Why do people insult environment-caring people calling the tree huggers?

Question

Is it wrong to want to take care of the environment? To want to recycle and preserve our world for future generations?

Answer 1

because they are selfish and don't want to make changes in their life to help the environment of the planet they live on. I think that making fun of other people makes them feel better about how insensitive and selfish they really are :-)

Answer 2

hi there

I think the problem is this:

There are so many issues in the world.. there are personal problems, problems in specific countries, problems of race gender and sexuality, there are problems with religion, there are problems for kids and for adults and the elderly, there are problems about the environment and there are just millions of problems... you get the idea!

And because we are all different we all care about particular things. This doesn't mean any of us are particularly right, but if nobody ever cared about the environment and only cared about cruelty to animals then the world would be in a very unbalanced state.

The same goes for the other way around- if people only had time for the environment and didn't care about raising awareness for sleep apnea or some other relatively unheard of medical condition then the results would be just as bad.

My point is that although we all want to care abouot EVERYTHING, we can't easily do that, because in order to make a real difference, you have to be passionate and that usually takes up most of your time and energy etc..

So when you look around there are people fighting for lots of different causes and some people don't realise that this is just the way the world functions and that we all do our different things contributing to the bigger picture...

Some people don't see this and they think that environment friendly people are extremist and over the top, but the truth is they just really care a lot.

This doesn't mean that everyone should be this way though.. if you see what i mean?

Everyone is different, in order to fight for the environment people emerce themselves deeply into the 'green' earth friendly culture and to outsiders it can seem a little unerving, but it's no different to someone canpaigning wildly for other issues.

It just seems a bit different and a bit strange to other people who have come from other backgrounds.

Of course there is also the issue of people not really knowing enough about the world and the way it is being ruined, they don't have the knowledge or the intellect to comprehend the worlds fate for future generations to come..

Perhaps these people have other issues that are too big or to hard that they have stopped caring.. perhaps they were brought up in broken homes and they cannot empathise or treat people with the respect they deserve.

Perhaps they are just ignornat or they think it's a joke, perhaps they are just immature?

In situations like this youo have to consider all the possibilities and remember, above all else that you must never let people put you off from doing what you feel is the right thing to do, no matter what that may be.

Hope you aren't getting a hard time!

Answer 3

"Tree Hugger" refers to people who care so much about trees that they're willing to give up their own lives to insure they won't be cut down. It stems from the days when deforestation was the most note-worthy environmental problem. Environmentalists would literally hug trees (and sometimes chain themselves to them as well) to prevent the bulldozers from being able to cut down groves.

It isn't exactly an insult if you find nothing wrong with the ideas of hugging a tree. What it is is calling someone a radical. If you are a radical, then it's not a problem. If you're NOT a radical, then you need to re-examine your actions to decide what is giving people that impression.

Answer 4

Hell no, it's not wrong to care for our Mother. Recycling is a good step in preserving the planet for future generations. And people who make fun of people who care about Mother don't care. They only care about convenience over conservation. It's very sad.

Answer 5

THere is nothing wrong with that. Lots of people really want to but aren't as dedicated as others or they just don't have the time. Other people might want Earth's population to be the same or more forever so they are very serious about the environment. That is why

Answer 6

It is not wrong to take care of the environment. If someone calls you a tree-hugger, take it as a compliment and kill them with your kindness-"Thank you! I do love trees and animals! You are so kind to notice that!" etc, etc.

Answer 7

Because some have chained themselves to a tree to try to stop it from being cut down.

Because an insult is a lie told in self-defense. They are threatened and confused. The true nature of the world is being revealed and it is too much for them to handle.

It is wrong to pretend you don't see and spite those around you rather than look inside for the truth.

Answer 8

For the same reason that some of your posters feel the need to insult those who disagree with them, using such pejoratives as "Rush Limpballs", or (falsely) claiming that those who disagree with (self-designated) "environmentalists" don't care about the environment or the quality of life.

Many, perhaps most, self-designated "environmentalists" (a.k.a. "tree huggers") confuse opinion with fact, and think that they have the right to force their factually-challenged opinions on others through legislation and other forms of coercion.

Those who disagree with junk science, and politically-motivated conclusions, justifiably feel annoyed by those espousing such opinions, and (as is human nature) express this annoyance with pejorative expressions.

Consider the fact that most "environmentalist" leaders are heavily invested in the very industries they condemn. For example, those who own forest land are active in halting timber production in other areas, thus driving up the market price of *their* timber.

And then there is algore, who claims to have invented the Internet and built the log cabin in which he was (not) born (amongst thousands of other lies), who wants everyone but his family to drive an electric car and (in contradiction) reduce electric usage.

With such people using "environmentalism" as a pretense to expand the role of government and further control our lives, with the goal of expanding *their* power, it's difficult to take any of you seriously.

In context, tree hugger is probably the least offensive label that is appropriate.

Answer 9

My thoughts are ~~ if the name/reference is meant as an insult, then that explains it all, or in other words, what characteristics prompts someone to judge or insult another individual in the first place? If they feel that something is not to their advantage, unfortunately, it opens the door to insult. Pity they can't think ahead to what something like a tree may mean to them if they were abandoned in the direct sunlight, maybe they would reconsider before insulting?

Answer 10

Early in the radical environmental movement people were tying/chaining themselves to trees to prevent easy removal and make a statement. They were literally "tree huggers." Over time the term has become generalized to include all environmental activists. Granted that some people use the term in a derogatory manner but in fact, I suggest as other answerers do that it is a pejorative only if the listener accepts it as such. You will find that the same fallacious logic is used by folks that attempt to use religious classifications in a derogatory manner when referring to them, such as "Christian," "Muslim," "Jew" or "Baptist," Catholic" or "Sunni."

Answer 11

Doesn't bother me. Call me tree hugger all you want. It's a badge of honor. The only think I detest is when people believe the phony logic and fabricated studies that politicians and industry try to hoist on the public to protect their own greedy self-interests