People are really ticked off about this 10:10 video, and it isn’t abating. The story is making it’s way up the news food chain. Hits are increasing on it. This afternoon, this WUWT story reached #3 on WordPress.
Not too shabby when wordpress.com says this:
The best of 341,031 bloggers, 1,527,765 new posts, 362,603 comments, & 210,061,304 words today on WordPress.com.
But there’s a fun twist in the stats, read on.
I had to laugh though, because even though traffic is soaring through the roof today, I find that I’ve been given a new nickname by a blogger in New Zealand who thinks the vile gore-packed short film of exploding skeptical children is “funny”. He goes on to say in comments:
Wow.
Mr. Gareth Renowden, founder of what is supposed to be the leading site on global warming in New Zealand, “Hot Topic” thinks it’s all about failure to have a “sense of humor”. Perhaps this is what truffle growers turned AGW proponent might think…
…but based on traffic and the sampling of opinions posted, it surely isn’t what the rest of the world thinks.
But, back to the nickname.
Gareth has coined a new one for me. It’s funny. He included it in his update on the pulling of the 10:10 video. Since he couldn’t easily explain away the 10:10 epic video gaffe being pulled, he gets personal:
“microwatts” Heh. Hey, I’ve been called far worse by Romm and Dhogaza. No worries.
For the record, I took no position on the Delingpole statement he cites, and I pointed out that because of the discovery that Delingpole made, which was important, it was a “damned if I do damned if I don’t” situation in reporting it.
Of course, Gareth misses the entire story about Bilderberg and global cooling being discussed because it does not fit into his narrative.
But here’s the really funny part. Until yesterday, when I got a linkback from Hot Topic because of his “unbelievably vile” snark, I had never visited the site.
Today I found out why. For the “leading site on global warming in New Zealand” it’s pretty much off the radar.
Alexa.com provides some valuable insight, here’s Hot Topic’s Worldwide Traffic Rank in New Zealand: (details on Alexa stats here)
And here is WUWT’s Worldwide Traffic Rank in in New Zealand:
Yes, that’s right, by a factor of 7.6, WUWT is reaching more people in New Zealand than the “leading site on global warming in New Zealand”. Perhaps if some of my New Zealand readers can spread the word around a bit, we can break the 1000 mark and make it a factor of 10. Wouldn’t that be fun?
The other number of interest between Hot Topic and WUWT is the global and US overall rankings:
Hot Topic:
WUWT:
Compared:
So please Mr. Renowden, feel free to continue to call me names in lieu of actual content. I like the results of that, and apparently New Zealanders do too.
Not sure if this has already been covered, but they have removed the video from their website see.
Just showed it to my father and my wife – both equally horrified; had be careful to make sure my children didn’t see it; the video is a really nasty piece of work on so many levels.
Gareth who? Andrew from New Zealand.
I posted a comment on the Climate Progress site. Joe Romm and Bill Mckibben have publicly distanced themselves from this stunt, and I’m just thankful that they are not trying to defend it in any way. There’s the obligatory dig at A Watts which seems rather distasteful right now- people should be able to accept blame for the messages forged by their own side without resorting to reflecting blame back onto their opponents.
Anyway, here’s my post (strangely, still in moderation- another comment just below has gone through though).
“Thanks Mr Romm/Me Mckibben for your distancing from this horrible piece of communication. There is probably nothing more chilling to me than seeing people finding humour in the violent coercion of children into silence. That this film was ever approved along the whole chain of production is just unbelievable to me. I’m glad that even some of the most passionate and outspoken advocates of climate action here can see that this film is just so wrong on so many levels.
Personally, I am a sceptic of some of the pieces of evidence for AGW, and a believer (or no reason not to believe) for other pieces of evidence. I guess most people are not so black and white on this issue as some (the producers of this film?) would like to believe. I have also been involved in environmental restoration for most of my adult life, do not own a car or have a licence, am vegetarian and eat 80% organic food. I denounce rabid consumerism. I would like to know that just because I am sceptical of some of the claims of AGW theory that people around me would secretly like to explode me. I wonder how many trees these people have planted, or whether they drive themselves? Maybe it is me that should have the red button?
