Bad Is Bad Enough
Heather Higgins ·
Jul 12, 2010 at 3:06pm
This Commentary blog post goes a long way to explaining why a sensible public is no longer so subject to extravagant description – yes things are truly bad, but “worst ever”? If scientists, journalists, and politicians want to have credibility, they need to return to fact and responsible moderation in their tone.
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Jun '10
Re: Bad Is Bad Enough
Since the average person is much more narcissistic today (my amateur assessment,) anything that's "worst in their experience" IS "worst." Those other things happened to other people--not them. :)
Re: Bad Is Bad Enough
Good point, Heather. There really is a kind of disaster inflation going on right now. Everything is a "crisis." The earth is in peril. We're all about to die. It's so silly.
But then, it's awfully hard to raise money for your issue, whatever it is, with a direct mail piece that begins, "Taking the long view, of course, things have never been better. Still, there's a chance for some incremental change for the good if only you'll send in $1000..."
And more and more, it seems to me that raising money is what it's all about, for most of these groups. Money to pay salaries and keep "outreach" initiatives going, money for conferences and global meetings -- always in Geneva, or Kona, or Copenhagen; never in Cleveland -- and money for nice offices in nice parts of town.
May '10
Re: Bad Is Bad Enough
It is extortion via guilt or panic.
Our forefathers understood that bad things happen over which we have no control. There seems to be a modern misunderstanding of that (look at Katrina). Bad things happen, and all our mastery of technology won't change that. Still we live in a world where we have the hubris that we are changing the weather.
I like the old saw in 2004 "The country has never been this divided". Really? I guess I don't live 3 miles from a whole bunch of Confederate and Union graves then, right?
May '10
Re: Bad Is Bad Enough
As Rush Limbaugh once pointed out, to the vast majority, history began the day they were born.
Nobody wants to "solve" problems. They want to "process" them. Take The March of Dimes for example. This organization was specifically created in 1938 to eradicate polio. Seventeen years later, mission accomplished. Did it go away? No. Nothing goes away where someone has made it their profession.