Guest post by Brandon Shollenberger
Words cannot describe the humor of Michael Mann’s latest post:
As professional climate change deniers become increasingly irrelevant and desperate, so do their distraction and smear efforts. These are mostly just noise in the background these days, as the media increasingly appears to be recognizing the intellectual bankruptcy of the industry-funded climate change denial effort and those who do its bidding. Occasionally, though, I will debunk the most egregious of the smears and falsehoods, both to set the record straight, and to arm readers w/ the information necessary to evaluate the credibility of the various actors in the climate change denial campaign…At that point I will be updating my lecture slides, many of which are indeed somewhat out of date.
Thus starts the latest crazy posting in the climate blog world, unsurprisingly written by Michael Mann. Snickers abound when Mann talks about “credibility,” but no words exist for the reaction this post should garner. Specifically, Michael Mann refers to a recent posting from (the long missed) Steve McIntyre, saying:
…it seems remarkable that Mr. McIntyre couldn’t figure this out, and instead chose to invent an entire conspiracy theory involving not just me, but multiple scientists, the AGU, IPCC, etc.
Steve McIntyre has gathered a great deal of respect, including respect from people who don’t agree with him. He has made many points even his critics accept are true. How can anyone believe he is some conspiracy nut? I don’t know, but it can’t be because of anything he wrote in that post.
The term AGU is used approximately 30 times in McIntyre’s post. In every case, it is used in a sense like “Mann at AGU,” “Mann’s AGU graphic” or “the AGU audience.” Not a single case of McIntyre saying the AGU did anything exists. The same is true for the term IPCC, which gets used 10 times. In fact, the only person (other than Mann) the post refers to as doing anything is Naomi Oreskes, who McIntyre says “appears to have [been] wrongfooted” by Mann.
Put simply, Steve McIntyre blamed everything in this post on Michael Mann. Mann interprets this as:
…an apparent effort to manufacture a nefarious plot out of whole cloth [where] Mr. McIntyre (parroted by Mr. Watts) imagines a great conspiracy.
While this is arguably a new low for Michael Mann, many people won’t be surprised at him saying things that make him appear delusional. However, some may be surprised to see John Cook, proprietor of Skeptical Science, agreed, saying (in a comment):
I find it interesting that Steve McIntyre automatically lunges towards a conspiratorial explanation of events. Stephan Lewandowsky published a paper last year showing a significant association between climate denial and conspiratorial thinking. The response to the research from climate deniers was a host of new conspiracy theories. We document the originators of these conspiracy theories in the paper Recursive fury: Conspiracist ideation in the blogosphere in response to research on conspiracist ideation: http://www.shapingtomorrowsworld.org/Lewandowsky_2013_Recursive_Fury.pdf. The chief originator of conspiracy theories? Steve McIntyre.
That’s right, the founder of Skeptical Science, a man who works with people like Stephan Lewandowsky to claim skeptics are conspiracy nuts, promotes this as an example of their conspiratorial ideation. A man who publishes papers claiming to find conspiracy theorists finds blaming everything on Mann to be a conspiracy theory involving an unknown number of people.
Be careful folks. Blame Michael Mann for anything, and you may be fabricating a conspiracy involving intergovernmental bodies, scientific communities and “multiple scientists.”
Or so global warming advocates will say.
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See Steve McIntyre’s observations on Dr. Mann’s graphic shortcomings here
Related articles
- Mike’s AGU Trick (climateaudit.org)
- Michael Mann’s new ‘trick’, pulled off at the American Geophysical Union Convention – exposed by McIntyre (wattsupwiththat.com)
- John Cook: Conspiracy Theorists Respond to Evidence They’re Conspiracy Theorists With More Conspiracy Theories (huffingtonpost.com)
- Friday Funny – John Cook’s withdrawal symptoms (wattsupwiththat.com)
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I’m beginning to see Mr. Mann’s behavior presenting as schizophrenic. I’ve personally dealt with several such people, clinically diagnosed, in my extended family and the similarities are striking. It’s time for Mr. Mann to see a qualified professional about his psychological problems.
And when Mr. Mann reads this, his response will be determined by which personality he is at the time. I hope it’s the long-lost logical one but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Tom J wins a prize. I’ll ask my older sister what he gets.
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Mann is using Alinsky tactics to marginalize his opponents.He must be hanging out with the pres.
This is exactly why getting Mann in to a court would be such a good idea , [he’s] simply unable to make a good argument based on the actual facts and has to resort to smear and BS which is in court would serve him very badly . Even better his unable to see this because he surrounds himself with yes men like Cook how never point out that the ‘king’ is indeed naked .
If where unlucky someone will get the message across to him and he will drop his law suits .
I would also wager a small amount that Mann didn’t write this, more likely a PR specialist in leftist doubletalk.
