Alarmism in a Huff - Josh 351

Breibart reports on an extraordinary Huffington Post article arguing that the response to the terrorism in Paris should be "a successful Climate Change Conference". Gosh.

Cartoons by Josh

Comments

[Phillip Bratby]

Brilliant. I trust this will be in next year's calendar.

[FarleyR]

Great cartoon Josh. The alarmists are grasping at straws and borderline insane in my view.

[Spectator]

The following was lifted verbatim from an article on the dynamics of terrorist radicalisation entitled " Why do they Hate us". The only change I have made is to substitute the words TERRORIST and SKEPTIC by the words ALARMIST and ALARMISM.

"People who think that environmentalists are basically right, and that the planet is in serious trouble, will become quite alarmed if they talk mostly with one another; if people feel united by some factor (for example, politics or necessity), internal dissent will be dampened. Shared identity helps fuel movement toward extremes. Extremists are especially prone to polarization. When they start out an extreme point, they are likely to go much further in the direction with which they started."

"People respond to the arguments made by others, and the "argument pool," in a group with some initial disposition in one direction, will inevitably be skewed toward that disposition. Moderate concern about the problem of global warming might turn into full-blown alarmism, if the moderate finds himself in a group of people who tend toward alarmism. Leaders act as polarization entrepreneurs. They create enclaves of like-minded people. They stifle dissenting views and do not tolerate internal disagreement. They take steps to ensure a high degree of internal solidarity. They restrict the relevant argument pool and take full advantage of reputational forces, above all by using the incentive of group approval."

"Another result of psychological motivation is the intensity of group dynamics among alarmists . They tend to demand unanimity and be intolerant of dissent. With the enemy clearly identified and unequivocally evil, pressure to escalate the frequency and intensity of operations is ever present. The need to belong to the group discourages resignations, and the fear of compromise disallows their acceptance. Compromise is rejected, and alarmist groups lean toward maximalist positions."

'Another dynamic has to do with the idea of “political correctness.” That idea is far more interesting than it seems. It is true that some groups of left-leaning intellectuals push one another to extremes, and toe a kind of party line, in part through a limited argument pool, and in part through imposing reputational sanctions on those who disagree, or even ostracizing them. But political correctness is hardly limited to left-leaning intellectuals. It plays a role in groups of all kinds. In its most dangerous forms, it is a critical part of groups that are prone extremism , simply because such groups stifle dissent."

[MikeHaseler]

I used to have a solar charger for use when camping - except I finally worked out it would be cheaper and more reliable just to take a big battery and charge it properly before I went using reliable cheap mains. I think I had to camp for over a month to make a solar panel cheaper (plus there was all the hassle getting it there and trying to get it in the sun).

However, I also learnt that if I just had a battery - no one was interested - but as soon as I said it was "solar powered" they were all keen to know how they could get one. So, if you want to sell a camping battery - fix a shining solar panel on it.

[geoffchambers]

The author of the Huffington article Corinne Lepage is an ex-minister of the environment and frequent guest on the numerous French TV talk shows leading up to COP21. She is considered as one of the moderate voices of the Green movement.

[knr]

To be fair Mann would be a good human shield, given his galaxy sized ego , and other 'aspects' lots of people could hide behind him.

[Alan the Brit]

For me it takes an almost immeasurable leap of faith to draw those conclusion, without of course a predetermined objective that is! Utter crap!

[TinyCO2]

I've heard of stretching credibility but they're now using credibility like a trampoline. Boing, boing, crunch!

Another great one Josh.

[CheshireRed]

They've completely lost the plot.

[Alan the Brit]

@CheshireRed: That they lost a long time ago. All they're doing now is playing in fantasy land!

[Anoneumouse]

Huffpuff is full of COP21rophilia

[golf charlie]

IS might take an alternative message from this pronouncement, about the way some people want priorites to be chosen.

Josh's cartoon really captures the delusion and assumed immunity.

[stewgreen]

@Spectator typo in your post above ?
words TERRORIST and SKEPTIC by the words ALARMIST and ALARMISM.
I guess you mean
words TERRORIST and TERRORISM by the words ALARMIST and ALARMISM.

[JamesG]

She wrote one response but it was translated as the best response. As 'je suis Charlie' I'm happy she has the right to write whatever drivel she pleases. At one time though she made really important decisions. I trust that was before she went on the sauce.

[Mike Post]

A few days ago I drew attention to the FAQs on the English version of the COP21 website
http://www.cop21.gouv.fr/en/faq/ . To my surprise, the FAQs had stated: What security checks on entry to COP21?
Security checks will take place at the entrance? The following in particular will be prohibited: carrying BLUNT objects (knives, scissors, etc.), explosive substances (flammable aerosols, combustible materials, etc.) and all liquids, whatever their volume, nature and containers. [my caps]

I thought that banning blunt scissors and knives this was rather sloppy of the organizers of COP21 but assumed that it was a mis-translation. However, today, following the appalling events in Paris, there is a Security Update at http://www.cop21paris.org/security-update in which registered participants are given the option to cancel.
I idly looked at the French version of the website http://www.cop21.gouv.fr/faq/ and saw to my surprise that it really is blunt (contondants) scissors and knives that they are banning from the COP.

