A daily digest of independent news analysis, investigation, education, artistic expression, and activism in the public interest, emphasizing the connection between global issues and those in local communities. Hosted by Sonali Kolhatkar.
Rising Up With Sonali – May 4, 2016
5 responses to “Rising Up With Sonali – May 4, 2016”
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Thank you for the discussion with Guy McPherson. You asked great questions and it was a moving conversation.
Thanks for being brave enough to interview Guy!
Your interview was great. I do believe that the people who realize the nature of man made climate change are in a state of grieving. Going through that process and healing will give each of us power to make better discussion and strength to confront the problem. I am not going to debate McPherson however I will point out that there is a future no matter what and that future (for a time period) will include humans. I will say that extreme viewpoints tend to be emotionally based and do not allow for healing.
Regarding your suggesting that, “I will say that extreme viewpoints tend to be emotionally based and do not allow for healing”, I have to disagree because Guy’s viewpoints are not actually ~his~ viewpoints. He is someone who has put many of ~other’s~ viewpoints together, kind of like a puzzle that no one else has been willing, insightful or courageous enough to do. What he brings together is DATA, not a viewpoint, so it is actually not at all emotionally based, although extreme by it’s very nature. But the extremity of the predicament has nothing to do with him conjuring a viewpoint based on his emotions. Not in the least. Guy is a very thorough scientist who, for the most part has relied for the viewpoint that he maintains on the data of other individuals and (in some cases) conservative and recognized scientific institutions. In this case, to say he has “extreme viewpoints that tend to be emotionally based” is like saying that the the boiling point of water is an extreme viewpoint that is emotionally based. A proper rewording of your statement might be that, perhaps, you are having an emotional reaction to something that you don’t want to be having, and therefore are attempting to shoot the messenger, who in my opinion has gone to great lengths to avoid presenting an emotionally tainted data set. My suggestion to you would be to study his data and decide for yourself if it is in fact “emotionally based”, and then deal with YOUR emotions that come up.
That said, I do agree with you that “there is a future no matter what and that future (for a time period) will include humans.” We don’t know what the future holds so we must learn to live in the paradox of knowing and not knowing at the same time. Humans will be here “for a time period”, yes. I appreciate your vagueness around that. 🙂 That time period, from what I can see, is likely very limited at this point. Although, maybe you mean a few scattered tribes of humans living in the Arctic regions. Maybe.
There is a lot of grieving to be done, regardless of outcomes.
There is a debate in the scientific community about his research… all fine and dandy. Since I am not able to in this context fully represent or elucidate the scientific debate around his work, please enjoy doing some research. None the less, Guy’s answer were often vague and completely rhetorical: “…. American’s hedonistic”. There were many such answers.
Yes, of course I am having an emotional reaction. (That is pretty much true in every situation. We all are emotional and social animals. What can really be taken from Guy’s interview? The fact is that we do you need to be engage in a process of inner healing as well as correct actions.
I did not say that Guy is extreme (once again trying to avoid a debate). He could be or not. Feel free to do the research. I did use a much weaker premise: typically extreme views are more about emotion then not. I for myself, believe this is true in this case. I base that off of my limited research.
If you find empowerment in accepting Guy’s statements then go for it. The question is not really about you or me. The question is about how can we make the world a better place no matter what.