Too Easy to Cry Hypocrite

It is way too easy to cry hypocrite and it hurts us all in the long run.

Whether you drive your gas guzzling car to a climate march, tweet about environmental issues on the smartphone you replace every couple of years, or maybe you fly around the world to raise awareness on our climate crisis. Everyone can be painted as a hypocrite.

All of our hands are dirty in some shape or form. We are all a part in the global ecosystem and every little decision we make has an impact.

Nobody is perfect and nor should they be. The blame game is a loosing game.

The Problem

The environmental movement isn’t gaining the traction it deserves. Sure it’s gaining world wide attention but it seems to be struggling in implementing the change required to reach it’s goals. Whether it’s simple lifestyle changes or major changes government policy.

First, the movement often preaches to the choir or the already converted. It often feels like it’s screaming into an echo chamber.

Second, even though people are waking up to the crisis, they fail to see how it relates to their lifestyle. They talk about it, see the environmental change first hand but have a hard time linking it to themselves. Who doesn’t still wan’t a nice car or truck?

Third, they see it as all or nothing or some unattainable perfection. Always sad to see someone being put down as a hypocrite when they are actually just trying to make things better. I will say it again, nobody is perfect and nor should they be.

Lastly, it can all seem too overwhelming. It’s easier to just block it out and stay on course.

Start small and work your way up, choose reusables over disposables, be intentional, buy fewer and better things and get involved and speak up.

Choose compassion

We are all in this together. We need compassion over pointing fingers. Look for common ground with people you disagree with, people that have the opposite perspective, that you feel are on the wrong side of the issue.

“Remember… nobody wins unless everybody wins”

Bruce Springsteen

We all loose with a winner take all attitude. Every change we make now, has the power to change the future. As we have seen with the Covid 19 pandemic, we are all connected and we all have an impact. Now is the time to act, not to criticize.

Can’t wait for clean hands

In my own community, I had the opportunity to watch one of the most interesting examples of people crying hypocrite. Fingers can be pointed on so many levels, that being said, there is so much to loose with the blame game and no action.

I live in a fairly small mountain town that relies mostly on winter tourism. Winter here is the main economic driver. The climate emergency left unchecked will inevitability end winter or cause other seasons to be unbearable due to smoke or worse, local forest fires. The irony is that our tourist economy needs visitors to fly or drive here or both, which are know causes of climate change.

Here is where it got super interesting. Years ago, within the first month of our new mayor’s tenure, he wrote a letter to the oil and gas industry, calling for them to pay for the costs associated with climate change.

It was easy to see why people cried hypocrite. We rely on people burning the oil and gas to get here. To add to the cries, the mayor’s past as was brought to light: he owned a taxi and bus company. Can you say major backlash or even better, “shit storm”?

“I’ve been called a hypocrite a lot in the last week for my use of oil and gas. It’s a fair charge, Whistler depends on oil and gas for our operations,” 

“That said, a friend pointed out to me that we are all hypocrites on this, but that we simply can’t afford to wait until everyone has clean hands before we act.”

Mayor Jack Crompton

After the backlash

Despite the backlash, the mayor continues act locally on climate change. He strived to make a difference by continuing the conversation in a respectful manner. He fights for the environment by going to bat for clean public transit. He walks the talk by walking everywhere instead of driving.

Can he still be called a hypocrite? Likely. We can’t let perfect get in the way of good.

In the end

It’s a disservice to the world not to have an open mind, to listen to all perspectives, to change your stance or to try something new. Everything changes, new perspectives arise, new truths are discovered and your values should continuously be re-evaluated.

Remember squandering our time and efforts on calling out hypocrisies is a loosing game. We can all agree that nobody is perfect and that at some level we are all hypocrites.

Whether you are an aspiring minimalist that owns 5 bikes (me) or living the zero waste lifestyle imperfectly (me). All we can do, is to try to be better than our previous selves. Everyday is a chance to do better than yesterday.

The past is gone. Now is the time to act, to make a change for the better.

It’s too easy to cry hypocrite; use that energy for good.

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Pat