Anyway. I breathe some kind of sigh of relief here. This will be hard to let down from your end, a lot of people feel justifiably angry at this, myself included. This is coercive propaganda of an extreme kind. There is no reason at all to support this. The Guardian has just lost any respect I may have once had for it. And I don’t think I’ll be getting involved in any 10:10 campaign.
I hope you can ride this criticism with dignity and restraint. I wish you luck in your future communications with the public.”
My second comment:
“PS, I also don’t think that the 10:10 campaigners themselves have properly apologised for this. They ‘imagine’ that most people found this funny and a few found it offensive, while the reverse situation is overwhelmingly in evidence. They need to stop dealing in distortions. This doesn’t sound like an apology to me. This is a ’sorry it didn’t work’ kind of apology.”
There is no humor in the message that students must conform to leftist AGW thinking or be such a vile being that they deserve death. There was no humor in the approach nor the execution(pun intended).
The lesson is that the Warmists find this funny. And that is disturbing.
Well I got a good chuckle … out of the μWatts quip. Sure it’s supposed to be offensive and stick in your craw, but it’s kind of clever. Well, at least from my perspective of not being named Anthony Watts, anyway.
Besides, you might be able to pull a “Yankee Doodle” on the warmists with this one and start using μWatts as a regular way of referring to mankind’s actual influence on the world’s climate. Start making it stick in their craw!
Jimash says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:42 pm
“Having made a project of it, I have found that the “rightwing” stereotype is badly off. A complete fiction. In fact, being a life-long liberal Democrat, I have been dismissed most cruelly by the left and accepted by the right, and so I have had to recalibrate my expectations and paradigms.”
Welcome, partner.
Just The Facts says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Hansen didn’t make a video of killing people nonchalantly.
Up and up and up.
What is more important than your popularity, is the hidden decline in popularity of the rest.
Your rapier was nicely wielded for that riposte, Anthony. Most apposite, most cutting and most enjoyable.
REPLY: Thanks! How’s locating that station photo in Auckland going? – Anthony
I too, haven’t visited Hot Topic before today; although I’m in New Zealand I’ve only read Gareth second hand through other NZ blogs.
I see that the comments critical of the movie are scoring many times higher than those pro but that, apparently, is only because WUWT is sending out the workers to overrun the Hot Topic site. It never occurs to Gareth that it might be a true reflection of the proportion of people in the Blogosphere that actually have a problem with the movie.
I know I do.
Jimash says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:42 pm
” I resent being lumped with all manner of undesirable right-wing types”
That is an unfortunate attitude you’ve got there.
Since I didn’t explode anything with my statement (except perhaps your world-view) my sense of humor is not always funny, but it is always mine.
Lightening up helps defuse the onerous part of the debate but we still need to take part so, no problem, consider me chastised.
What do you mean EVEN in New Zealand? Specially in New Zealand 🙂
I predict someday, after this CAGW tornado blows over, that Anthony will have to change the name of his site to MegaWattsUpWithThat comensurate with his impact on the Earth’s population’s critical perception of science in general and climate change in particular. It would be a fitting tribute.
Phil’s Dad,
Thanks for making the point.
PJB
Hey, no pressure. LOL.
Just a question: What do people mean when they say “undesirable right-wing types”? Is it to describe those people that believe in the unalienable rights spelled out in the US constitution? Is that the problem–that some people have the belief system that others should be subjugated like slaves of past centuries because the “masters” are more powerful, or more educated, or rightful heirs somehow? Is that it?
rbateman says: October 1, 2010 at 6:59 pm
“Hansen didn’t make a video of killing people nonchalantly.”
