Seeing the Randy Molton cartoon in the latest Mountain Xpress [Oct. 22] reminded me of how thoroughly brainwashed most people still are regarding the subject of man-made global warming. Of course, people who are brainwashed don’t recognize their pet beliefs as brainwashing: They think their beliefs are well-considered positions.
Even after 19 years of no warming and recent indications of cooling, the nonstop propaganda is still coming from our mainstream media and political prostitutes. Never has this statement by Joseph Goebbels been more applicable:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
It’s actually very easy to understand the fact that man-made Global Warming is scientific fraud. But, in order to understand it, one has to set aside one’s pre-existing beliefs and objectively evaluate information. Most people, once their beliefs are set, will not consider any information that challenges those beliefs.
Seeing Molton’s cartoon about world ocean levels rising makes me want to show him all the REAL science out there that shows the burning of fossil fuels by humans has a negligible effect on atmospheric temperature and ocean levels.
Rather than studying the actual, real-world science, people would rather be comfortable thinking they’re right and anyone who thinks differently is either on the payroll of the oil companies or just plain ignorant. That’s what they think, isn’t it? Most believers in CO2-caused “climate change” don’t even know the percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere that comes from humans and what percentage is from natural sources? Nor do they know that atmospheric CO2 does not warm the atmosphere at all.
We should know by now that our mainstream media is nothing more than a propaganda ministry as Orwell warned. Look for better sources of information.
Michael Ivey
Haw Creek
98% of the world’s climate scientists are in agreement as to the reality of climate change; the 2% that do not agree are employed either directly by the fossil fuel industry or have funding (usually via their academic institutions) from this industry at risk. So just a few others (a very few), you believe the climate change is a “scientific fraud.” So nearly all the world’s top scientists are not to be believed, according to a handful of deniers.
If nearly all of the world’s scientists are engaged in fraud, then where are these “actual, real-world science” studies? From the remaining 2%? And instead of claiming people don’t “study” this “real-world” science, how about providing sources that support your view? A few links to peer-reviewed scientific studies would certainly bolster your view. Without them, all that is left is your personal opinion.
Accuracy of content is irrelevant. Molton’s art is juvenile and his content in general is boring. He should have been let go a long time ago.
Well, setting aside content, perhaps Molton is correct in employing juvenile-level art and commentary. The last major study done on the reading comprehension level of American adults revealed:
“The results show the average adult reads at the 9th-grade level. This accounts for the fact that the popular blockbuster novels are written at the 7th grade level. People like to read recreationally two grades below their actual reading skill. The average newspaper is written at the 11th-grade level, the tolerable limit for a 9th-grade reader.”
http://www.impact-information.com/impactinfo/literacy.htm
Those grade levels fall right into the juvenile range. There is no reason that artistic depictions would be any different.
Yeah, what Dionysis says. That and the only person I’ve ever heard more vitriol and bile spewed forth when their name was mentioned besides Al Gore was Jane Fonda. Ridiculous.
Though these points are oft repeated, sometimes it’s just nice to remind folks:
-Citing one’s sources is a mainstay of scientific integrity. That also includes telling who funds said studies. Those pesky independent scientists tend to do that very well, not so much with climate change deniers. Said studies come from the ENTIRE rest of the world, by the way which is in agreement and has no vested political interest in the United States.
-If I had a quarter for every big oil funded crony on Capitol Hill who began a climate change denial speech on a live mic with
“Well I’m no scientist…”. Yeah, we definitely get that. Same goes for creationists, flat Earth societies and bigots from the Antebellum Era who used phrenology as a scientific justification for slavery.
-Just checking Mr. Ivey, you do agree the Earth is over 6,000 years old right? Again, just checking as data thrown back and forth has to do with Ice Ages, periods of heating and cooling and that other sciencey stuff. I’d hope you believe in ice core samples and carbon 14 dating as well.
-Are your grandkids expendable enough to let them live in a world where unchecked man made climate change occurs? If climate change via man is bogus, you’d really have nothing to worry about if we as a planet managed to finally wean ourselves from finite and harmful fossil fuels. If climate change is caused by human actions, then the rest of the world was right in the first place and your grandkids might actually inherit a better world than you did. Win win right?
-Guess what? I can’t stand Molton’s cartoons either, but for different reasons. I find his cliched artwork to contain negative stereotypes of southern folk, and his topics are mostly rehashed news stories from last week’s issue. Gimme some Brent Brown any day, but that’s a different story. Brainwashed? Nah. Brainwashed would be believing that CFCs, CO2 and record breaking freaky weather activity is an X Files like conspiracy perpetrated by the ‘liberal media’.
-I’m saving up to send a plane load of climate change deniers to the Arctic Circle. Seriously. On my dime. There they can interview some Inuits, Aleuts whatever other tribes who live there, polar bears, etc to get the straight dope. The pictures of calving glaciers are truly beautiful this time of year. I promise I won’t invite any scientists either. Just be careful walking on those ice floes.
Ha! “Big Al” and “boat rocker” always make my day. But honestly, your hate toward my work is getting a little boring and uncreative. But I still love ’em! You guys are actually pretty good writers, too! Keep on posting!
The greatest fraud ever perpetrated on the human race is climate change denial! The lies spread by the greedy petroleum industry and its phony scientists have brought us to the brink of climate chaos. The UN just issued its most dire warning on climate, stating that we have five years to change course or we are facing utter calamity. Randy Molton’s cartoon only illustrates the truth of what’s to come: rising seas claiming cities and displacing millions of people. One doesn’t have to imagine far into the future to think of this — it’s happening now. Coastal cities are already being inundated with rising tides and erosion. Does one have such short term memory that Hurricane Sandy, Katrina or Andrew don’t come to mind? It’s amazing that we are still debating the facts of climate change when we should be doing everything possible to change our course. Perhaps we as a species simply are incapable of preparing for the future. Either way, we will face climate change’s impact. And even Mr. Ivey will have to deal with the consequences of denial.
Ahh! – Finally another free thinker. . . in Asheville… Silly me – I planted a couple of “hardy” fig trees 15 years ago – expecting warmer winters- but I finally realized we are not going to have a winter that doesn’t get down into the single-digit temperatures any time soon. I, too, used to believe but no more, and not just because of the fig trees. P.S. Now they are in planters I bring inside. Oh yes – the climate is changing – but I don’t think for a minute we humans are yet wise enough to understand the dynamics of that change. Scientific “facts” come and go.