Charlie Stross has made a few pertinent observations about man-made global warming and the hair shirt environmental hysterics amongst us. His post is quite representative of what seems to be happening more and more across the Internet: people are getting sick of preachy environmentalists, they’re getting sick of the insanities of political correctness, they’re getting sick of the lies and spin of the lobby-ists and politicians. This attitude will take a while to reach snail-media like newspapers and television, and even longer to penetrate the thick skulls of the likes of Cameron and Blair, so don’t hold out too much hope of a swift return to sanity in public affairs.
6 comments:
Hi Neal, One of the biggest names in this Global Warming issue here in Canada is David Suzuki. Now I have a lot of respect for DS but his scare tactics have become banal as of late.There are lots of ways Global Warming has made an impact on our planet but these day GW has become a political hot potato. But GW is natural in nature but people like DS don't want us thinking that way. Here in Canada our Conservative Govt under Harper is on the precipice of having his govt being brought down because of our important role in Afghanistan. Many Canadians want the mission (including yours truly)to continue. However in order for the Harper Govt to remain our PM must win the support of the NDP (green party) So in other words Harper must kiss NDP butt for their votes/support by giving into the NDP agenda/Kyoto accord. This means that Harper has too make some huge concessions and some parts of the country like Alberta could feel the results of Kyoto being implemented.
People are gradually waking up though. They realize that GW can come about through various ways, solar activity molten lava heating the ocean's causing polar ice to shift and break away for example. Yet people like DS will continue to blame mankind for GW which isn't entirely true.
I'm not blaming DS all together, I think he's a victim of his own facts and figures unable to see through his own scotoma.
It needs to reach science fiction, but it will probably get to our corner of the universe last. More often than not with my own efforts to break into the field, I find myself triple checking for politically correct bullshit, lest I offend the people in charge.
Feel like I'm writing in a straight jacket.
Do you feel such constraints, Neal? In the American or British Markets, that is?
Respects,
S. F. Murphy
Trapped in a place called Missouri
Jim, I get very annoyed and tired about it all. My views have changed. I doubted there was any GW at all until recently. What keeps me from 'believing' AGW I have to admit is a dislike is its complete departure from the realm of science into that of politics, and of the fanatics who promote it. The problem is that now it is impossible to get an unbiased view on it all.
Murph, I don't feel particularly constrained because I don't really, or rather consciously, use my work as a political platform. It's always 'tell the story' and avoid the homilies'. However, the political slant of those in the SF world who set themselves up as the spokespeople and academics does bug me. "This is the way things are," they say, to which my response is often, "Maybe for you," and "Fuck off". Many of these individuals are obviously spouting their university or public-sector indoctrination, which probably wouldn't change even if they got out more.
Thanks, Neal. That is sort of the strategy I'm trying to use.
Maybe eventually it will pay off for me. Or not. :)
Respects,
S. F. Murphy
Trapped in a Land called Missouri
"a swift return to sanity in public affairs" - er, when was there ever really sanity in politics??? Go right back to the likes of the Levellers and Puritans etc all arguing over how to govern after the Civil War, all of them making speeches and printing pamphlets based as much (or more) on stirring up emotions for appeal and impact as they used rational debate and reason. Modern multimedia makes it seem worse, but that's probably what someone was saying back in the 1600s about these damned pamphleteers...
Very true, Joe. I should have just left out the stuff about 'a swift return to'. It is a fact that modern multimedia (24-hour news being one of the worst parts of it) hypes every bit of news.
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