Ruben van der Meer has refused an invitation to take a seat at Eva Jinek’s talk show table. He does not want to be portrayed as a climate activist. “Then the nuance is gone.”
According to Ruben van der Meer, it is spreading like wildfire through Hilversum that he participated in Het Grote Groene Idee, the climate quiz by Harm Edens that will be broadcast at the end of the month. In this he is not only presented as a comedian, but also as a ‘climate activist’.
Climate activist
What did Ruben deserve that subtitle for? “It is of course because I was a co-plaintiff with 17,000 others against Shell for Milieudefensie. Milieudefensie won that one. I am concerned. I’m more of a concerned citizen,” he says in the podcast Ruben Tijl Ruben.
Ruben prefers not to be referred to as a climate activist. “But I’m called an activist on that show and that probably goes like a buzz now around, because I was called by Jinek if I wanted to join in response to that man who had glued himself.”
Not to Jinek
Ruben refused that invitation. “Then you are invited to talk about it, but then you are announced as an environmental activist. With that, the nuance is actually a bit away from: people, oh he is that! So they already listen to you differently.”
He concludes: “I was also invited by Sophie & Khalid. They wanted me there too. I thought: what is this? I do not want this! And you will be smashed on Twitter afterwards. Naturally!”
