podcast, broadcasting from the Department of Genuine Satire.Most of you know this by now, but I'm just going to repeat it for any newcomers to the podcast, this is a companion podcast to the honest government ads series which we produce and this latest episode was an honest government announcement about the climate crisis. [Honest Government Ad]"Hello, I'm from the government with an important message as we enter the third decade of the 21st century, things are going, err, fine. Overall.. The Amazon is fine, half of Africa is fine. So is the Arctic, Indonesia, Spain, Greece, even Greenland's on fucking fire, err, I mean fine.Scientists have coined a new term for this stage of climate change we're entering. “We’re fucked”. Unlike the previous stage, which climate scientists called listen to us or we might be fucked. We're fucked is happening. And in your lifetime..."[Giordano] There are so many things to talk about on this issue. Where does one even start? Well, I think my expertise can be most useful in discussing the bullshit that is levied against people who joined the global strike movement. I mean you must have noticed there is just so much bullshit. Where does it all come from, what do we make of it, and how do we respond to it?And I'm not talking about the bullshit regarding the science. Don't even get drawn into those debates because the only people that can debate the science are scientists and the vast majority of them agree on the science. I'm talking about general run of the mill bullshit, which generally consists of badly constructed arguments that rely on profound ignorance of our own history. So that's what I'm going to talk about in the second half of the podcast. But before we get to that, I want to hand over the mic to the people who have been leading the fight to raise awareness about the climate crisis and to ring the alarm more effectively than, than anyone has been able to, in this last decade, and that is school kids who have created the global movement. It's fucking amazing. They've made history, they're making history. As we saw yesterday with the global climate strike, there were millions of people on every continent on the street saying this is enough. Of course we joined the Melbourne strike. And, uh, it was just an incredible experience. And while we were there, we thought we would interview some of the kids who have been behind the organization of this amazing event. Of course, we posed as the Department of Genuine Satire from the Australien government. And, uh, these are some of their voices. All I can say is the kids are doing fine. [background chatter] So, these guys are from the Honest Government ads series. Just about, [Student] Oh, oh, I love this. Oh my God. Cameron. I've probably spent like years watching these videos. [music][Giordano] So we're here from the government. We just kind of doing a little bit of a survey to see what's going on with the youth. And, uh, our first question to you, Cameron, is, why aren't you at school? [Cameron] Fuck you. You're the reason I'm not at school, mate. [Honest Govt] How much money would you need to not believe in climate change? [Cameron] Um, I'd probably need a politician's wage to not believe in climate change. Maybe a liberal wage and maybe it'd be, it would be good. Yeah.[Honest Govt] That sounds really familiar to what we have though. We'll have to look into that. [Honest Govt] Fatima why aren't you at school? [Fatima] Well, because today we’re striking to ask for climate justice and we're asking for everyone all over the, all over the world to stand with us. Um, I'm not in school today because I've decided to come out and protest for my future. [Student] Um, I want better action on climate change. Um, why not, a free chance to take off. Nah Um, I'm fighting for my future. Um, yeah. Out of genuine concern for my future. [Honest Govt] Why are you concerned? I mean, we're taking care of it. We're doing a pretty good job are’nt we. Do you not trust your government? Do you not trust [inaudible]?[Student] No. Not at all.[Honest Govt] Fair enough[Student] Well, I'm seeing your track record. You're not doing a very good job. I'm sorry to say that. [Honest Govt] Why do you believe scientists? Don't they teach you at school to believe your government? [Student] Yeah. But Science is also tell me about fossil fuels and about carbon emissions and how renewables are the way to go. Did they, did they ever teach you that? [Honest Govt] Why aren't you listening to good, reasonable, daggy dad figures like ScoMoe and Alan Jones? [Student] Well, Alan Jones is prehistoric. Um, he was probably there to see the first coal mine open. [laughter] So I feel like it's a little bit out of touch for me to listen to someone like Alan Jones, considering he could have been my great grandfather. [Honest Govt] Would a six figure salary at a coal mine changed your mind. [Student] It wouldn't take any dollar figure. I'm lucky enough, I am fortunate enough to not need to be worried about a dollar figure and that means I'll continue on with my activism irrespective of the money. [Student] See, unlike, I understand you might be after the money, but I don't think that way. I'd rather be after the planet. [Honest Govt] So climate change is going to affect the most vulnerable of the worst. So should you be focused on just trying to be like less vulnerable? [Student] Well. The thing is is that I'm already probably the least vulnerable person that's going to be affected by climate change. So I guess I'm trying to fight for the people that are most vulnerable before me.[Honest Govt] What if I told you the climate has always been changing? [Student] Yeah, but now we're causing it. It's been changing naturally, but now we're doing it, so let's got to change it a bit. [Student] I mean, technically we should be heading, the world should be cooling at the moment, but it's not. And that's because of us and like, like I'm just a kid and I'm pretty worried about it. It's not a good thing. [Honest Govt] One last question. Do you have something you'd like to say to Scott Morrison today? [Student] I Dunno if I would allow... [Student] Hop onto the weight watchers![Student] As a politician, your job is to represent the people, not represent yourself in parliament. So I think you should get going and start doing that. Otherwise all of Australia is going to be on your back. Oh wait. It already is.[Student] I don't know if the words I would use with reflect school strike greatly, but I'm probably “go fuck yourself”.[Honest Govt] Thank you very much. We'll deliver that to the prime minister.