I've had it with arguing with skeptics. It's like whac-a-mole. You squash one ill-informed comment, 10 more pop up in its place. Our local papers have had some global warming articles recently, and I've been arguing the global warming case to the ill-informed. It's alright when you are joined by many others on the comment thread who are arguing the same case. But it's not so good when the threads get overrun by global warming deniers.
I read hekebolos' diary last week, http://www.dailykos.com/...
He made the case that we needed to use fear against the deniers. So I started to respond to a denier with that tactic. I faltered as I composed the comment. I felt like a fear-mongerer. I felt like I was playing right into the hands of "State of Fear" mindset. I didn't feel like it was the right approach. I discarded the comment and went on my way.
Over the next few days, though, it kept going around in my head.
How do you appeal to the capitalists? The optimistic, laissez-faire, America first crowd?
So I was the lone voice, it seemed, on the local paper's comment thread yesterday. My one reasonable comment was "Thumbed down" below the viewing threshold. On the local papers (there are 2), you can give a comment a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down." If you get more than 2 thumbs down, your comment is hidden by default. You can change this, of course, but the default is what most people leave it to. So anyways, my one reasonable comment was "Thumbed down." 7 or so thumbs down. I was exasperated. Then I posted another comment along the lines of: "What are you guys so afraid of? Are you afraid of change? Are you afraid that the US can't live without oil? You guys don't think we can innovate our way out of this? I am not afraid. America will, and shall lead the carbon-free energy revolution. Follow us."
To my surprise, I received no thumbs down for awhile. I finally did receive a couple later on. But I think maybe that could be the right approach. You can put the deniers on the defensive. Accuse them of being chicken that we can't fix the problem. Accuse them of underestimating America. Paint a, dare I say, "morning in America" image with the "We will and shall lead the carbon-free energy revolution."
It is better than the constant whac-a-mole of arguing point by point what the skeptics bring up. Dismiss the denier arguments. Don't even quibble over the specifics. It will just go on and on, wasting your time. If they don't want to believe it, they won't. But if you accuse them of being chicken, you just might surprise them. Hopefully shock them into thinking a new way.
Here's the meme:
Global warming deniers are fearful. They are afraid of change. They don't think the US can stand up to the great challenge before us. They don't think we are capable of innovating new energy sources, of sequestering and capturing carbon, and of implementing other measures to keep our planet system stable. They are terrified that we have to cut back our lifestyles, when that is the farthest thing from the truth. We can live just as well, just by being smarter about it. Those afraid of change need to get out of the way, for this great nation of ours can, and shall lead the way in the carbon-free energy revolution!