As the benchmark of “normal” becomes more and more extreme, then any attempt to move it back in the direction of common sense (or even just to question it at all) gets met with ridicule, suspicion, contempt, or worse.
I’m thinking of the sod-grass landscaping hegemony but it applies to many other things as well. Such as the single-use-packaging norm. And extreme palm-tree pruning, which is the landscaping fad in Florida — taking away street shade, robbing habitat from bats and other wildlife. Question that, and you’re just a weirdo.
Note: My advice is, persevere, brave ones! We’ll know we’re making progress when the mainstream norms no longer define concern for plants and animals and ecosystems as some sort of fringe, sappy, impractical thing.
What examples have you noticed around you, of being considered crazy or extreme when you question an accepted norm that is itself crazy and extreme?