[music][Giordano] Jokes aside, there's a huge turnout here. I Dunno, we'll see the numbers later. But this is an incredible event. There's a big mix of like young people, old people. You guys have helped put this event together. Tell us a little bit about what's happening and why you're here and what's, what's happening [Student] Today what we're going to see is probably the biggest climate mobilization in Australia's history. Um, which is open to not only school students but unions and businesses, corporations, stuff like that. Um, it is largely student led today. Um, lots of the decisions that have been, that have gone into this day have been made by students. Um, and what we're going to see today is just a whole bunch of people protesting climate inaction and putting pressure on the government to tell them that we need more. [Honest Govt] Yeah, just give us a little rundown of what the demands are[Student] So our first demand is that we have no more coal or gas projects. Our second demand is that we require a just transition for workers leaving coal and mining areas. And we want 100% renewables by 2030. [Giordano] I'm sorry, your name is. [Emma] My name's Emma. [Giordano] Thank you for your work Emma.[music][Giordano] Shout out there to Zoe and mark, who are helping me to ask those questions on behalf of the Department of genuine satire and also to Dan Ilitch who contributed to some of those questions that these funny brain. And lastly to Mark from climactic who recorded those interviews. [music]So as you can probably tell from the tone of my voice, I'm really excited and I was so inspired by being at the climate strike in Melbourne. I know a lot of you feel the same way as well. We've been posting on social media and I've seen so many of you sharing photos from your own cities and towns, whether there were small towns in rural Queensland or big cities like Sydney or overseas in uh, in the US or in Europe. Everyone was really on the same street, on the same page. And I think it was like checking in with each other and going, yes, we are saying, we do know that this is a crisis. This is an emergency, this is the time to be getting down into the street. And it was just so awesome to be standing shoulder to shoulder with likeminded people. And uh, the one thing that really, you know, that we share in common is that these are people who are listening to scientists. That's what it all comes down to. Every time I see denial and equivocation, it's like I'm just listening to the scientists. I'm not an expert. You're not an expert. The experts are saying we should be freaking out and at an end and having an emergency response to what's happening, I feel to do anything else is insanity. So sane people were on the street and I'm so proud of the way that this amazing collective of people behave respectfully towards each other, towards their cities and streets because we know that the critics are looking on for the tiniest excuse to call out, um, you know, hypocrisy or to call out double standards. Um, they didn't have anything, you know, the streets were clean. They were cleaner than when the protest started in some places. And by the way, I think we should start a tradition where at the end of the climate strikes, we go and take pictures of the grounds to show the condition in which they've been left. That's why yesterday, after Lee, before leaving Melbourne, I went back to the treasury gardens where not long before the 100,000 people were gathered and I took photos because I was just amazed. There was nothing, there was no plastic bottles or rappers or anything. But sure enough, within hours, photos were circulating online claiming that a mess had been left in Hyde Park, in Sydney. Uh, and in other places. One photo, which was even shared on that pile of steaming shit, Sunrise on channel seven was of Hyde Park in London. Um, and the mess that is shown was created by a festival, not by the climate strikers, but it was reported as if that mess had been left in Sydney's Hyde Park. They've got fuck all left. I mean, if you have to resort to that level of misinformation and fake news, um, then that's it. It's we've won, you know, now it's just the case of keeping up the pressure. Just keep going in. I think the most important thing, the most important thing now is to inspire each other, to support each other, to keep each other really engaged in the struggle. This isn't a one off thing. There are going to be more protests that are going to be more strikes. The next one's coming up in October. Worldwide. What's the point? Why are we doing this? Isn't it a big waste of time? No, it isn't. No, it isn't. This is one of the many criticisms and many cheap ass bankrupt criticisms that come out and it's really important to know that it is bullshit. When people say that, “what's the point” (or) “You're not going to make any difference”. “How has this changed anything”?Well, the historical record shows that this is how things have always changed, that people are getting down into the street and making a noise. Suspending business as usual. Downing tools has always been the way that things had been won. People then go on and demonize that and say, oh, that's you're a socialist. You're a Marxist Europe. Well, if you want to call it that, call it that, but really what it is is that history. This is how humans behave. This is how things change. If you don't like it, then well then why don't you give up your eight hour day? Why don't you give up your sick leave and paid leave? Because all of those things were won by people getting down into the streets. I mean here in Melbourne, the great example is the eight hour movement in 1856 stone masons down tools and they marched the parliament to say, we want to have an eight hour work day. You know, child labor was very common. 10 to 16 hour workdays were common. 700 people marched in the streets. Just 700 people, not 150,000 like we had yesterday in Melbourne. 700 people won the right for an eight hour day in the trade. There were 19 trades represented. But then after that success and movement was organized to make sure that the eight hour day was spread to all workers generally. And that movement continued. It grew and it grew. And the marches got bigger until eventually the eight hour day became nationally instituted across Australia in 1920 the eight hour day, which people take for granted, the very people who sit in their chairs at home posting on social media saying, what have you achieved? This is pointless. Why you marching our beneficiaries of this very method of, of winning overwrites. They have jobs where they have eight hour days where they have paid leave sick leave. Those very rights were won in the same way that people are seeking to win a right to protect our future, our kids' future from the climate crisis by getting down into the street. So the only thing those critics are really demonstrating is how dangerous it is when you don't know your own history. The funny thing is that they are the hypocrites for benefiting from the very mechanisms of struggle that they are now criticizing and disparaging. And the reason I laugh when I say that they're hypocrites is because the charge of hypocrisy is what critics are often pinning on climate activists. I'm saying that we are hypocrites for protest in climate inaction when we ourselves use and depend on fossil fuel products. Okay, so let's talk about this criticism, this accusation of hypocrisy. And again, I'm only focusing on the criticisms because as I said, I think about this a lot and I feel like it gets people's spirits down. People tend to lose energy when they feel attacked. And as I said, we need to stay inspired and engaged. And I…
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