It is the 30th anniversary of the initiation of
the World Wide Web. The potential for
humans to learn, grow, share, explore, and improve has never been greater. Knowledge and hypothesis are instantly available. And yet, it continues to appear to me that
the number one obstacle to real human advancement is fear based on belief
systems, not knowledge and not science. There
are actually people out there who believe that there is such a thing as “alternative”
facts. How do we fix that? The expansion and acquisition of knowledge
reduces fear and empowers action for improvement. But we are currently mired in the muck of
anti-intellectualism and anti-science and cannot seem to find our way back to
solid ground.
So I propose consequences for people who are in denial of
facts, denial of science, denial of the truth.
It is OK to believe the earth is flat.
It is OK to believe the earth is 10,000 years old. It is OK to believe there is some kind of sky
daddy who personally listens to 7 billion people and keeps score on what you
do. It is OK to believe humans are not
causing climate change. It is OK to
believe that there is not a connection between the number of fire arms and the
number of deaths by fire arms. It is OK
to believe that the biggest threat to our nation is poor immigrants from south of
our border and not white male extremists with weapons. It is OK to believe that the Mueller investigation
is a witch hunt despite the number of indictments, convictions and prison time
by Trump’s top men. It is OK to believe
that Donald Trump is anything other than a crook, a con-man, a liar, a serial
sexual assaulter, a bigot, a Russian asset, a misogynist, and a white supremacist
and that he was chosen by some supernatural deity for his current role. Believing all that in the face of what we
know to be true, what we know to be fact is OK for that segment of the population
who prefer beliefs over fact and Fox over real news.
But, one cannot have it both ways anymore. If you believe any of the above, all of which
are in direct conflict with science, truth and fact, then you have clearly
taken a stand that is anti-science, anti-math, anti-truth and anti-fact. Therefore you will no longer be allowed to
enjoy the fruits of science while you rail against science.
We will set up collection stations for the folks who believe
the above to be true. These folks will
be asked to surrender all the fruits of science since they do not believe the
science. We will collect all cell
phones, all computers, all microwaves, all smart TV’s, all prescription
medications, all home based HVAC units, all drones, all routers, and all remotes. These items will be stored until such time as
these folks agree to accept science and truth over propaganda, conspiracy
theories, and lies.
Seems only reasonable that those who chop at the tree of
science should be denied the fruit of that tree.
If only that was possible! Seems both sides of the mouth is fashionable now.
ReplyDeleteI've started using it as a line when arguing with climate deniers: "Your collection station is located at...." and then explain what they should relinquish. But for that crowd it makes no difference. You are correct. Oh to be able to simply live with hypocrisy.
ReplyDelete