• Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    solarpunk as an ideological movement is essentially climate-focused indigenous futurism with an anarcho-socialist bend

    That’s not a coherent ideology, that’s an aesthetic pulled from a ghibli-inspired milk commercial, which again reveals how an aesthetic can get taken advantage of by right-wing interests if there is no strong ideological framework.

    There’s no call to action, no theory to set to praxis. There is a goal, but no method to get there. Like all such movements, its doomed to fail the way the Owenites did.

    I love environmentalism and solar energy, veganism and self-sustainability. However, solarpunk as an encompassing “movement” is not the path there, as it’s an aesthetic.

    • blindbunny@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      2 months ago

      This is written like someone that hasn’t kept up with solarpunk since that commercial came out.

        • blindbunny@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 months ago

          Idk why you think it has to have theory or praxis to be a movement. It does have a manifesto but I kinda doubt you care about that. There’s enough people that are interested in the topics that solarpunk encompasses to give it legitimacy.

          Tbh your position is kinda disenfranchising to people that got into gardening, anti consumption, diy, gurilla grafting or any other facet of solarpunk because of it being under the umbrella.

          • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            2 months ago

            Idk why you think it has to have theory or praxis to be a movement. It does have a manifesto but I kinda doubt you care about that. There’s enough people that are interested in the topics that solarpunk encompasses to give it legitimacy.

            I was interested, actually. I read through it, a lot of things people say they stand for and against, and what types of art styles they like and envision, but no actual theory or praxis behind it.

            I already stated why it needs a strong ideological backbone to avoid being taken advantage of by ecofascists, but I’ll restate it: bad actors can and will use the aesthetic to push alternative messaging, just like what already happened to cottagecore.

            Tbh your position is kinda disenfranchising to people that got into gardening, anti consumption, diy, gurilla grafting or any other facet of solarpunk because of it being under the umbrella.

            Those are certainly good things, I never stated that Solarpunk is only “bad,” in fact I think many good things have come from it. However, to paint it as a place of “happy communists” when there have been ecofascists using it to push their messaging, is a bit off, hence why I pointed it out and explained my issues with it overall.

            • blindbunny@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              2 months ago

              I’ve not been aware of ecofascist cooping the movement. But I imagine the vegan mods would sus that out quickly 😜

              I suppose my point is that a movement doesn’t have to know everything about itself to be effective and while anecdotal; I’ve learned a lot about communism/socialism and mutual aid from solarpunk spaces.

              • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                2 months ago

                I’ve not been aware of ecofascist cooping the movement. But I imagine the vegan mods would sus that out quickly 😜

                Not saying the Solarpunk community on Lemmy definitely has it, but it is a problem with the “movement” itself overall, like all aesthetic-movements do.

                I suppose my point is that a movement doesn’t have to know everything about itself to be effective and while anecdotal; I’ve learned a lot about communism/socialism and mutual aid from solarpunk spaces.

                That’s a good thing! I would still try to learn and read Theory outside of a solarpunk context though.

          • OurToothbrush@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 months ago

            Idk why you think it has to have theory or praxis to be a movement.

            If it doesn’t have ideas and it isn’t testing those ideas through social practice it isn’t a movement?