Where did the connection between environmentalism and authoritarian "communism" come from?

Question

Now I don't mean the idealistic, everyone works together and shares everything kind of communism. I mean the actual, historical, massive government, government control, lack of freedoms communism.

Almost every actual environmentalist I have met, or read their writings, has advocated less federal govrnment and more local control and self reliance as a means to reduce our environmental impact. I say almost, because I might be forgetting one or two that didn't because they were so overshadowed by those that do. So where did this idea that all environmentalists are pro big government and want to take peoples individuality away come from?

It seems that the people who are most against the "green movement" because of their fear of government intervention (IE authoritarian government) might have more in common with the environmentalists than they realize.

Answer 1

Fantastic Question. It would take an essay to answer fully. So I will express my views in point form.

* We are Permaculturists. Byderule explains this above. It basically means that we are auto sufficient (as possible).
* Caveat to a degree. Auto sufficient but it also relies on trading within a community/neighbourhood of like-minded individuals. Think crop failure, means of production, availability of and division of labour etc etc.
* Caveat 2 we are part of a system by default of our location, eg In UK we cannot avoid taxation in the form of Council Taxes etc so we can never be entirely auto sufficient in UK. Nor can we survive in UK because of these recessive taxes without an outside source of income/savings.
* The connection between environmentalism and authoritarian communism is that it is a continuum from capitalism to communism. Greens are obviously anti capitalistic (!) so therefore must be communist.
* WHY? The argument is that: 'The care of' environment also has to extend to People Care and Social Justice (Fair Shares) as man is the subject 'I' in the equation. Man + Consumption (~ may) = damage to fragile eco systems. We are part of an interconnecting system, we cannot disaggregate. What happens globally is directly affected by what happens locally. Think deforestation, think poverty, think monoculture, think consumer demand and waste etc.
* Permaculture is about producing a 'yield' that enables man to live within his environment sustainably. The overriding philosophy is least interference in natural systems as possible.
*This is contrary to high governmental intervention. However, the world is not perfect, people are not born equal, they have disabilities, old age, are infants etc. In a socially just 'modern' society we do not agree that the weak, poor and disabled can fend for themselves or die. AS this is unacceptable to us, we do not live tribally and care inter-generationally so we must rely on outside providers/carers (usually funded through taxation in UK by Government such as NHS)
*Neither is the Geography/availability of resources and land (Power) Equal. The structure of modern day societies means we can no longer be tribal in UK. Legislation prevents this. So we, as individuals, can not be responsible for the meta functions of government including defense, legislation etc.
*We live in a capitalistic society where those who ACT in an environmentally supportive manner are far fewer than those who ACT in accordance with Capitalistic Values. As we are no longer tribal our only address to those who damage natural eco-systems or act in ways which damage the environment is Legal Address. Hence the need again for Governmental intervention.
*Large Governments and Centralized Governments are ineffective as they are slow to respond to new issues, and are insensitive to local issues. Centralization of Governments is a 'paper system' for controlling expenses but historically ineffective. Local Governments are also traditionally very difficult to control and direct without penalties and directives. Think Labour Government and Conservative Local Council. I agree, because of this Environmentalists generally in favour of local control which meets their 'green local agenda'.
*The thinking goes: We are treehuggers, we care about the environment, we care about other people, we don't like consumerism, therefore we must be hippies, therefore we must support authoritarian communism!

Answer 2

The oil companies are the reason that there is a connection. If you would look the time during which a lot of environmental activists were really getting started was during the height of the cold war. The oil companies used the comparision with communism as a scare tactic to feed off of the government propaganda machine against Russia. The oil companies were able to make the environmentalists look evil by doing this.

Answer 3

Czech President: Environmentalist 'Religion' Like Communism
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804643/posts

Answer 4

To make the uncomfortable changes will require governmental enforcement, just as the Soviets tried! Then there are people such as Al Gore, who believe in Big Brother governance, who are now at the forefront of the "Green" movement.

Answer 5

Whatever they write, They get the legislation they want by lobbying "big government" A lot of this eco law has done damage to small business and raised their costs or made it impossible to continue. And worse because of some perceived infraction by big government officials, Arrested and severly fined for some pretty petty stuff because of some new law they were totally unaware of or too confusing to understand.

Answer 6

Because of the central planning required to implement all the demands of the environmental groups. And of course their demonification of profit. Plus the environmental movement absorbed many former leftists once the USSR collapsed in the late 80 early 90s.

Answer 7

Sorry I disagree. If you believe that SUV's are damaging our environment beyond repair, you pass a federal law to ban them. This way you get to control the whole country and not your little corner.

Edwards is already talking to ban SUV's, throwing these owners under the wheels of the bus for the votes of those that hate and despise SUV's.

If not an outright ban, it will be a death of a thousand cuts, as taxes are raised and other restrictions leveled against the owners of SUV's.

Angry people should never be voted into office.

Answer 8

i would like to know that somebody just called me a commie.

And our philosophy heads for Tribalism.auto-sufficiency in a sustainable Environment encouraging inter trading ,and being independent from out side influences
like a government .

But under strict principles and responsibilities
obeying the laws of Nature

Hard work and innovation is called for ,
not sharing ones resources with everybody ,but rather utilizing them individually to the maximum.

A somewhat pagan existence ,of like minded co operative individuals ,not a herd

Permaculture has been called revolutionary because by the end of it a Government becomes obsolete .

Commies cannot live without Daddy Government

If one takes care of ones behaviors,by-products ,energy requirement ,and manages to create all ones needs locally and exist in a sustainable manner

What is left for a Government to do except interfere,

In Paranoid moments , i think that is why
Yahoo consistently has refused to recognize Permaculture as a category and banishes its Prophets telling them that they are spamming.

But the world is becoming very complicated and schitzo politics has poured into Nature ,

on the one hand ,Governments , supply protection from the invading civilization and provide resources.
And on the other they are the biggest destroyers of the Environment

Answer 9

Get rich quick schemes in the capitalist business world, (buyouts, IPOs, conglomerates, acquisitions, mergers, and the stock market), do not actually work. Remaining solvent does not actually exist within false economics capitalism.

Profit existing in the capitalist business world, or millionaires existing within capitalism, is pathological deception committed by the 21 organizations spying on the public with plain clothes agents, (with covert fake names and fake backgrounds).

Actual economics is the persons paying the monthly business loan payments of companies voting at work in order to control the property they are paying for.

Capitalism is the psychology of imaginary parents, false economics, and the criminal deception of employees that are paying the bills (including the stocks and bonds, or shares) of companies.

Anti-democracy republicanism is the psychology of imaginary parents and false government.

Answer 10

wow you lost me. im not sure your argument is logistically sound. but hey thats one way of looking at it.