Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Walking through the airport in my hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida this morning, I spied the South Florida Sun Sentinel, a Tribune Company-owned newspaper, trumpeting the following on the front-page above the fold:
The signs of global warming
The debate over global warming tends to focus on future perils — scary maps of flooded suburbs, the northward creep of tropical diseases, rich farmland turning into desert.
But some of the effects of global warming have already arrived in South Florida, as coastal cities flood more frequently and overheated corals turn white and die. The region's temperatures have not gone up, however, and many scientists say climate change has had little effect on hurricanes.
While most climate scientists agree the Earth has warmed over the past century, they say it's extremely difficult to assess the impact of slight temperature increases on complex natural systems.
"There is general consensus among scientists that climate change is occurring and that human activities are influencing that," said James W. Jones, director of the Florida Climate Institute at the University of Florida. "A lot of the controversy stems from the fact there's a lot of uncertainty about how much it's changing and how fast it's changing. … We need to go into the middle of this debate and not say nothing is going to happen and not say the sky is falling."
What follows is an anecdote-laden discourse on why the sky must, in fact, be falling. When the author feels forced to disclose that temperatures in the southeastern United States have been cooling rather than warming over the past fifty years, he finds an ideologically-compliant assistant professor of meteorology to deliver the following data-free warning:
"That raises complacency that climate change is not affecting us so why should we care?" Misra said. "That's a dangerous attitude to take. Climate change has no borders."
The message from the Sun Sentinel's news editor: Never mind crushing federal budget deficits and the imminent threat of Great Depression, the Sequel. Never mind the actual and inconvenient temperature data. There just has to be some kind of catastrophic manmade global warming going out there and you and I had better stick with the program. And this feel-the-doom message is sufficiently urgent to lead the Sunday edition of a substantial regional newspaper.
"Trust your feelings" may have worked out for Luke Skywalker, but widespread embrace of the Star Wars character's philosophy in the real world is unlikely to end happily for a self-governing republic.
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May '11
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Whenever this sort of story comes up I think, and? Assuming that you believe the worst to be true, what would you suggest be done? From what I've read our best efforts to reduce CO2 production here in the U.S. [and thus agreeing with the climate models] would reduce temperatures in the range of several hundredths of a degree over 50 years. And further, when I ask if individuals if would be willing to give up their two cars and multiple air conditioners, there follows silence. Much of this kind of handwringing is nothing more than the posturing of an affluent Westerner who does their part by carrying a filthy reusable bag when they go to the liquor store.
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Exactly. I believe the purpose of this story is to keep the emotional pump primed for leftist environmental arguments. When Republicans campaigning for president argue in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline and increased domestic oil and gas exploration, the Democrat demurral in favor of "protecting the environment" will strike a resonant chord in many voters who won't even recall reading this treacle.
"I can't support Big Oil. What about global warming, coastal inundation and dying coral reefs?"
One may as well ask, "What about unicorn depopulation?" given the dearth of evidence and rational argument offered in support.
But the feeling is the thing.
Edited on Nov 20, 2011 at 11:02amRe: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
This is a sign of the degree to which the scientists have become corrupted. They are shills for socialism and care not a whit about the truth.
Oct '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
These people are insane. If they had waited for the economy to recover, I have no doubt they could have passed their precious cap-and-trade scheme. "Never let a crisis go to waste" can only be stretched so far; global warming had nothing to do with the recession. It's nice to have such stupid political opponents, I guess.
Edited on Nov 20, 2011 at 11:12amOct '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Oh come on. Not all of them want socialist solutions, though a lot of them are rather nihilistic. Carbon taxes and cap and trade are not socialism, they are tax schemes. Nihilism can be as bad as socialism in some respects, of course, but it's important to use the right word.
Nov '11
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
As I have been complaining about media bias, the following, from a recent AP article, seems appropriate here:
"The study of the world's surface temperatures by Richard Muller was partially bankrolled by a foundation connected to global warming deniers."
I'm looking forward to the AP article which refers to pro-choice folks as "members of the culture of Death".
