Churches in Mass, Conn. & NH pledge to each ring their church bells 350 times in a row

[Breeze54]

Chimes to stop the changing clime

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2008/11/chimes_to_stop_the_changing_cl_1.html

Posted by Bina Venkataraman

The sound of church bells ringing often signals celebration. But this week, outside at least
30 Episcopal churches in New England, it will also herald an impending danger -- global warming.

In a campaign to raise awareness about a changing climate, churches in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire pledged to each ring their church bells 350 times in a row at some point before the end of the month.

Scientists have warned that the earth's atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide must be reduced to 350 parts per
million or lower to stave off the worst impacts of global warming. Current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
are now estimated at more than 385 parts per million.

The campaign, run by the grassroots organization www.350.org

aimed to sign up hundreds of churches across New England.

www.350.org is a youth-led global movement to address global warming.

Old North Church in Boston’s North End will ring its bell following its services
on Sunday, and St. Peter’s Church in Weston, MA. rang its bells Monday evening.

[babylonsister]

1. Whoa, I LOVE this! Rec'd.

I guess noise pollution doesn't count. ;)

[Breeze54]

4. Me too!! I'm waiting to hear the churches in my town ring the bells!!

Should be pretty cool!! :D

I keep thinking of that song...

"You can ring my bell, bell, bell, you can ring my BELL!" :P

Forget who sings it!

[ChazII]

5. That was my first thought as well -

noise pollution. :evilgrin:

[Breeze54]

6. Good noise pollution and it will make people ask question!

;)

[xchrom]

2. recommend -- very very cool. nt

[panader0]

3. Rec'd

[Historic NY]

7. sounds like a lot of ding dongs or ding-a-lings.

[alittlelark]

8. That is such a great idea!

:toast: :party: :toast: :bounce:

[WCGreen]

9. It's about time the churches chimed in on this issue...

[Hannah Bell]

10. um, it might work better if they signed up youth & churches to march to washington

or gm to demand, e.g., tougher emissions standards.

just a thought.

i used to get excited about stuff like this (30 years ago) until i thought....

"wait a minute, they're putting all this effort into organizing in order to...ring churchbells?"

to "raise consciousness".

i think people's consciousnesses are pretty elevated already, what they need is organization & a plan of action.

[Breeze54]

11. I din't think people have a clue at all !! Look at all the idiot SUV's on the roads!

I think this is a great way to get people to start asking questions and 'really' gain an understanding!

[Hannah Bell]

13. Yes, ringing bells will no doubt trigger epiphanies, whereby thousands "magically"

stop buying SUVs.

Like the thousands of symbolic actions since the turn of the century have "magically" done.

I think it's the organizers who don't have the clue; or else who wish to divert people's desire to change society into useless channels.

[Breeze54]

14. Take your nasty, sophmoric, attitude

somewhere else. Take a nap or something. Seems like you need one.

[Hannah Bell]

15. It's not a nasty, sophmoric attitude, but truth. Symbolism accomplishes

next to nothing - particularly when it involves no risk. Just feel-good bullshit.

If they're going to spend the time organizing people, it would be more useful to organize them to do something effective, rather than ring bells.

Or, if they like to ring bells, to do something effective in addition.

It kind of shocks me that so many people here go weak-kneed over such bullshit, actually.

It's on the level of yellow ribbons magnets on cars, bumper-sticker politics. People seem to think if they express an opinion, they've done something important.

[Breeze54]

16. I don't give a rats ass if you approve or not.

"People seem to think if they express an opinion, they've done something important."

You mean like you?! :P

[Hannah Bell]

19. I make no pretense I'm doing anything besides bullshitting on a chat board,

unlike the bell ringers, who pretend to be "changing the world".

I don't care what you think of my remarks; I don't make them for you, & didn't make them to be popular.

If they're going to spend resources organizing people, they should organize them to do something that's not impotent.

Otherwise, they're burning out human capital. Only so many hours in the day, only so long ideals can be sustained without results.

[Breeze54]

21. Who said they were "spending resources"? and who are you to tell them

how to run their organization? :silly:

"Otherwise, they're burning out human capital..."

:eyes:

Seems to me that the church's had a choice to say no.

They CHOSE to say yes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It isn't your decision. It's theirs.

[Hannah Bell]

30. They're obviously spending resources, since any effort to mobilize people

to do anything spends resources. Time, if nothing else.

I understand it's their decision.

And these are my comments on their decision.

I think this is a chatboard, where people are supposed to discuss things? Where varying points of view are welcomed?

Rather than a Chamber of Commerce luncheon where one is expected to smile a phony smile & applaud whatever that day's party line is?

