It occurred to me today that alarmists have ruled the societal roost in recent years because they try harder.
When generally ill-informed climate warriors come across a (usually bogus) piece of climate science or journalism, the alarmists unite and go nuts.
They blog, vlog, protest, post, and share the heck out of content that has convinced far too many that the world is burning and that every major storm is a direct result of anthropogenic climate change.
Meanwhile, intelligent, rational people silently roll their eyes and go back to being successful in their careers and in their homes.
The problem is that these critical thinkers are often just as quiet when they come across fact-based science or journalism that could actually help move the needle in a more sensible direction.
This needs to change.
Smart people have allowed the Ideologically Deluded, Ill-informed Obstreperous Tribe (I will leave it to you to piece together the acronym so I can avoid being flagged by the language police) to dominate the dialogue for too long.
Now, I am not suggesting we go full-on Revenge of the Nerds and direct our pent-up rage at humiliating the dumb JOCKS (Journalists Obfuscating Climate-Kook Science), however tempting that may be.
Rather, I suggest that rational humans simply aim to match the effort level of the climate warriors, at least to a degree.
I know it is unlikely that the more cerebral folks in my network will don a sandwich board and parade arm-in-arm downtown, so I am just asking that you become more active on social media and at the dinner table.
It is no longer acceptable to let the misinformed loudmouth at the dinner table sound off about how the oil and gas industry has caused a “climate catastrophe” without being challenged.
It is no longer acceptable to read an irresponsible post about advocacy journalism on social media without leaving a comment that might help the author and other readers understand that climate change is a deeply nuanced subject that should never be represented in unequivocal hyperbole.
You need not do countless hours of research; that is what we at BIG Media are here for.
All you have to do is cite or share one of our articles so that common sense enters the discussion.
When I post about a fantastic piece of journalism that documents why a particular piece of legislation purportedly designed to prevent greenwashing is actually stifling environmental progress – e.g., It’s time to axe the c(r)ap – please resist the urge to just say to yourself, “Nice – now, that’s how journalism is supposed to be done!” and go back to being a great person.
Instead, please take a few seconds to hit the like button, say a few words in a comment (two or three words will do the trick), and share it with your network.
When I post about an article that calls into question advocacy science and lays out important facts – Real science requires real peer review – please do the same.
The ripple effect is a thing – one small action can have a major impact. Of course, many small acts can have a monumental effect.
We will keep working hard to document fundamental truths and critical context regarding the big issues, but we need your help in order to properly defend our society against the generally ill-informed but highly motivated climate warriors.
