Considering our dysfunctional public dialogue - what do you think?

Yo, Sabo, (others, if anyone wants),

Want to try something constructive? I put together a list a few years back that I believed could be a tool for better understanding the tricks of deceptive messaging and helping folks prepare for debating important issues.

I knew it was rough and I was, am, sure it’s missing some important nuances. But, you know, stuck within one’s own little sphere, one can only get so far. I invite you to have at it. Pick it to shreds, then see if you can do better. You know bitching about the horrors and hypocrisy is easy - figuring out something constructive to do about it, that is the challenge. You game?

 

DECEMBER 30, 2018 d) Considering our dysfunctional public dialogue in 14 verses.

2018 was the climax of a decade long crescendo in my decades long effort to network with rationalists, scientists and science communicators, in what I fancied was our communal struggle to confront the nonsense that corporate funded science contrarians and select politicians were so successfully peddling to an under-informed and mostly disinterested public - and since New Year’s Eve is upon us, I feel like collecting some of my favorite posts in another effort to summarize my perspective.
This is the flip-side of my flier for the Democratic State Convention, it’s a list of various important aspects of climate science communication along with key pit-falls and observations, in 14 verses.


1)  Uncertainties vs. known Physical Certainties

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2)  Map vs. Territory Problem

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3)  Sloppy usage of “Natural Variability”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4)  “Seepage”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5) “Global Warming” vs “Climate Change”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6)  Responsibilities of Scientists vs
Responsibilities of Citizens and Students

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7)  Define the Debate, A to Z

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8)  Intellectual Confrontation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9)  Call out False Claims & Lies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10)  Better than Skepticism ===> Critical Thinking Skills

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11)  Confront Trash Talk with Rhetorical Jujutsu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12)  Faith-based Thinking - God or EGO?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

13)  The pain of our brave new world
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

14)  WE THE PEOPLE,

have the right to demand honesty when hearing what real experts are trying to convey, without being flooded with the constant deceptive and fraudulent cross-screaming of the propaganda machine of unhinged self-obsessed oligarchs and their astro-turfing thugs.</blockquote>
&nbsp;

That's just the headings - visit the website <a href="https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com">ConfrontingScienceContrarians.blogspot.com</a> to see the concise accompanying description.  Do better, and share.  Why?   Well, why not, just for shits and grins.  A mental exercise.

&nbsp;

Cheers,