I’m often amazed - when I’m not infuriated anyways - at the pervasive lackadaisical attitude in American society towards anthropogenic climate change, even amongst those who accept its reality. I realize the problem of economic externalities and the need for a public policy solution, yet... I don’t know, I guess I wish there was a little more urgency, a lot more discussion about the magnitude of the problem and its solutions, and a hell of a lot less enthusiasm for offshore drilling for hydrocarbons. We have to entirely change how we power our society and produce goods for consumption in a very short period of time or we’ll end up cooking the planet; you’d think it’d be the most important issue - the only issue.
Nonetheless, it is an intriguing question why it doesn’t seem to matter. For those in the reality-based community, do they not understand the scope of the problem, or even if they do, do they just not care? Or maybe they feel so helpless that they just try to put it out of their mind altogether? All possible, and the answer is almost certain to include some of each. Yet, one possibility that is often discounted is the fear - its presence often unnoticed - that many who are concerned have of being shouted down by a loud-mouth denialist. Taking after their models on Fox News and on talk radio, the evangelists for denial, with rare exception, seem to believe that he who makes the most loud noises, wins.
Which, insofar as public relations is concerned, is actually true. It doesn’t matter how garbled, mangled, or wrong-headed your message comes across. No, when it comes to the art of spin, preventing the other guy from getting his message out altogether is tantamount to a KO. The more timid of those not deceived by this, both in the media and the public at large, quickly get the message: "We’re right, you’re wrong, so shut the fuck up already! Moron! What?! What’s that, LIBERAL?! Sorry, can’t hear you loser! Why don’t you and your socialist buddies go save the polar bears! Global warming, ha! Hot air is a threat now? Huh... huh... What’s next, cold water?! Ha! LOUD NOISES!"
In other words, they’ve been largely successful in intimidating rational Americans into shutting up and tuning out by shouting down. They may be losing insofar as sheer numbers are concerned, but theirs is a war of attrition and slow retreat; the longer they can delay, the more doubt they can sow, the more the people and corporations bankrolling the denialist campaign can externalize their costs through the pollution that’s destroying our planet.
In a perfect world, I’d like it if we could just have rational discussions with these people and fill in the gaps in their knowledge - though the one between their ears might be tough. However, that is not possible; their ideological view of truth and falsehood precludes rational discussion. In short, it’s time to stop playing defense. Those on the side of reason and scientific fact must put aside our tendency to "respect their opinions" and "disagree without being disagreeable." The hour is late, and if it takes some being disagreeable to implement the policies necessary to avert a collapse of the ecosystem, then so be it.
OK, I was kind of lying about how I wish we could all just sit down and sing kumbaya while Al Gore gives his slide show. I gotta be honest, I’ve actual come to take a sort of perverse pleasure in confronting some of these clowns. Personally, I absolutely love to launch a couple nuclear-tipped cruise missiles of logic into the fantasy world of the average GOP brownshirt. Nothing makes my day like taking the delusional worldview of a right-wing crazy and tearing it to shreds in front of a large group of stunned onlookers. Just completely wrecking that shit. Knocked the fuck out. I’m talking about the infliction of "go-home-and-cry-because-a-big-part-of-my-identity-has-been-stripped-away" type of emotional distress. Like their ideologically-driven denial of facts is Nicole Brown Simpson and I’m OJ. No, I don’t feel like I’ve really done the job unless I’ve rendered embarrassment roughly equivalent to being found passed out naked in a shopping mall with explosive diarrhea and an uncontrollable erection (don’t ask). The intellectual equivalent of Abu Ghraib and Gitmo combined. Humiliation. You get the idea.
This might seem unnecessary, but have you ever seen a self-righteous loud-mouth GOPer at a loss for words? It’s priceless. The prospect of leaving a loud-mouthed demagogue in a state of stammering embarrassment should be more than adequate incentive to overcome your fear of confrontation. The key is to not only rip their talking points apart with fact, but to simultaneously tell them the psychological reasons why they’re motivated to spew their bullshit, all while making them feel like they’re a bad person. No, not make them "feel" like it; if they’re spreading ignorance that endangers the future of human civilization, they ARE a bad person - I’m just helping them to realize it. As they say, acceptance is the first step. It’s harsh, but tough love often is - and it takes a lot of love to tell someone just how firmly implanted their head is in their ass.
The point I’m making here is that is that climate change is a very real threat, and it’s far past time to stop obliging dangerous ignorance and giving a pass to climate quackery. We need to have the same attitude towards anti-science bigots as we do towards bigots of race. We must let them know, in no uncertain terms, that they’re delusional, stupid fucks who are willfully endangering their country - which some people might consider to be borderline treasonous, at least from an ethical perspective. We should convey that if they insist on denying elementary facts like "greenhouse gases cause temperature go up," they should try putting "country first" for once, and keep it to themselves. We need to to send the message that this is done. Fighting against action to avert an ecological catastrophe by childishly insisting there’s not such a problem is no longer anymore socially acceptable than racism or chauvinism. As with racists and chauvinists, they have the right to their ignorant opinion, but there are certain standards of acceptable conduct and discourse in this society. Respect for well-substantiated and supremely important scientific fact is one of them.
If they really do believe that we can go on dumping ever-increasing amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere without consequence, then let them follow the proper procedure for scientific claims and present their evidence for peer review. In the mean time, I consider the debate on the existence of it closed, and will treat anyone who insists on spewing forth denialist nonsense with the same contempt I’d show for Neo-Nazis and other would-be perpetrators of crimes against humanity.
Cross-posted at my new blog, DailyElitist.com.