re: #338 LudwigVanQuixote

Ohh I know I have hit several raw nerves. No American likes to be told flat out that their sacred opinions might not matter - or that G-d forbid, because they really are ignorant, they do not even have a right to an opinion on certain topics.

People are getting defensive though. If they want to disagree with me, they ought to do so for what I am writing and not the raw nerve I hit.

Actually, everybody has a right to an opinion. The problem you are pointing to is that our system also gives them the right to act upon it, or to influence policy based on it, in some small way. This is why you are frustrated.

I think that most climate scientists are frustrated right now by the power of demagoguery and misinformation over fact and knowledge. My partner, who is also in this field, lies awake at night worrying about what world we will leave to our children and their children. Those with unpleasant knowledge are impotent against those with pleasant lies.

I think that your anger at ignorance is somewhat misplaced. The ignorant have always been with us. And when you say that politicians now are morons compared to the founding fathers, I somewhat disagree as well. I think you could probably find many very smart men and women in politics today too, but the system does not necessarily reward the people with the intellects. I would really look more at how the political system, and the information market, has been misshapen, and less at the “intelligence” of the voting public.

A somewhat incoherent way of saying that I’ve been listening sadly to Ludwig for the past few days, and that the crowing of the Right about how this Discovery Chanel nut was inspired by Al Gore has me upset as well.