4 thoughts on “Why there is no liberal equivalent to climate change denial”
A fascinating article, which leads to many conclusions. I see the article as a refutation of the idea that policymakers can be convinced by “science-based” arguments. I was able to solve the brain teaser at the start of the article, as I have a strong background in math and science. I also recognize the difference between ethics and science. There is no science that will convince people to stop killing animals.
Clarification on my post above: I am talking about the primary source, the Vox.com article. Unlike the Grist editors, I read the Vox.com article as a well-reasoned critique of both liberals and conservatives.
This is probably very far from true but somewhat true. Liberals and conservatives are more or less ruled by existing belief systems that are resistant to change; but right wing (couple of baby steps into existing republican part) thinkers/republicans live in a belief system way of thinking, largely anti-science on many topics, while liberals generally thirst for knowledge. Academia is dominated by liberal thinkers and that is why: They like science and seeking knowledge. I recommend The Republican Brain by Chris Mooney. Yes, both liberals and conservatives need to be more open minded in discussing ideas and public policy, but they are not equivalent in the way they approach knowledge, science, logic.
I think of the current republican party in terms of the G party: Guns (paranoia about gun control), God (down our throats), Gays (anti-gays), Gynecology (telling women what they can do with their bodies), and greed (unfettered capitalism), Genocide (get us into a war), government (paranoia about government control) and Genetics (racism). The G party courted the wedge issues since Nixon and the far right has taken over the party. They have nothing to sell but fear through lies and distortions and rampant paranoia. They hate the democrats being in power and especially Obama. They are knee jerk oppositional, protecting the status quo. They are irrationally anti EPA, ESA, wilderness and wildlife and national health care (Obamacare). They align themselves with the irrational wolf hating groups. They tout jobs at all costs but are really not job creators but job defeaters, and would let extraction industries and “sportsmen” and trappers into the last vestiges of what is left of wilderness. They and Montana democratic senators (blue dog democrats) would turn wilderness and wildlife management and federal lands over to local-vocal-yokel control. If they controlled congress and the executive branch they would soon have us in a new war, tip the balance more toward global warming, assail social programs in a big way, but protect the rich and the status quo of capitalistic health care and all else in favor with them. They would continue to fool republican minded middle and lower classes that paternalistic trickle down economics myths, but in reality 40% of the wealth and 25% income is in the hands of the top 1%, 85 people in the world having more wealth than half the world, the WalMart brothers have more income than 44% of Americans yet sending their employees to food banks and social safety net programs and continue to court the wedge issues. They must have someone to hate: immigrants, welfare recipients, the federal government, liberals, socialists, and an evil tyrant that needs to be brought down, communists, tree huggers, and progressives. Anyone making less than $200,000, voting republican is voting against their own best interests and if you wonder why, search for the wedge issue that motivates them, some hate issue, trickle down economics belief, blaming the poor attitudes. They watch Fox News, read emails from Newsmax, and hate everything Obama does. They are impervious to logic or factual arguments and science. They operate more from a rigid belief system and concrete way of reasoning rather than science. Many believe that global warming is a conspiracy hoax, that creationism is a fact and that man did not evolve and that the world is 6000 years old, and that dinosaurs never existed or that man co-existed with dinosaurs, that corporations are individuals. They do not believe how old the earth is or the universe is because it is too abstract for them. With a few exceptions, hunters and “sportsmen” and ranchers think like them. Maybe many still think the world is flat and that the sun revolves around the earth and that they are the center of the universe and stewards of the earth. You are talking to your shoe laces anytime you run up against their opinions their belief systems. They are the Grand Old Party, or Grand Opposition Party, the Grand Delusional Party.
Exposing the Big Game 
A fascinating article, which leads to many conclusions. I see the article as a refutation of the idea that policymakers can be convinced by “science-based” arguments. I was able to solve the brain teaser at the start of the article, as I have a strong background in math and science. I also recognize the difference between ethics and science. There is no science that will convince people to stop killing animals.
Clarification on my post above: I am talking about the primary source, the Vox.com article. Unlike the Grist editors, I read the Vox.com article as a well-reasoned critique of both liberals and conservatives.
