Anxious scientists brace for Trump’s climate denialism: ‘We have a target on our backs’
Anxious scientists brace for Trump’s climate denialism: ‘We have a target on our backs’
Experts express anxiety – and resilience – as they prepare for president-elect’s potential attacks on climate research
This is the end of federal agencies in the US being staffed with expert scientists and most state governments won't be far behind.
The republicans have the supreme court. They will just change the rules until centrists agree (because they are ideologically complete cowards) they have the power to destroy state agencies and authority with a begrudging "well the law is the law".
I am not saying give up prematurely, I am saying understand this for what it is, an ending.
Some researchers think scientists should adapt to this hyper-partisan environment by sticking to unadorned facts, rather than anything that could be seen as campaigning. “We have been come to be seen as just another partisan lobbying group,” said Ken Caldeira, a climate scientist.
“I want us to get back to a point where scientists are seen as the establishers of facts rather than arguing for policy. We need to get back to a situation where we have a shared set of facts.”
This is precisely the kind of cowardice that catastrophically enables fascism especially because it falls back on defending science through an appeal to authority when the very reason fascism is gaining power is people existentially don't trust (and actively despise) the authorities controlling their lives.
Fascists made science political, the choice we have is to stop pretending conservatives won't want to hurt us because we completely ceded the narrative to them and actually fight back or continue down the current path and be crushed to pieces.
Defend science as an extension of the right to pursue happiness, the right to ask uncomfortable questions, the right to know and share and the fundamental good that comes from teaching and sharing your knowledge, defend science as much more fascinating and mysterious than the boring barely sketched out fabrications rightwing people are always trying to force down your throat.
For the love of science, people need to shut the fuck up about science being strictly about facts which are undeniable truths dispensed by an authority, this just makes the average person already angry at authority even angrier.
Facts are the residue science leaves behind, the actual science part is anti-authoritarian, radical, disruptive, and driven by a fundamental desire not to just trust commonly accepted narratives or what powerful figures say implicitly without question or critical analysis.
...and yet we have let the decaying carcass of neoliberalism lead the defense of science and I am sure rich oil executives find it hilarious because it is like running Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate when the entire country is screaming out for systematic change... it is a strategic blunder of the largest kind.
Supporters of science let the word "skeptic" be stolen by fossil fuel interests without even a fight, and we can't truly win widespread public support for science until we take that word back.
Ver much agree.
But now we have come so far that it is a (scientific) fact that implementing Trump's environmental policies will lead to the end of human civilization as we know it in the near future. So even if you are a coward and want to stay neutral, please at least communicate this fact.
Abandon the sinking ship and come to Europe - the other sinking ship
It's all one ship, people just find themselves on different decks and front, middle, or rear depending on their country, location, and status. The only differences from the Titanic analogy are that there is no one to answer any distress calls, and there are no lifeboats.
Exactly. Pick up a bucket. We need to spread true information.
Pivot. Vary the product perception.
Speak to nationalism, "you don't want those other people over there to build all the shiny roof tile things, do you?"
Stroke the ego's, "Is this Houston's House or Mar'a'Lago's House? Those cowboys don't know the Nation, they're kickin around paddocks cosplaying Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid."
Make em laugh, then buy a round, and always remember they're not you're friend, make them work in the relationship. Extract enough to make it worth your time.
Not engaging isn't an answer; begging never got medieval peasants anywhere, why should it help you.
Don't say sorry, no pont being depressed or feeling shame, remain focused on the objectives you've set. If erstwhile allies/friends call you out, hopefully they'll understand later. Don't boast if you have a win the game hasn't stopped.
Use your leverage and <ins>make the demands they don't want to refuse</ins>.
Speak to nationalism
You're welcome to try it, but there are some reasons why a copy-cat strategy will run into issues. The MAGA movement do want shiny new toys, not solar panels specifically, but they don't want the wrong people, ie minorities, to get them. They think they elected a guy who is going to fight for them, get them what they want, and exclude the people they hate.
It's not just nationalism, but christian nationalism. Religion and conspiracies are being used as wedge issues against climate science and science in general. They don't trust experts and they don't trust the science. Solar panels aren't just an unnecessary technology, it's the wrong technology. The wrong virtue signal that they weren't taught as part of their religion or Qanon drops. These people would rather get a gas generator for their house than solar panels.