[Breeze54]

17. And raising awareness is a first step to change...

Thought you'd know that. Oh well, you'll learn someday.

[Hannah Bell]

20. Gee, my consciousness was raised in the 60s & 70s, & ever since

there have been so many "symbolic" acts & events.

Yet the situation is worse.

Perhaps because raised consciousness does not translate into effective deeds, n'est pas?

[Breeze54]

23. Really? Seems to me that the people against the war on Iraq has

shifted way over to the anti-war people's side, since it started.

My proof is this last election cycle and in 2006.

It's very sad that you are so apathetic. :(

Take a nap. You'll feel better.

[Hannah Bell]

27. because it wasn't an easy win, that's all.

btw, i'm not sure why you're so hostile. i've made no attack on you personally, but you have on me.

it's quite silly & unnecessary.

ps: i spent over a year in the run-up to the war & after - doing non-symbolic things (i.e. letter-writing, college teach-in, trips to iraq to deliver medicine), one of a group of organized working people. unlike bell-ringing, it took some guts, as the war was very popular in my community then.

all for nothing - apparently if we'd just rung the churchbells, people would have changed their minds & ended the war spontaneously.

[Hannah Bell]

32. ps: you might read today's threads on the situation in india to judge

how much people's consciousnesses have been raised since iraq.

[Breeze54]

33. "all for nothing"

See? There's that apathy again and why was it all for nothing?

The tide has shifted and people have turned against the war.

I'm sure your contributions helped as I'm sure mine did too.

[Hannah Bell]

35. i said, all for nothing 'apparently' - since ringing church bells works

so much better.

[Breeze54]

37. We don't know the results yet, do we?

This is NEW.

[Hannah Bell]

40. no, it's old as dirt. maybe you're new to the tactic, but the tactic's not new.

i know what it will accomplish. nothing, unless there's more to the effort that's not been mentioned here.

[Breeze54]

44. You're a piece of work.

Keep your shitty, negative attitude.

You're only hurting yourself.

[Hannah Bell]

39. no, what helped is most is the media finally starting to publicize the failure

of the war in achieving its (supposed) goals at a reasonable cost.

look, if you succeed in "raising people's consciousnesses," what would you have them do?

forget the bells & organize to do it; that raises people's consciousnesses.

[Forkboy]

25. And how does it hurt?

[Hannah Bell]

28. it hurts by diverting people's REAL desires for change, to be a part of

making change, their time & energy - into harmless, ineffective channels.

And after years of this kind of pap, when nothing changes, it ends in burn-out & disillusionment for many - the neutralization of their dissent.

And if you don't think that there are groups set up specifically to do this, you're naive about politics.

[Forkboy]

31. This is just an attempt to neutralize dissent, clearly.

[Hannah Bell]

34. I don't know that. I do know, though, that it will have no real-world

effectiveness.

[Breeze54]

36. He meant YOU are attempting

to stop dissent. You seem pretty upset that these kids are making an effort to raise awareness.

Your attitude and those like you will hopefully make them stronger in their efforts!

[Hannah Bell]

41. right, they're all reading this thread & hanging on my every word.

It's ME who's screwing things up, if only hannah wasn't posting on DU, the environment would have been saved!

[Breeze54]

45. No, I doubt anypone's hanging on your every word but

your negative, cynical attitude isn't helping anyone.

BUT your kicking this OP up is!! Thanks!!!! :D

[Forkboy]

38. No, you don't know that. That is your opinion.

You may be right, but you may be wrong. You have no idea what may or may not inspire the people who do this or follow it. What doesn't work on you may work on someone else. I've seen it happen myself numerous times over the years. I remember seeing one single veteran protesting outside a VA hospital one day. The next day I was with him. The next day there was over a dozen of us. A spark can come from the strangest places, and you don't know what that is for anyone but yourself.

Your own clear cynicism and disdain for the average person's intelligence is more harmful to these causes than a bell ringing will ever be.

[Hannah Bell]

42. you may think so, but get back to me in a year.

your example about the vet protesting tells me you don't get my point.

[Forkboy]

43. And speaking of missing the point...

[Mind_your_head]

22. Not to worry....HB is just 'sore' b/c he/she never knew the "power of people"

STAMPEDING/TRAMPLING/PITCHFORK PEOPLE!

[Hannah Bell]

29. ?

[Breeze54]

12. 'Ring My Bell' !! ........... music video

Ring My Bell (1979) by Anita Ward

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOtC-xvmFJI

:P

[Mind_your_head]

18. What a WONDERFUL idea/action!

I hope this spreads beyond 'New England'.....and I hope/trust it will!

:cool beans: :-)

[Breeze54]

24. I hope it spreads across the country too!

:hi:

[Joey Liberal]

26. Great! nt