Thread by @SteB777

@ClimateHuman Peter, I have spent about 40+ years of my life exploring why people don't get it. I am not claiming to be an "expert" on this phenomenon, with all the answers. But I think I have probably explored this territory like no one else.
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@ClimateHuman As I have often mentioned, I really got it all over 50 years ago, when I was very young, and in the type of unravelling insight I get, I saw the whole problem and where we were heading, with unerring certainty.
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@ClimateHuman So I tried my best, as much as I could for someone so young, to discuss this and warn people of this. But I got total denial of the problem. That scientists would find solutions to the systemic problems I outlined.
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@ClimateHuman One thing I am very good at, when I encounter unexpected clever arguments, is to go back to the drawing board, and plan another angle of attack. So I anticipated, and found all the ways to stop these clever dismissive arguments.
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@ClimateHuman In fact, I got too good at countering all the clever invasion. So like a game of mental chess, I was always 12 steps ahead of these clever evasive arguments, dismissing the problem. I had all the counterarguments.
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@ClimateHuman It was then I realised that it wasn't just that people didn't get it, but I was up against violent and aggressive refusal to acknowledged the problem. Because when I knocked down every false argument, opposing acknowledgement of the problem, people would become irrational.
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@ClimateHuman Even rational people, who seemed somewhat sympathetic, would become very angry, and quite aggressive, once I knocked down all their specious arguments. It was quite shocking.
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@ClimateHuman I realised that it was not a matter of getting better arguments, more evidence. Because when you managed this, instead of people saying, I see what you mean, they just become very angry and threatening.
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@ClimateHuman Quite typically, they would shift to saying, ask anyone. They would start implying you were deranged and get quite offensive, once I had disabled all their arguments, and forced them into a position where they had to acknowledge the reality of the situation.
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@ClimateHuman It really gets quite difficult when someone quite rational and informed, starts arguing experts will come up with magical solutions, which will enable us to have our cake and eat it. How do you disprove the future, which has not yet happened.
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@ClimateHuman But as I say, I developed strategies, analogies and arguments, which dealt with this clever sophistry. Yet never, when you defeat all of the counter-arguments, will you ever get someone to admit they are wrong.
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@ClimateHuman One of the big cultural myths of our culture, is that people will respond rationally, to evidence and reason, when you defeat all their arguments, but that is never the case. As I say, they just get very angry and aggressive.
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@ClimateHuman Environmentalists have been totally wasting our time with reasoned arguments and persuasiveness. To get around this, you have to go to a whole new level, and aggressively counter these arguments, as aggressively as those in denial.
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@ClimateHuman The problem is, when you do this, you even lose support from other supposed environmentalists, who think you have gone too far, and are being far too rude and aggressive to those in denial, even though they are being very rude and aggressive.
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@ClimateHuman This is not theoretical. It actually happened when I was commenting on the Guardian at the time. The moderators would start removing my comments, even though I was not being threatening, abusive or breaking any obvious objective rules.
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@ClimateHuman If you are not allowed to counter strident aggressive arguments, and the inevitable ad hominem attacks, how are you supposed win by force of argument? Apparently only Conservatives are allowed to be rude and aggressive.
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@ClimateHuman Again, and again, I would get the same bullshit, that I must respect other people's views, even though they were being offensive, and their so-called views, were total nonsense, contrary to objective evidence.
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@ClimateHuman This is the problem. We are being forced to fight with one hand behind our back, against people who don't adhere to the same rules and conventions, they insist we must abide by.
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@ClimateHuman This is when I realised long ago, that we are dealing with manipulative liars and fraudsters i.e. con-artists. It isn't ordinary people, the public (collectively) so to speak, but a minority. Self-appointed mind guardians of the current system.
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@ClimateHuman This is why the populist right, new fascists, have been so successful. They do not play by the same rules, progressives impose on themselves, and most progressives refuse to fight back in the same organized and aggressive way. They are walking all over us.
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@ClimateHuman We need a multi-pronged approach to turn things around. I am not suggesting being aggressive with everyone that resists the arguments. But I am suggesting being far more aggressive and robust, intellectually, with key players.
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@ClimateHuman The key denying cheerleaders, these mindguards of business as usual, have no qualms about fighting dirty, personal attacks and every dirty tactic of arguments. Whilst, stupidly, progressives try to reason with them.
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@ClimateHuman It's like fighting in a boxing match, with an aggressive dirty fighter who will use every and any tactic to win, and you worrying about hitting them back, for fear of hurting them. They will destroy you.
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@ClimateHuman Really, if we want to turn things around, we need to stop pussy footing around and trying to reason with people who are aggressive, unprincipled fascists. Take the fight back to them, turn their tactic back on them, and stop being squeamish.
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@ClimateHuman Again, I am not talking about violence, I am talking about intellectual and tactical aggression. Targetting their leaders and influencers, and actively and robustly discrediting them and roundly defeating them.
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@ClimateHuman Just look at the crap that Greta Thunberg has had to put up with. The smearing, the lies, the propaganda, the personal attacks. Why don't we attack the opponents leaders like this. Grow a pair and fight back against these scumbags.
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@ClimateHuman Actually, I don't feel comfortable with this. But when the gloves are off and it is clear you are dealing with a dishonest, unscrupulous person, stop fighting fair.
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@ClimateHuman On the Guardian, I used to intellectually beat up these climate change denying trolls pretty bad. Since then I have seen climate change denying forums, where they were bitterly complaining how rude I was. Dead right I was, it was deliberate.
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@ClimateHuman I wouldn't start debating the science with them, discussing data etc. My approach, was if you are aggressively in denial, then you don't deserve respect. Humiliate them. Make their sophistry clear to everyone. Call a liar, a liar.
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@ClimateHuman My approach was to catch them out with their lying, and then rub their faces in their dishonesty, by confronting them with their lies, when you caught them out lying. To keep saying, why did you lie here?
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@ClimateHuman I used to have no end of problem with the moderators, removing my comments, because I called them liars. Even though I supported my arguments that they were lying. I argued with the moderators, who would say lying wasn't against community guidelines.
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@ClimateHuman I have the emails to prove. The Guardian moderators were fine with their comments sections being used by professional paid liars, but were not okay with you pointing out that they were professional paid liars.
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@ClimateHuman Honestly, the moderators would argue with me, that both lying and being a paid professional liar, wasn't against their community guidelines, but pointing out they were lying, even if you proved it was.
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@ClimateHuman I was seen as a loose cannon, simply because I would call a liar or a sophist, a liar or a sophist. It wasn't just name calling, because I would support my points with quotations, references, and links.
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@ClimateHuman These vicious trolls, try to get under your skin, and pull your strings. So I would turn it back on them. I was a real troll slayer and took down many trolls, and utterly humiliated them, on purpose.
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@ClimateHuman The way to do this ethically, is only step to the personal level, and the intellectual street-fighting, when you are sure you are dealing with someone who is knowingly dishonest, who is knowingly engaging in personal attacks. Then take the gloves off.
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@ClimateHuman If we want to save life on earth. Then as well as positive stories, persuasive evidence, we also need to learn to fight back against sophistry and trolls. To learn some intellectual kung fu, to fight back.
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@ClimateHuman @threadreaderapp Please unroll?