But Hansen wrote that, “The trains carrying coal to power plants are death trains. Coal-fired power plants are factories of death.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/15/james-hansen-power-plants-coal
My point is that in Anthony’s post above he notes how Gareth Renowden is taking him to task because “James Delingpole in the Telegraph called for a Nuremburg trial for “warmists”?” and “Watts was happy to make sure his readers new all about that nasty little item…”, while Hansen has called for similar trials, with added vitriol and demagoguery. Furthermore Hansen, his recent DC protest and the resultant arrests, are the subject of the top article;
http://hot-topic.co.nz/got-myself-arrested/
on Gareth’s site:
http://hot-topic.co.nz/
As such, I was noting the apparent hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance among many hardcore Warmists, especially Gareth Renowden.
Perhaps this didn’t come across particularly clearly in my previous semi-cryptic post? 🙂
Warmist “kristalle nacht” soon here!
Blacklists on “contrarian” and scientists in “denial”. Are we to wear a yellow star before they blow us up?
Deniar holocaust can be something funny.If you adapt to it step by step its easier to physically participate and to make a real contribution to the warmist cause. If you laugh at “deniar children” been blown up, you`r ready! Ready to join the Guardians climate fighting peoples army. General Monbiot is swinging his checker flag lets go. The thousand year climatic united nations is neah. You start by dehumanising the enemy.Make him the treat to human kind,greedy,ugly,selfish,stupid,an obsticle to form a new order. take away his human and democratic rights because his “missusing” them.
Then you can do anything you like..What do you like? Bomb? Spike club? CO2 gas chamber…that`s effective and creative? Yes but what ever way you choose to do it..remember to have a lot of fun while doing it.
The Moonbat himself said:
“When we’ve finally gotten serious about global warming, when the impacts are really hitting us and we’re in a full worldwide scramble to minimize the damage, we should have war crimes trials for these bastards — some sort of climate Nuremberg.”
But, I guess Renowden has “forgotten” that.
The micro watts was my second chuckle. The first was the uncanny (but I sure unintended) similarity between the opening banner (“WUWT’s story on 10:10 – 3rd most popular on WordPress globally – even in New Zealand”) and that of a radio program I watch (that sounds odd) via the Internet from “high above Times Square in Manhattan, this is the third most listened-to program in all of America….”
The video is unbelievably despicable, but totally in keeping with the products of people who think the only way to save us it to kill us all.
We hopefully will not have show trials for Warmists when all of their idiotic theories prove wrong (and we can get back to replanting diversified forests, restocking the seas, restocking wildlife preserves and nature corridors throughout the world), but rather enjoy their public ridicule and bankruptcy.
Gareth’s Hot Topic NZ influence may be minimal but he has other outlets (and fellow travelers) either directly or indirectly – NZ Herald, NZ’s largest circulation fishwrap and Sciblogs, New Zealand’s largest science blog network (self proclaimed) http://sciblogs.co.nz/terms/category/environment-and-ecology/
Neither of which present anything much other than the “consensus”
Nice work Anthony.
Funny how this person seems to equate arbitrary execution with a legal trial.
Personally I would rather stand trial and get a chance to defend myself rather than just be blown up at the whim of some random nutball.
The organization’s name, 10:10, and their push to reduce carbon emissions by 10%, coupled with the slaughtering of a few dissenters in every scene (roughly 10%?), reminded me of the Roman disciplinary practice of decimation.
Decimation was a punishment imposed on Roman military units for failure, cowardice, or mutiny in which one in ten (10% of) soldiers were selected by lot to be slaughtered by their comrades. Only the decimated victims in 10:10′s video are chosen for this ultimate punishment by their failure to make the “right” choice. No pressure. Decimating the global population sure is one way to reduce carbon emissions by 10%…
For more on my take on this video, see my blogpost: 10:10’s Decimate the Global Population Campaign.
A good NZ website with a NZ focus is http://www.climateconversation.wordshine.co.nz/
They’ve had some good stuff about NIWA’s fiddling with temp data.
Wonder if Anthony would add them to the blog role?
REPLY: I’m working on a guest post with them, but we are waiting for some additional deatils. – Anthony
I like a good zinger as much as anyone but there has to be a kernel of truth to make it work. That is where Mr. Renowden’s attempt fails. Had he referred to his own blog as uhot-topic then I would have thought “What a clever person!” Satire is best when it is funny, but wit is harder to come by than commonly thought.