This raises an interesting question: how will Fox and the deniers deal with the increasing obviousness of ACC? The evidence keeps pouring in, some of which is so clear and simple that people without scientific training can readily perceive it. Among the visually compelling evidence we have the loss of Arctic sea ice, glacier retreat, Greenland ice melts, increasing wild weather, and of course deadlier heat waves. It won’t be long before we get start getting powerful images of destruction to structures in the Arctic due to permafrost melting. Although the deniers got some momentum in their direction in the last 5 to 10 years, that momentum has reversed now and their failure is now inevitable. How will they handle that? Will their members slink away one by one until there’s just Mr. McIntyre, Mr. Watts, and Mr. Inhofe? How will prominent deniers such as Fox News commentators respond when somebody rubs their noses in their falsehoods?
Well, we already have a confusing mixed bag of waffling between “climate change isn’t happening” and “this climate change is natural”. I would assume they would continue their migration towards the “this climate change is natural” mantra, with a mixed bag of the defeatist mantra that “we can’t do anything to mitigate it anyway”. Oh, and throw in a bit of “it’s changing, but it won’t be that bad” for good measure.
In my opinion, worrying about how the hardened deniers react should be our second priority. Sure, contain their misinformation when at all possible, but we really need to outnumber them with a rational majority. Seeking to inform and motivate the middle ground is where I see the most potential. That kind of thing requires a good bit of resources, leadership, and media support, though.
Otter17 and livinginabox, you both raise solid points. As always, I’m once again the Pollyanna, trying to see light where there’s only shadow. But perhaps they *mean* well… 😉
Yeah, maybe they do mean well. I’m sure climate denial means something a bit different to each one of them.
I see light in the middle ground. There are a good number of people that want to see problems for what they are and address them like adults. Climate change action just doesn’t quite have the advertising budget right now.
“In other news, Fox commentators attacked Captain Kangaroo for his welfare giveaways to Bunny Rabbit, arguing that Mr. Kangaroo’s largesse with carrots only encouraged Mr. Rabbit’s refusal to find a job. They also singled out Lassie for criticism, noting in particular her refusal to use American English. Ms. Gretchen Carlson, a Fox commentator, wondered aloud whether Lassie really was American, pointing out that Lassie’s owners have never released her birth certificate. They also questioned the propriety of little Jimmy’s relationship with Lassie, claiming that it had overtones of bestiality.
Rush Limbaugh has accused Kermit the Frog of being an environmental extremist because he is, after all, green.”
Cartoon physics is famously perverse. The classic example is the cartoon character who steps off a cliff but does not fall until he realizes that he has stepped off the cliff. Another example is the cartoon character who is subjected to an exploding bomb, emerging charred and smoking but otherwise unhurt, saying “Ooh, that smarts!” The are many more wonderful examples of cartoon physics; it’s one of the great charms of good cartoons.
I always suspected Mr. Crab was behind ocean acidification.
This raises an interesting question: how will Fox and the deniers deal with the increasing obviousness of ACC? The evidence keeps pouring in, some of which is so clear and simple that people without scientific training can readily perceive it. Among the visually compelling evidence we have the loss of Arctic sea ice, glacier retreat, Greenland ice melts, increasing wild weather, and of course deadlier heat waves. It won’t be long before we get start getting powerful images of destruction to structures in the Arctic due to permafrost melting. Although the deniers got some momentum in their direction in the last 5 to 10 years, that momentum has reversed now and their failure is now inevitable. How will they handle that? Will their members slink away one by one until there’s just Mr. McIntyre, Mr. Watts, and Mr. Inhofe? How will prominent deniers such as Fox News commentators respond when somebody rubs their noses in their falsehoods?
This will be interesting.
Well, we already have a confusing mixed bag of waffling between “climate change isn’t happening” and “this climate change is natural”. I would assume they would continue their migration towards the “this climate change is natural” mantra, with a mixed bag of the defeatist mantra that “we can’t do anything to mitigate it anyway”. Oh, and throw in a bit of “it’s changing, but it won’t be that bad” for good measure.
In my opinion, worrying about how the hardened deniers react should be our second priority. Sure, contain their misinformation when at all possible, but we really need to outnumber them with a rational majority. Seeking to inform and motivate the middle ground is where I see the most potential. That kind of thing requires a good bit of resources, leadership, and media support, though.
sinchiroca said: ‘How will prominent deniers such as Fox News commentators respond when somebody rubs their noses in their falsehoods?’
Through denial, suppression or distortion of the truth, quote-mining; fabrication, repeated lies and ignoring them. i.e. business as usual.
Otter17 and livinginabox, you both raise solid points. As always, I’m once again the Pollyanna, trying to see light where there’s only shadow. But perhaps they *mean* well… 😉
Yeah, maybe they do mean well. I’m sure climate denial means something a bit different to each one of them.
I see light in the middle ground. There are a good number of people that want to see problems for what they are and address them like adults. Climate change action just doesn’t quite have the advertising budget right now.
“In other news, Fox commentators attacked Captain Kangaroo for his welfare giveaways to Bunny Rabbit, arguing that Mr. Kangaroo’s largesse with carrots only encouraged Mr. Rabbit’s refusal to find a job. They also singled out Lassie for criticism, noting in particular her refusal to use American English. Ms. Gretchen Carlson, a Fox commentator, wondered aloud whether Lassie really was American, pointing out that Lassie’s owners have never released her birth certificate. They also questioned the propriety of little Jimmy’s relationship with Lassie, claiming that it had overtones of bestiality.
Rush Limbaugh has accused Kermit the Frog of being an environmental extremist because he is, after all, green.”
¿A pool? ¿Fire? ¿Evaporating water? Gotta love Sponge Bob Physics.
Cartoon physics is famously perverse. The classic example is the cartoon character who steps off a cliff but does not fall until he realizes that he has stepped off the cliff. Another example is the cartoon character who is subjected to an exploding bomb, emerging charred and smoking but otherwise unhurt, saying “Ooh, that smarts!” The are many more wonderful examples of cartoon physics; it’s one of the great charms of good cartoons.