Quel contrôle de sécurité à l’entrée de la COP ?
Un contrôle de sécurité sera réalisé à l’entrée de la zone bleue. Seront notamment interdits le transport d’objets contondants (couteaux, ciseaux,…) et de matières explosives (aérosols inflammables, produits combustibles,…).

That might seem a fairly trivial, comical detail, but surely the people running the COP should have checked such security details. What else may have been missed?

[steve ta]

Apparently, there's a wave of eejits pointing out the threats that are worse than Islamist terrorism, such as pagans!

[Harry Dale Huffman]

You have to get inside their heads (the alarmists, i.e. the Insane Left as I have called them since the advent of Obama) -- "This is all Bush's (/Blair's) fault"; Islamic terrorism is just a predictable, albeit extreme, response to that far greater evil, the political Right. Beyond that, they are stuck on "Why can't we all just get along; why do you have to drag Islam, a great religion, into this?" It's simply mass avoidance behavior, of any real problem, on their part, based upon the overwhelming desire now (with one of their own, the ludicrous Obama, in power) to eradicate the Right and all it stands for. All of the Democrats running for U.S. President take "climate change" (meaning imminent catastrophic global warming) as obvious fact (completely upside down, mentally, and just one aspect of their wider, and very real, insanity).

[Alan W]

Despite all the planning for the publicity: To inundate the world's media with one horrifying press release after another on the potential impacts of climate change and to reinforce the image that world leaders are united in their concern; the alarmists are seeing their entire plan unravelling one disheartening step at a time. It was bad enough that expected outcomes in terms of hard agreements are disintegrating before the meetings have even taken place. Now, world events at a typically quiet time of the year, have captured the headlines and it looks like any press coverage is in danger of taking a backseat to the fight on terrorism and immigration issues. For the alarmists, the global situation has the completely unanticipated potential equivalent of "Grasping defeat from the jaws of victory". The COP21 could be a "ho hum" moment for the world's population...and nothing could be worse.

[HaroldW]

Off-topic, but I can't hear (or read) the phrase "in a huff" without recalling this dialogue from the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup":

Mrs. Teasdale: I've sponsored your appointment because I feel you are the most able statesman in all Freedonia.
Firefly: Well, that covers a lot of ground. Say, you cover a lot of ground yourself. You'd better beat it; I hear they're gonna tear you down and put up an office building where you're standing. You can leave in a taxi. If you can't get a taxi, you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, you can leave in a minute and a huff. You know, you haven't stopped talking since I came here. You must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle.

[Alexander K]

Josh, your work is brilliant!
Huffpo, not.

[Jamspid]

Is he marching in to Syria

[Aila]

Climate change is real, is happening, and is dangerous. The most important person on earth says it is the greatest threat to national security.

[golf charlie]

Aila, is there a consensus that your preferred expert is the earth's most important person? Who is she?

[VenusCold]

a mark of insanity is that it is a watertight logical framework..

Just try to talk an innumerate (as most are) warmist out of her many "truths" :)
Or try to convince a BBC adapt there might be things wrong in their beloved NHS..or in the head of their Messiah, Obama.

Is far more fun and far more tiring than wack-a-mole !

[Aila]

I'll go there when the time is right.

[Jamspid]

Aila when you say the most important person on Earth do you mean Rupert Murdock

[Douglas]

@Mike Post Nov 17, 2015 at 1:54 PM

You say, “Security checks will take place at the entrance? The following in particular will be prohibited: carrying BLUNT objects (knives, scissors, etc.), explosive substances (flammable aerosols, combustible materials, etc.) and all liquids, whatever their volume, nature and containers.”

The level of security seems to be in the best tradition of officer,. the fictional character in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!. (he of the catchphrase, "Good moaning!".)

[JamesG]

Happily the insane left are well counterbalanced by the insane right who never see a problem that can't be solved by kickin' ass.
With apologies to Fry and Laurie.

[dadgervais]

Nov 18, 2015 at 10:57 AM | Unregistered CommenterJamesG

As a staunch conservative and retired military member, I would point out that we consider "kickin' ass" a last resort. However, when someone else creates a situation where, no matter what you do, there is going to be an ass kicking, the only choice you have is whether to be the kicker or the ass. Conservatives rationally choose the former.

--dadgervais

[Shadeburst]

The Piltdown Mann shown in the Josh cartoon can't be so bad if he's wearing Pastafarian headgear. May the sauce be with you, ramen.