Since I keep going on about how “Objective Truth trumps Personal Faith” my gal pointed me to Trevor Noah’s recent commentary on Trump’s disregard for the truth. “Adapting to Donald Trump's Lies” does a nice job of considering our Truth-Challenged president-elect.
It’s worth listening to, much sharper than the ‘white bread news’ that seems to be doing their best to lull Democrats back into their usual complacency, “give him a chance,” “lets wait to see what he actually does.” Yeah right! While the Alt-Right and Tea-partiers are busy lining up their targets and sharpening their knifes. Since when should one willingly idle about waiting to get mauled? Every day matters. Yes, it is that serious. Wake up.
Trump has been very clear about what he and the people around him want to do to USA’s government and the protections we’ve fought long and hard to achieve. Trust Trump's promises, fear for the worst because without massive and effective opposition, you can be certain that the worst will happen! This isn’t an idle game for them. There are all too many good reasons to be scared right now.
Actually, much better than just scared is to be scared into action and involvement and learning how to communicate the rationalist's perspective in millions of discussions and communications with each other and our representatives and leaders across the country. Time to get engaged in the government operations that dictate how we shall live.
You know, here is where we must reaffirm the need for honesty and the need for observational fact-based decision making rather that self-certain Personal Faith turning the political landscape into a country of enemies, rather then members of the same team USA.
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Trevor Noah - Adapting to Donald Trump's Lies
Published on Nov 30, 2016 - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Even after Donald Trump's mendacious 2016 presidential campaign,
the media is still grappling with how to report on the now-president-elect's blatant falsehoods.
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Then after my introduction there’s an 18 minute talk by James Hoggan, founder of the information blog DeSmogBlog.com who offers reflections on what he’s learned from studying the right-wing PR machine driven Climate Science Contrarian movement. Which is followed by Richard Milne PhD, college level one hour twenty minute lecture for those who want to get into more depth: "Critical Thinking on Climate Change: Separating Skepticism from Denial." It's sad that it has taken Hoggan's YouTube nearly four years to break 500 views.
Four years of general apathy while the Alt-Right was diligently generating and broadcasting the most outlandish slander and fabricating stories meant to shamelessly and maliciously sow fear and hatred in gullible, scared people’s hearts.
Four years of general apathy while the Alt-Right was diligently generating and broadcasting the most outlandish slander and fabricating stories meant to shamelessly and maliciously sow fear and hatred in gullible, scared people’s hearts.
You do understand why we, collectedly and individually, need to start insisting that others among our family, friends, co-workers wake up to what's happening, get informed, get proactive and advocate for those causes that mean the most to each? Do the best you can with what you have, your country really does need your participation now. This is not a drill.
Now what are we going to do? I myself have no choice but to vocally stress the basics, such as reaffirming the need for honestly reviewing what's happening upon our physical Earth. I'll continue trying to enunciate the case of serious scientists against ruthless and malicious slanders. I'll advocate for the need for a bit of self-skepticism, perhaps even some empathy and humor - and also to recognize that we need each other in order to keep ourselves honest, and so on.
We have one last chance to learn and we’d better do it now, while it can still make a difference for our future. Once broken, it'll be our brave new world and there won't be much time for fixing. After all, we do have all sorts of other real problems coming at us from over the horizon.
Mind you, the Faith-based crowd hates everything about progressives and liberal types. To top it off, they have convinced themselves they are God’s own holy warriors - we on the other hand only have reality to support our spirituality. Rationality and the constructive learning process of serious science is what we trust a lot more than the edicts of some disconnected elders interpreting what they know very little about.
Oh and we possess an appreciation* that our Earth is the product of over four and a half billion fantastical years unfolding one day after the other and evolving into this precious blue, green cornucopia planet that we were born into, but that avarice run wild will continue destroying at breakneck speed, unless we get the self-centered faith-based Profits Über Alles crowd to see the error of their ways and power-down.
Oh and we possess an appreciation* that our Earth is the product of over four and a half billion fantastical years unfolding one day after the other and evolving into this precious blue, green cornucopia planet that we were born into, but that avarice run wild will continue destroying at breakneck speed, unless we get the self-centered faith-based Profits Über Alles crowd to see the error of their ways and power-down.
Now we only need to figure out how to effectively convey that perspective. Can you help?
*Actually, I fear not near as good or deep an Earth Appreciation as we collectively ought to have. Here's what I'm talking about, link
Also see:
“The Meaning of Scientific "Truth"
in USA's Presidential Election”
By Dan Kahan on November 28, 2016
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James Hoggan: Lessons on Climate Change Denial -
What I Learned from Writing "Climate Cover-Up”
Uploaded on Feb 20, 2012
James Hoggan, the author of "Climate Cover-Up", shares some of the surprising insights and profound lessons from his conversations with spiritual leaders and social scientists on how we can get society back on track for the sake of our health and the health of the planet on which we depend. To learn more about the Garrison Institute's Climate, Mind & Behavior Initiative:
Visit their website: https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/climate-and-behavior
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/climatemind
7:10 - Good question, ... (my wording) - How do science contrarians live with themselves?
8:15 - It's also a spiritual question.
9:20 - Considering our tendency to avoid difficult discussions.
10:00 - How to bring about an awakening?
People have a vacuum of pain and suffering and they cover it up with (thoughtless habitual) consuming. People know we are destroying our planet, but feel helpless and avoid thinking about it.
14:45 - How to deal with malicious propaganda -
16:40 - Dalai Lama advice for scientists: “Take the science and simplify it and talk about it over, and over, and over, and over again and not worry about, if anyone is listening. Eventually people will listen.”
17:00 - Public communication is three things:
Compelling message,
repeated frequently,
from trusted sources.
“I’ve always thought that where we lose is on the repetition part because we believe in reason.
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Dr Richard Milne - Critical Thinking on Climate Change: Separating Skepticism from Denial
Uploaded on Oct 24, 2011
Dr Richard Milne, School of Biological Sciences, at the University of Edinburgh,
presents Critical Thinking on Climate Change: separating skepticism from denial.
presents Critical Thinking on Climate Change: separating skepticism from denial.
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