Thread by @SteB777

My reason for strong opposition to the modern political right is not ideological, as I oppose all ideology, but because it is a dangerous, delusional cult that denies science and physical reality, best illustrated by climate change denial.
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Whilst there were individual, right wing politicians who denied climate change before the last 20 years, because of fossil fuel industry sponsorship, it only became mainstream in right wing politics, within the last 20 years, and only became prominent in the last 12 years.
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There never used to be any left right divide on climate science and it most certainly wasn't a left wing issue, as many, on the left or centre completely failed to grasp how serious it was. The divide came about, when the right started to engage in total climate change denial.
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This total denial of climate change by the right, seems to have come about for 2 main reasons. Firstly, fossil fuel industry, vested interest bribery. Secondly, Al Gore's, movie, An Inconvenient Truth (2006), which made it easy to typify it as left.

4/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconv…

Before going on, as I will just get dismissed as being left wing by the right, I'm also very critical of centre, left, and even some Green analysis of the situation. I am, as I keep saying, non-ideological. However, it is degrees of denial.
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The modern right, now engages in absolutely denial of anthropogenic climate change, which makes any sort of dialogue with them totally impossible, as you are engaging with brainwashed cult members who state this as their absolute credo.
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I need to make it clear, that firstly, this is not just about climate change, as the modern right also engage in much other absolute denial of reality. Where bare-faced lying for the cause, seems to be their primary MO. They are strangers to the truth.
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Once again need to reiterate, that I'm critical of all ideologically driven political positions, and have explained my reason for this on multiple occasions, so I won't get into this here.
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This is about one single issue, and that is rationality and dialogue. If you try to engage with someone, who habitually lies, and totally denies objective evidence, there is no way in. They will just state that 2 + 2 = 5, and see you as the enemy.
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Whereas if someone has mistaken ideological beliefs, but acknowledges the reality of scientific evidence, reason and truth, you at least have a way to engage with them, even if progress is slow and it is an uphill struggle.
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I now refuse to engage with climate change deniers, who are mainly right wing, aside from ridiculing them, as I have previously engaged with climate change deniers at length, so to understand where they are coming from, and have found nearly all of them to be knowing liars.
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I have come up against this very specific type of lying again, and again. They will cite a scientific paper, or other piece of evidence. I read it myself, and find that it doesn't say what they claim at all. I am open-minded to them having misread it.
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But when I directly quote the paper, to prove that it does not say what they falsely claim, that is when they get abusive, threatening, or just stonewall me. So it wasn't a mistake, and they do not respond rationally.
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I have subsequently, come across the same username, using the same false, misquotation of what that paper says, over and over again to other people. Pretty much proving that they are knowingly lying, i.e. stating knowing falsehoods to mislead.
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Engage with any denier long enough, and you will catch them out knowingly lying, and they will refuse to acknowledge the falsehood, even though you are directly quoting the paper, or whatever evidence, that they themselves brought up, not me.
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I really shouldn't need to state all this, because Donald Trump lies all the time, in a rather blatant bare-faced way, and his followers absolutely refuse to acknowledge this. Making it very clear that this is a dangerous, delusional and irrational cult.
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I absolutely feel no need to prove the basis of the science behind the climate crisis, as it is unfolding in front of our eyes, and you have to be pretty deep into cult like groupthink to deny it.
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Likewise, I'm very confident of my contention, that our civilization, is going to find itself in a real emergency crisis situation within about the next 15 years, because of the climate and ecological crisis. Don't take my word for it, watch it happen.
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Notice my use of the term "within" i.e. it could happen sooner, I am not saying it will occur in 15 years time, but within it. Also. I'm not a clairvoyant, so I have no idea, what form this crisis will take. It may be a world war as a distraction. There are many scenarios.
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Also, I'm not saying our civilization will just, simply, totally collapse, when I say an emergency crisis situation. Although that's a possibility. What I mean is, that it'd have become obvious to even the most totally in denial, that we will never return to how things were.
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“There are now no non-radical futures. The choice is between immediate and profound social change or waiting a little longer for chaotic and violent social change. In 2023 the window for this choice is rapidly closing.” @KevinClimate

21/bellacaledonia.org.uk/2023/04/18/no-…

I would have phrased it slightly different to Professor Kevin Anderson @KevinClimate, but what I'm saying is exactly the same as he is. I've been saying that change is coming whether you like it or not, for far longer than @GretaThunberg.
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Any dominate ideology, that states that a forthcoming catastrophe, unless we drastically change direction, is not real, is a serious danger to humanity, and a dangerous delusional cult. I don't deny there are serious problems with other political views, including the left.
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It's simply, that they're not so deeply into cult like denial, and so there's a glimmer of hope that people informed about the climate and ecological crisis, might be able to reason with them, and to get them to see sense.
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However, those with allegiance to a provably false cult belief, are 'at the moment', beyond help, as they just violently turn on you if you merely point out the obvious inconsistencies, and flaws in their arguments. This is a very dangerous cult.
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It's well known, that if someone is an alcoholic, a drug addict, or has some other form of addiction, that if they are in denial of their problem, there is no way you can engage with them or help them. It is the same with those stuck in cults.
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Supporters of the modern populist right, will self-evidently be furious that I dismiss their beliefs as being stuck in a cult. But what else can you call it, when they go to such absurd lengths to deny anthropogenic climate change, and to hide the science and evidence for it?
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They have not won the argument, as they falsely claim. They have not even addressed the evidence for climate change. What they have done, is managed to get autocratic president elected, with about a third of adults of voting age, who's aim, is essentially to destroy evidence.
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Science, reality, is not a democracy. It doesn't matter how many people you manage to delude and gaslight with your cult, scientific reality, stays the same. You have not changed it. Your cult is based on provably false premises.
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