Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?

Bill McKibben writes about a Vermont meeting where the large national environmental groups were "attacked" by two writers who penned the "Death of Environmentalism" paper. Several confusing and disturbing things cross my mind. The most disturbing is the polling presented that this country is turning more and more to the right.

The statistics came from a data set on North American values collected by a Canadian polling firm over the last decade - and what they showed was that, quite simply, this country is deeply conservative and getting more so. The battle of values has been won, at least for the moment, and not by us. For instance, what percentage of Americans do you suppose would agree with the following statement: "The father of the family must be a master in his own house"?
1992: 42 percent of Americans agreed
1996: 44 percent
2000: 49 percent
2004: 52 percent
Across 105 different values - everything from "concern for appearance" and "joy of consumption" to "acceptance of violence" and "xenophobia" - they found that over the past decade, an already generally conservative country has been making a beeline in the direction of status and security. A decade ago, 30 percent of Americans thought men were naturally superior; now the number is 40 percent. No matter what you ask, be it whether "to relieve tension a little violence is OK," or "it's important that people admire things I own," the numbers show a nation almost inconceivable to your average card-carrying Sierra Clubber. A decade ago, 17 percent of Americans thought that pollution was necessary to preserve jobs; now the number is 29 percent. In 1992, 66 percent of Americans said they "discussed local problems with people in my community," a number that has since dropped to 39 percent.

The bright spot is that the writers are not all doom and gloom but look for environmentalists to "come together to reconstruct an alternative vision" that will work with today's mindset. A big but very important task.

Does this poll also sign the death notice for progressives? I don't believe so at all. Opinions are constantly evolving and will change again. As the writers see the opportunity to reconstruct for a new vision, the progressives must work together to not change their message but to quicken the inevitable change of the views and opinions of the public. The Iraq dilemma and our upcoming Iran/Syria adventures are slowly changing the dynamics. And as W pushes his domestic agenda, minds and hearts will be changed again. W has not won the hearts and minds in Iraq, he is not winning the hearts and minds of the majority of reality-based citizens (thank God).