Stroke the ego’s
MAGA is a cult. As long as any group or person is seen as part of MAGA then they're in. This, at the moment, appears to be kind of arbitrary. As we saw dissatisfaction with many of Trump's cabinet picks from MAGA and a lot of support for Luigi Mangione also from MAGA. Unless we identify exactly what is considered in and out to the MAGA crowd, appealing to ego will not be sufficient. Even Trump doesn't seem to have a good sense of this, he seems to figure it out from trying and then reviewing the coverage later. Being seen as anti-elite is important apparently based on MAGA's response to the CEO killing.
Extract enough to make it worth your time.
What are you extracting? People have infiltrated white supremacist and neo-nazi groups before. They usually dox the people and release information about the group to the public and/or law enforcement. What are you getting from random people at a bar? It's definitely worth connecting with local people and a way to do that is to be social, at places like bars. But what's step two when you have specifically targeted MAGA people?
Use your leverage and <ins>make the demands they don’t want to refuse</ins>.
What leverage? I have conservative friends. When I argue about politics with them, my positions have no greater weight than anyone else's. edit: typos
First and foremost, i'm an Australian. I know USA politics pretty well, but its not my context, i don't usually comment on this stuff on 'wild lemmy' to this depth, because i'm painfully aware that context matters. The only reason i'm commenting is because i know the fear and depression setting in won't help, you all gota carry on, and depression/anger won't help the effectiveness of your efforts. Take that as a caveat to dismiss me if you feel it just misses the mark.
Note: when i say 'your' i'm meaning it as a plural.
Okay, so in my minds eye, my comment was really for any scientist/stakeholder with an ongoing specific interest in an ongoing green project or something of that nature. Its not a comment for winning arguments with friends, its a comment for getting as close to what you need, from the people in power. Its Dale Carnegie, or Real Politik. So the "leverage", the "extraction" is all refering to a specific stakeholders case.
I'll start at the end, because i felt that was one of the more important parts. "Making demands they don't want to refuse" doesn't mean demanding exactly what you want and how you want it,
Take a street protest, as an example, the MAGAs will love nothing more than to stomp down a big street protest for climate action. It may be cathartic for the people at the protest to be a part of that protest, but whatever/if concessions are given will be 'blood out of a stone'. In this case they will do almost anything in their refusal.
I'm not saying don't protest, i'm sure there will be, and i hope they shake the foundations of Washington or wherever they are held. Please look after yourselves, i think the authorities will be coming for a fight.
Or the other option, i could use the first example of Solar Panels. Use China, the elite are so terrified they're losing to China they're willing to do almost anything. So state the case that China makes the most/best Solar panels. Don't define it in terms of climate action, state it in 'power and domination' terms. Appeal to their natural authoritive tendencies (they trust their own authority, undermine that trust). You could also make it binary China's win, is the US' loss and hopefully by the end they "won't want to refuse".
These two examples, i hope, show you both sides of that statement. They won't be perfect, and like any negotiation there never a guarantee it'll work. But its a strategy that stakeholders like scientists might need to rely on for the greater good.
MAGA is a cult
After reading your paragraph below this I don't think you can justify calling it a cult in the traditional sense. I agree, its murky at best.
Its maybe a cult of personality, its probably better described as a cult of ragetainment. Once people get bored, they tend to drift away, let them get bored, that means people who disagree shouldn't rise to the bait. Instead make a joke out of it, satire is a sensationally satisfying art. Boredom is good it gives the brain time to be thoughtful, instead of reacting to the latest ragebait.
I'm definitely uncomfortable classing MAGA as a cult in the traditional sense. Maybe its a movement. My key point here is the strong and continued correlation between Trump voters and Bernie, and AOC voters. This is key in my understanding. It means theres a broad rejection of the status quo.
I'd like to caveat the above by acknowledging this isn't a one to one correlation. But, i could make a similar argument for the conservative-religious and trump voters, its more of a marriage of convenience in that instance.
There is absolutely a section who are fully signed up Trump. But in terms of voter rolls its likely a smaller share of voters than we give it credit.
Lastly, appeals to nationalism aren't MAGAs or fascists, or Conservatives, or what-evers exclusive domain. If your proud of where your from, even if its in the most roundabout ways, then you have some nationalism. Don't let a words bad reputation hold you back from making the place you love somewhere you can be even more proud of, Liberals, leftists, whatevers can be nationalistic to. Use that USA flag of yours in your own ways, theres no need to cede that shit to authoritarians.
top notch comment. thank you!
edit: one of the very few comments I have bookmarked.
Cheers!
Bookmarked as well, if my bookmarks are anything to go by, thats as rare as you suggest :)
its our collective way of life itself that has target on its back