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It frustrates me that the actual paper is well researched and very interesting, yet the title and even the concept of these 9 boundaries will make many immediat

It frustrates me that the actual paper is well researched and very interesting, yet the title and even the concept of these 9 boundaries will make many immediately disregard it. There seems to be this notion that scary titles and overly-simplistic frameworks like this make it more digestible and give it more attention, but I think that’s a big PR mistake.

mistrial9 3y ago
agree with the thought, but in this case, that group there was selected about ten years ago (?) from a very wide set of concerned and vocal groups. So this is second or third generation for them, to choose what is in a Press Release, what is in a slideshow and what is in formal papers.
salynchnew 3y ago
It depends on the audience. If the PR isn't working on you, it could be bad... but in this case, I think it is just that you're not the target audience. As you note, it's very well researched. The problem is that "good" research showing the negative effects of climate changes has been around for decades, but simplistic disinformation that argues either 1) we can ignore the science or 2) we can take our time has been winning in terms of awareness and public opinion for all that time. The challenge is to make the direness of our situation understandable enough so that people will feel compelled to take action NOW, rather than sooner... or later.
- SpicyLemonZest 3y ago
  But is this kind of messaging effective even on those terms? I'm fairly informed about climate issues, and I have no idea what action the source article is calling me to take.
akira2501 3y ago
If the problem is genuinely that intractable and obvious then why would it need PR? What they've done is create a market for "scary titles and overly simplistic" frameworks, and then they've spent lavishly on that market, as evidenced by this website. More damningly, none of this has evidenced any form of a workable socially aware solution at all. This isn't working. It's the opposite of what you want. It needs to stop.
- AndrewKemendo 3y ago
  Because the implications if its true (it is) mean the entire system has to change to fix it and that’s impossible for most people to handle even conceptually
  - akira2501 3y ago
    Then you're not trying to "change to fix it" you're attempting to "overcome humanity by bullying." Either way, best of luck. Personally, I'd try a different strategy all together.
    - AndrewKemendo 3y ago
      I’d love to hear your definition of humanity, because as far as I can tell the system we’re currently in is counter to humanity

mistrial9 3y ago

agree with the thought, but in this case, that group there was selected about ten years ago (?) from a very wide set of concerned and vocal groups. So this is second or third generation for them, to choose what is in a Press Release, what is in a slideshow and what is in formal papers.

salynchnew 3y ago

It depends on the audience. If the PR isn't working on you, it could be bad... but in this case, I think it is just that you're not the target audience. As you note, it's very well researched. The problem is that "good" research showing the negative effects of climate changes has been around for decades, but simplistic disinformation that argues either 1) we can ignore the science or 2) we can take our time has been winning in terms of awareness and public opinion for all that time. The challenge is to make the direness of our situation understandable enough so that people will feel compelled to take action NOW, rather than sooner... or later.

SpicyLemonZest 3y ago
But is this kind of messaging effective even on those terms? I'm fairly informed about climate issues, and I have no idea what action the source article is calling me to take.

akira2501 3y ago

If the problem is genuinely that intractable and obvious then why would it need PR? What they've done is create a market for "scary titles and overly simplistic" frameworks, and then they've spent lavishly on that market, as evidenced by this website. More damningly, none of this has evidenced any form of a workable socially aware solution at all. This isn't working. It's the opposite of what you want. It needs to stop.

AndrewKemendo 3y ago
Because the implications if its true (it is) mean the entire system has to change to fix it and that’s impossible for most people to handle even conceptually
- akira2501 3y ago
  Then you're not trying to "change to fix it" you're attempting to "overcome humanity by bullying." Either way, best of luck. Personally, I'd try a different strategy all together.
  - AndrewKemendo 3y ago
    I’d love to hear your definition of humanity, because as far as I can tell the system we’re currently in is counter to humanity