Sunday, September 23, 2007

Deliberately Muddying The Waters.


Dear Friends, I just watched FAUX News (I was really getting down and dirty) and saw Hannity debating the bona fides of global-warming campaigner Al Gore with a 'let's do something about global warming' supporter.

Hannity's specious argument went along the lines of: because Gore may have travelled in a private jet or he may have used too much electricity in his home, Gore is a hypocrite and therefore everything that Gore says about global warming should be ignored if not entirely rejected. In other words, a tiny blemish on the apple skin renders the whole apple inedible. How ridiculous!

I too have had many similar experiences to the poor man who was trying to support Gore. For example, when talking about the divisiveness of mainstream religions I have had people asking me to prove that there is no God or that there is no life after death or that humans don't have a soul. What one has to do with the other I don't know!

Though it hasn't happened yet, I'm sure someone is going to suggest that, before I can promote a World Utopian Movement, firstly I have to prove that the world exists (we humans could, after all, be like Donovan's Brain and exist only in bottles and merely imagine that we are living in a physical world). Then, if I can prove that, the next issue will be for me to accurately define what is meant by Utopia and prove whether it can exist or has ever existed. Then, after that, there will be a demand that I detail exactly what is meant by a Movement and whether there is such a thing or is it merely a chance meeting of minds that just happen to think along similar lines at a particular moment in time. I might not live long enough just to deal with these three issues let alone get on with trying to do something to lessen some of the major problems in our world.

I'm interested in trying to work out why humans, contrarily, love to obfuscate, love to try to make things as difficult as possible for others especially where change is being advocated. Is it an ego thing, a mischievous desire to prove how clever they think they are? Is it stubborn resistance to change, a rebellion against changing long held views? Is it a lack of any ability to think laterally or creatively or an attempt to try to restrict thought processes to narrowly defined, academic procedures? Or is it just pure bloodymindedness, a wish to hinder someone who may have something worthwhile to say or do?

Who would know? Obviously there are many more people who prefer to play with a dead bat than there are who try to play the game of life with flair, originality and generosity!

6 comments:

Gracie said...

Money, greed and power are far too seductive for some people to ignore. Many of these folks are opportunists especially the right wing pundits and talk radio show hosts.

I don't know the answers to your questions as they are the ones I ask myself constantly. Most of the time I feel like I'm living in an episode of The Twilight Zone.

Daniel said...

We humans are a funny lot, Gracie. That the world needs completely changing is obvious to anyone with half a brain. Why do so many people deliberately stand in the way?

Nancy said...

They may know something that we don't.
It seems that there is a 'time delay' on climate change. It can take as long as twenty years for the effects to show thanks to the mitigating effect of the oceans and forests.

If this is indeed true, we are in far worse shape than even the worst predictions indicate...since everything we have felt up until now would be the residual effects of matter put into the atmosphere during the 1960s and seventies.

In which case, we literally have seen nothing yet.
It would account for the faster-than-anticipated rise in ice retreat, etc.
Scientists working from a base rate established today would not account for the cumulative effect the subsequently added pollutants add to the equation.

I'm terrible in math, but have a mild gift for observation, and frankly am terrified for the future.

The millenniallists love the whole idea since it ties in with their sick, perverted 'religion'. It's okay to use everything up. There may be no tomorrow, and they have made sure there won't be one--at least one with most of the human species continuing with business as usial.

billie said...

specious arguments and yelling at your 'opponent' is par for the course these days. i try not to interface with folks who 'debate' like that- the only problem is- i haven't had a conversation in months :) it happens on both sides but there is certainly a concentration on faux news. it's the lazy way to 'debate' just like christianity is the lazy way to spirituality.

Daniel said...

Nancy, the people who are standing in the way of radical action regarding climate change are those who are profiteering while destroying our world. They are despicable.

Betmo, the fact that so many humans argue against change is tribute to their collective stupidity.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Gore is a hypocrite and therefore everything that Gore says about global warming should be ignored if not entirely rejected. In other words, a tiny blemish on the apple skin renders the whole apple inedible. How ridiculous!

Damn! I knew there was an argument out there that would stop Neo-cons dead in their tracks regarding Bush.

Then again...

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