4 ms·

I used to think that if people could see the negative effects of climate change- if they could see it right there in front of them- then they would understand.

I used to think that if people could see the negative effects of climate change- if they could see it right there in front of them- then they would understand. But, that was before covid. People will be on a ventilator, struggling to breathe, literally dying, and still claim that covid is all a big hoax. I wish I understood it, but I don’t. Some broken adaptation, some evolutionary dead end in the human psyche just primes many people to value what they want to be true above what is true. Many people seem to have this view that the way things are right here and right now is normal and the cultural norms and customs they were born into are inevitable, and then extrapolate from there. Whereas of course there is no normal, and no guarantee that anyone will be okay, and culture is shifting sand, and whole groups of people die all the time for no good reason. Perhaps the stress of having those facts in your mind is just too much.

EricE 5y ago
"But, that was before covid. People will be on a ventilator, struggling to breathe, literally dying, and still claim that covid is all a big hoax." I don't think most people, especially those who are vaccine skeptical, think COVID is a hoax. I think you see people with different opinions on the response to COVID - especially when you see overt gaslighting for anything that goes against the blatantly obvious narrative. Same with climate change - the more screeching about "the science is settled" the more people will dig their heals in and reject such a narrative. I have at least one copy of Newsweek from the 80's with a picture of the frozen earth on the cover and in the 90's climate alarmists were agressivly warning by the 2000's all the costal cities were going to be under water (and yet all the politicians and powerful people [such as the Obama's] are still buying property in Marthas Vineyard - barely above sea level). Ever hear the story of Peter and the Wolf? I dunno - may the problem isn't entirely with everyone else? Maybe the things you are so confident in aren't as black and white as you obviously assume? Nah - it's easier to just ascribe it as the other guy being wrong. It couldn't possibly be me.
- fallingfrog 5y ago
  "I have at least one copy of Newsweek from the 80's.." See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. My guess is that you're a middle class white guy, age 55-70, who learned during his formative years during the cold war that America was the greatest country ever, that we were beset from all sides by foreigners trying to destroy our way of life, and now, some 40 years later, your brain simply cannot accept anything that contradicts that fundamental narrative. I've seen it before. Your point of view on the world was essentially set in stone by the age of 20, and will never change. That's the world that to you seems normal, and anything else seems unreal and unbelievable. I don't claim to be personally an expert on anything climate related, but the entire scientific community is unanimous on this issue- media does tend to overhype climate change, but they hype up everything. They are not who I'm talking about. I'm referring to the specific predictions as far as degrees of warming of qualified scientists, which indicate that we should probably expect about 3 degrees of warming, more or less. Whereas you are a Random Stranger on the Internet, and I could easily give you lots of information and context disproving your vague and angry assertions ("screeching?"). But it won't make any difference, so I won't bother unless you show some signs of self awareness.
- bryanrasmussen 5y ago
  >I have at least one copy of Newsweek from the 80's with a picture of the frozen earth on the cover I have at least one post on HN where everyone commented about how journalists don't know what they're writing about, get basic technical details wrong, and try to sensationalize everything because media is a business. You ever see that post? on edit: to clarify not a post by me, just as the copy of Newsweek from the 80's was most probably not by you.

EricE 5y ago

"But, that was before covid. People will be on a ventilator, struggling to breathe, literally dying, and still claim that covid is all a big hoax." I don't think most people, especially those who are vaccine skeptical, think COVID is a hoax. I think you see people with different opinions on the response to COVID - especially when you see overt gaslighting for anything that goes against the blatantly obvious narrative. Same with climate change - the more screeching about "the science is settled" the more people will dig their heals in and reject such a narrative. I have at least one copy of Newsweek from the 80's with a picture of the frozen earth on the cover and in the 90's climate alarmists were agressivly warning by the 2000's all the costal cities were going to be under water (and yet all the politicians and powerful people [such as the Obama's] are still buying property in Marthas Vineyard - barely above sea level). Ever hear the story of Peter and the Wolf? I dunno - may the problem isn't entirely with everyone else? Maybe the things you are so confident in aren't as black and white as you obviously assume? Nah - it's easier to just ascribe it as the other guy being wrong. It couldn't possibly be me.

fallingfrog 5y ago
"I have at least one copy of Newsweek from the 80's.." See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. My guess is that you're a middle class white guy, age 55-70, who learned during his formative years during the cold war that America was the greatest country ever, that we were beset from all sides by foreigners trying to destroy our way of life, and now, some 40 years later, your brain simply cannot accept anything that contradicts that fundamental narrative. I've seen it before. Your point of view on the world was essentially set in stone by the age of 20, and will never change. That's the world that to you seems normal, and anything else seems unreal and unbelievable. I don't claim to be personally an expert on anything climate related, but the entire scientific community is unanimous on this issue- media does tend to overhype climate change, but they hype up everything. They are not who I'm talking about. I'm referring to the specific predictions as far as degrees of warming of qualified scientists, which indicate that we should probably expect about 3 degrees of warming, more or less. Whereas you are a Random Stranger on the Internet, and I could easily give you lots of information and context disproving your vague and angry assertions ("screeching?"). But it won't make any difference, so I won't bother unless you show some signs of self awareness.
bryanrasmussen 5y ago
>I have at least one copy of Newsweek from the 80's with a picture of the frozen earth on the cover I have at least one post on HN where everyone commented about how journalists don't know what they're writing about, get basic technical details wrong, and try to sensationalize everything because media is a business. You ever see that post? on edit: to clarify not a post by me, just as the copy of Newsweek from the 80's was most probably not by you.