Far too much time went by without a statement on the events in Charlottesville, where neo-Nazis had held their protest march and one counter-protester was killed. Six whole days, in fact. But at long last, the Rainforest Action Network has made its opinion on the matter known.
Of course, nobody let out a sigh of relief. That’s because nobody was waiting to find out if the Rainforest Action Network had a soft spot for the new boys from Brazil. In fact, nobody cared.
While silence in the face of evil is always evil, public relations opportunism isn’t much better. National tragedy is not an opportunity for environmentalists to stand in the spotlight and work on their branding. Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones.
The Rainforest Action Network boldly opposes bigotry: pic.twitter.com/z6KzHCXQYf
— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) August 17, 2017
The American Library Association released a statement saying that reading is cool, but neo-Nazis with neckbeards are not. The International Literary Association found the words to do the same.
The National Medical Association reminded the nation that the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm” does not apply to institutional racism. The Sierra Club stopped saving the whales long enough to call for the extinction of the alt-right. And even the Teamsters stood in solidarity against white supremacists.
Some statements were more ironic than others. While Middlebury College let their students off easy for attacking Charles Murray and assaulting a faculty member, when looking to Charoletsville, President Laurie Patton condemned “the resurgent white supremacist movement and its followers.” Other stuffy nosed academics followed.
Some statements weren’t so grotesque in their attention-seeking, and some were even legitimately helpful. After wannabe frat-boy fascists marched by the light of Tiki-Torches, that company rightly distanced itself from ethno-nationalism. The Detroit Red Wings did the same, specifically because the marchers had painted the hockey team’s red logo on their toy LARP shields.
But injustice somewhere doesn’t need to be met by gratuitous virtue-signaling everywhere. The intersectionality theory that a threat against one should be addressed by all has become an excuse for a lot of ostentatious and morally easy condemnations. Academics, environmentalists, and librarians decrying bigotry aren’t bold. They’re tacky self-promoters.
Each of their statements more or less read the same. They begin with a condemnation of racism, then a reference to the organization’s long history of promoting progressive values, and conclude with buzzy talk of standing up to hate. One can’t help but pity the journalism-school dropouts who cobble together such clichés, because it’s all ultimately a meaningless exercise.
The nation saw what happened in Charlottesville, and it doesn’t need the Rainforest Action Network to prick its conscience. We all watched in horror as that car plowed into counter-protestors. We fought tears as Susan Bro was forced to bury her daughter. And we grit our teeth at the sight of Nazi flags flying in America. No self-serving press releases necessary.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