This is probably very far from true but somewhat true. Liberals and conservatives are more or less ruled by existing belief systems that are resistant to change; but right wing (couple of baby steps into existing republican part) thinkers/republicans live in a belief system way of thinking, largely anti-science on many topics, while liberals generally thirst for knowledge. Academia is dominated by liberal thinkers and that is why: They like science and seeking knowledge. I recommend The Republican Brain by Chris Mooney. Yes, both liberals and conservatives need to be more open minded in discussing ideas and public policy, but they are not equivalent in the way they approach knowledge, science, logic.
I think of the current republican party in terms of the G party: Guns (paranoia about gun control), God (down our throats), Gays (anti-gays), Gynecology (telling women what they can do with their bodies), and greed (unfettered capitalism), Genocide (get us into a war), government (paranoia about government control) and Genetics (racism). The G party courted the wedge issues since Nixon and the far right has taken over the party. They have nothing to sell but fear through lies and distortions and rampant paranoia. They hate the democrats being in power and especially Obama. They are knee jerk oppositional, protecting the status quo. They are irrationally anti EPA, ESA, wilderness and wildlife and national health care (Obamacare). They align themselves with the irrational wolf hating groups. They tout jobs at all costs but are really not job creators but job defeaters, and would let extraction industries and “sportsmen” and trappers into the last vestiges of what is left of wilderness. They and Montana democratic senators (blue dog democrats) would turn wilderness and wildlife management and federal lands over to local-vocal-yokel control. If they controlled congress and the executive branch they would soon have us in a new war, tip the balance more toward global warming, assail social programs in a big way, but protect the rich and the status quo of capitalistic health care and all else in favor with them. They would continue to fool republican minded middle and lower classes that paternalistic trickle down economics myths, but in reality 40% of the wealth and 25% income is in the hands of the top 1%, 85 people in the world having more wealth than half the world, the WalMart brothers have more income than 44% of Americans yet sending their employees to food banks and social safety net programs and continue to court the wedge issues. They must have someone to hate: immigrants, welfare recipients, the federal government, liberals, socialists, and an evil tyrant that needs to be brought down, communists, tree huggers, and progressives. Anyone making less than $200,000, voting republican is voting against their own best interests and if you wonder why, search for the wedge issue that motivates them, some hate issue, trickle down economics belief, blaming the poor attitudes. They watch Fox News, read emails from Newsmax, and hate everything Obama does. They are impervious to logic or factual arguments and science. They operate more from a rigid belief system and concrete way of reasoning rather than science. Many believe that global warming is a conspiracy hoax, that creationism is a fact and that man did not evolve and that the world is 6000 years old, and that dinosaurs never existed or that man co-existed with dinosaurs, that corporations are individuals. They do not believe how old the earth is or the universe is because it is too abstract for them. With a few exceptions, hunters and “sportsmen” and ranchers think like them. Maybe many still think the world is flat and that the sun revolves around the earth and that they are the center of the universe and stewards of the earth. You are talking to your shoe laces anytime you run up against their opinions their belief systems. They are the Grand Old Party, or Grand Opposition Party, the Grand Delusional Party.
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/poll-religion-trumps-belief-in-big-bang-theory-for-most-americans/
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthinkprogress.org%2Fclimate%2F2012%2F06%2F09%2F496886%2Fromney-energy-plan-includes-drilling-virtually-every-part-of-us-with-no-protections-even-for-national-parks%2F&h=YAQF6BANI
The Science of Fox News: Why Its Viewers are the Most Misinformed
By Chris Mooney, AlterNet
Posted on April 8, 2012, Printed on April 13, 2012
http://www.alternet.org/story/154875/the_science_of_fox_news%3A_why_its_viewers_are_the_most_misinformed
http://missoulian.com/news/opinion/mailbag/republicans-adept-at-getting-people-to-vote-against-their-own/article_70cf9346-488d-11e1-85c2-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1l8frv81S
The Republican Brain: Why Even Educated Conservatives Deny Science — and Reality
By Chris Mooney, AlterNet
The Republican Brain: Why Even Educated Conservatives Deny Science — and Reality
By Chris Mooney, AlterNet
Posted on February 22, 2012, Printed on February 28, 2012
http://www.alternet.org/story/154252/the_republican_brain%3A_why_even_educated_conservatives
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/18/gops_southern_domination_why_nixon_is_modern_conservatisms_true_creator/