| | "In the history of developed democracies with literate publics served by mass media, there is no precedent for today's media enlistment in the crusade to promote global warming "awareness." Concerning this, journalism, which fancies itself skeptical and nonconforming, is neither."
I like that quote, but the column goes much deeper, and in a different direction then one might expect.
George Will's excellent column on the Green movement digs into it's childlike, irrational psychology.
Quoting an article in The New Republic, he says, "The point of 'utopian environmentalism' was to reduce guilt. During the green bubble, many Americans became 'captivated by the twin thoughts that human civilization could soon come crashing down -- and that we are on the cusp of a sudden leap forward in consciousness, one that will allow us to heal ourselves, our society, and our planet. Apocalyptic fears meld seamlessly into utopian hopes.' Suddenly, commonplace acts -- e.g., buying light bulbs -- infused pedestrian lives with cosmic importance."
Stepping back for a clear perspective, I find myself amazed at the how trivial the emotions driving this Green revolution, how flawed and flimsy rationals the emotions are cloaked with, and how foolish all the rest of us have been to let this become a driving force in our law, our polical and cultural life.... just because they were presented in such an emotional way. It is so like a two year old whose arguments are of no more substance than yelling louder and louder, and then watching the parents say, "Okay, but just this once," again and again and again.
In the absence of adult expectations of critical reasoning as the only standard for discourse, the culture has bought into a fear inducing, fantasy crisis (like little kids watching a horror movie and getting all scared of the monster ruining everything), followed by blaming of us for the monster (you have been a bad little boy), followed by feelings of guilt (oh, I'm sorry for making a mess), leading to the promise that all will be well, Mommy and Daddy will love you again, as soon as you promise to be a good little boy (embracing Utopian environmentalism).
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In the history of developed democracies with literate publics served by mass media, there is no precedent for today's media enlistment in the crusade to promote global warming "awareness." Concerning this, journalism, which fancies itself skeptical and nonconforming, is neither.
