QoD John Michael Greer on Herding Cats

In a post about Dr. David Shearman (who seems to think that absolute power is safe in the hands of scientists) and the failure of the climate change movement to understand the politics and economics, John Michael Greer said the following about herding cats:

I long ago lost track of the number of times I’ve heard people in one or another corner of the activist scene throw up their hands in despair and describe the task of organizing people to seek some form of change or other as being like trying to herd cats. In point of fact, herding cats is one of the easiest things in the world. All you have to do is go to the place you want the cats to go, carrying with you a #10 can of tuna and an electric can opener. The moment the cats hear the whirr of the can opener and smell the fragrance of the tuna, they’ll come at a run, and you’ll have your herd exactly where you want them. Now of course that strategy assumes two things. It assumes that you’re willing to go to the place you want the cats to go, and it also assumes that you have something to offer them when they get there.


Given the number of times, my friends and I have joked about herding cats, the quote is just too good not to share. And if you want to understand why the climate change movement is failing flat on its face, go read his entire post.