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Mothership_Greg: As I have been complaining about media bias, the following, from a recent AP article, seems appropriate here:
"The study of the world's surface temperatures by Richard Muller was partially bankrolled by a foundation connected to global warming deniers."
I'm looking forward to the AP article which refers to pro-choice folks as "members of the culture of Death". · Nov 20 at 11:35am
As a thought exercise, it's worth reading through the Sun Sentinel article linked above, tallying the actual facts cited, then using them to craft an alternative news article debunking anthropogenic global warming alarmism of the sort animating California's disastrous AB32 carbon dioxide restriction legislation, recent federal cap-and-trade fantasies, the EPA's current war on coal-fired power stations, and enviro-statist opposition to Keystone XL, to name only a few. I think the resulting article is a good deal more compelling that the contra-factual one actually published.
Nov '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Joseph Eagar: It's nice to have such stupid political opponents, I guess. · Nov 20 at 11:06am
Edited on Nov 20 at 11:12 am
No argument. But riddle me this, Batman: how come we keep losing?
Oct '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
If the temperatures haven't risen, what exactly is causing the corals to die? Mmmmm...
I'm not so sure.
Oct '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Severely Ltd.
If the temperatures haven't risen, what exactly is causing the corals to die? Mmmmm...
Reading the article now, I see I commented too soon. Land temperatures have not risen, but ocean temperatures have, they say. Not that I'm at all convinced of the truth of their premises or conclusions, but in this case I created and attacked a strawman.
Oct '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Starve the Beast
Joseph Eagar: It's nice to have such stupid political opponents, I guess. · Nov 20 at 11:06am
Edited on Nov 20 at 11:12 am
No argument. But riddle me this, Batman: how come we keep losing? · Nov 20 at 4:29pm
Because the Democrats are openly corporatist, and Republians are not. In many ways, our party is a reaction against special interest group rule. Unfortunately, corporatism is a highly attractive political philosophy when it comes to getting things done. This attracts a lot of political talent into the Democratic Party, including conservative political talent.
This is where the old line "Democrats are the corrupt party, Republicans are the stupid one" comes from. What's the solution? For now, the Democrats are being so consumed by their left wing that it's given us room to breathe. During this time, we need to encourage anti-corporatist populism (as represented by Sarah Palin and others like her), and conservative think tanks need to work out the intellectual basis for how a non-corporatist federal government might work.
Edited on Nov 20, 2011 at 5:25pmMar '11
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
Some scientists, yes. Not all.
As Einstein said (well, almost), it only takes one scientist with good data to expose the corruption.
Edited on Nov 20, 2011 at 8:14pmJun '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
I don't doubt the climate has changed. I can remember white Christmases in Nashville during my youth. I also have no doubt that man as some impact on climate. The question is how much?
I don't believe our impact is all that great. I believe what we are experiencing was once known as weather. Here is an example of weather from the past: the year without a summer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_without_a_summer
May '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
The danger is this: if data show that temperatures aren't warming, people will be lulled into a sense of complacency, and they won't believe us when we tell them temperatures are warming, which will prevent us from doing the things necessary to stop the warming.
Right?
Dec '10
Re: Oh What a Feeling: Groupthink Masquerading as News
George Savage
The message from the Sun Sentinel's news editor: Never mind crushing federal budget deficits and the imminent threat of Great Depression, the Sequel. Never mind the actual and inconvenient temperature data. There just has to be some kind of catastrophic manmade global warming going out there and you and I had better stick with the program. And this feel-the-doom message is sufficiently urgent to lead the Sunday edition of a substantial regional newspaper.
"Trust your feelings" may have worked out for Luke Skywalker, but widespread embrace of the Star Wars character's philosophy in the real world is unlikely to end happily for a self-governing republic. ·
EXACTLY George. This is a prime example of the circular self delusional idiocy of the climate obsessed. Man made climate change is neither a philosophical position nor a political statement. It is an empirical hypothesis. When the data doesn't support your hypothesis you can beg for a second chance but you can not deny that the present data held refutes your hypothesis. Trust me George, I know from many years of experience that these people never yield to the data. They are pure mindless idealogues.