Stonehenge Has Been Spray Painted (or Gassed?) By Just Stop Oil Protestors

I have to give to Just Stop Oil. This particular protest is significantly more head-turning (although far less adorable and hilarious) than the last Just Stop Oil protest that came across my desk. The one that was executed by an 82-year old reverend and her friend Judy who lightly chiseled away at the glass case surrounding the Magna Carta.

Not that Sue and Judy didn't send shockwaves throughout Big Oil with their protest. I'm actually surprised that Just Stop Oil even felt the need to try and burn down Stonehenge after Sue and Judy made such a powerful statement last month. I really thought after their Magna Carta stunt that the British government would realize the error of their ways and cut out their nonsensical use of oil entirely. But apparently that's not the case. So I guess they've moved on to spraying prehistoric structures with fire. Or orange gas. Or whatever the hell they were using in that video. 

For lack of a better term, I'm attempting to play "devil's advocate" in my mind right now to try and understand what Just Stop Oil thinks doing something like desecrating Stonehenge is going to accomplish. I suppose in their minds, this Stonehenge stunt was a success. They're trying to draw attention to their cause, so they do something like this, the video goes viral, and idiots like me give it attention. But then what? Just Stop Oil is demanding the implementation of an emergency plan to stop the use of oil entirely by the year 2030. Clearly that's not going to happen. But I guess this is a "ask for something crazy and hopefully they'll meet us a 1/100th of the way there" situation. That maybe if they piss people off enough, that some day in court when the government is voting on something environment related, they'll think to themselves, "Well maybe if we vote with the Just Stop Oil people, they won't throw flaming bags of cat shit at Windsor Castle next month."

But I don't believe that's the way people think. I think people are far more motivated by spite. I think it's far more likely the Just Stop Oil people are only pissing people off to the point that they'll dig their heels in even further, and vote against them out of spite. I genuinely think they're doing more harm to their cause than good. I suppose they are succeeding in raising awareness. I didn't know who Just Stop Oil was until they unleashed those cute old ladies on the Magna Carta. And I guess if you ask them that's the only thing they're trying to do. But that seems very shortsighted. I can't say I have a personal attachment to Stonehenge. Or that I care even the slightest bit about the monument. But I know a lot of people do. And dumb shit like this is only going to make people resent Just Stop Oil even more.

Great protest guys. You got my attention. But if I were you, I'd switch up my strategy. You're not winning anybody over by vandalizing some rocks. The only people who think, "Good for you!" when watching that video are people who are already on your side. Any neutral person watching that just thinks you're assholes.