I see this as a victory for McIntyre.
Steve speaks, people listen. Mann agrees that his work needs updating. When did McIntyre ever change anything he did because of what Mann said ?
Penn state’s finest claims desperation, I have to say that, literally and also in metaphorical because he speaks in riddles defending the indefensible and in doing so digging an ever deeper hole – ‘raving’ would be a more accurate description of Mann’s antics.
Yesterday at six o’clock
I went to Senna square;
There they flogged by knout
A young peasant woman.
Not a sound came from her breast,
Only the whip whistled, playing…
And to my Muse I said: Behold!
There is your own, your beloved sister.
This is the estimable Nikolai Nekrasov from 1848.
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Steve Keohane says:
March 4, 2013 at 4:49 am
Wearing a hockey stick just seems awkward.
http://i47.tinypic.com/2i7mfex.jpg
That hockey stick more closely resembles reality. Perhap Mr. Mann was over compensating for his own head?
The key point here is the allegations of a conspuiracy.
McIntyre did not make any references to a conspiracy; he talked about a presentation by Mann and Oreskes following Mann’s conclusion.
But Mann has alleged that there is talk of a conspiracy. He should be pushed to clarify what he is referring to.
Remember, Mann and McIntyre were both at the AGU conference a few months back. If Mann saw something there, something curious that he thinks McIntyre is following up on, then Mann should explain it.
Michael Mann has claimed that a report on his presentation to the AGU springs from a conspiracy. That conspiracy must be at the AGU conference as it is not in McIntyre’s blog.
The AGU should follow this up with Mann.
It’s the classic ploy isn’t it, when you’re caught stealing the family silver? – point the finger at some other guy and holler “Stop Thief!”
[“as the media increasingly appears to be recognizing the intellectual bankruptcy of the industry-funded climate change denial effort and those who do its bidding.”]
It really is time Mann and his team were called out on this one. It’s an egregious libel which they keep repeating – and sadly, many seemingly intelligent people believe it. It comes up frequently in arguments on the question of AGW with my left-leaning friends.
I’m amazed that a supposedly reputable university will give house room to this madman. He has forfeited any shred of intellectual or academic integrity.
The text between the has vanished – mods, if you can replace it? It was the quote
“as the media increasingly appears to be recognizing the intellectual bankruptcy of the industry-funded climate change denial effort and those who do its bidding.”
[Noted. Is that rev correct? Mod]
“as the media increasingly appears to be recognizing the intellectual bankruptcy of the industry-funded climate change denial effort and those who do its bidding.”
This would be a great day to announce the closing of the NY Times Green Blog, wouldn’t it?
“Stephan Lewandowsky published a paper last year showing a significant association between climate denial and conspiratorial thinking.”
I don’t thinking posting a paper on your own website counts as “published”.
“Dr.” Michael Mann defended his thesis in 1996. It was not awarded until 1998 when he suddenly went from an obscure grad student to a Lead Author for the IPCC. I think he actually flunked, and then they decided to make him a Poster Boy with his Hockey Stick graph, which was too risky for anyone with an established reputation to get behind. The MSM loved it and now this clown gets 10 grand for speaking engagements. He is a constructed figurehead, and clearly has no clue. No one will be able to “Hide the Decline” of Mann, and soon we hope….
EternalOptimist,
Agreed, through all the blather and posturing, Mann has yet again found his own scientific behavior in need of correction. He can never acknowledge his mistakes with good character, but he is once again pressed to take note of criticisms from Steve McIntyre. The funny thing is that after all this time Mann proves still unable to elevate his game.
P.s. Today and tomorrow Mann is speaking at the University of Victoria, in case any WUWT readers are in that area.
A couple notes on Professor Mann’s comments.
1. Admit nothing. Deny everything. Make counter-accusations. (Andemca). The political tactics of PC-Progressives in all of their various fields of endeavor when their misdeeds are uncovered. This tactic makes clear the pure political nature of Mann’s activities. There is clearly no science involved in anything that he does in this regard.
2. Projection. A psychological manifestation of guilt in which the guilty party projects his sins upon his opponents. Mann’s projection of vague “conspiracies” working against him and his ilk point to his own activities.
(Andemca or Acadamnia ? Mod]
I notice that the comments to Mann`s Facebook rant are being selectively edited. LOL.
As eco-geek said, it is a matter of Mannifest Reality, the doctrine of unstoppable imperial warmist progress.
@mycroft, exactly, got to love the Mann.
It is clear who has the credibility here, when Mann speaks, even his team gets queasy.
His opponents most often laugh out loud.
When McIntyre speaks, people listen.
They may not agree, but they sure pay attention.
Gee, we’re just noise in the background but somehow intimidated climate scientists into under estimating warming.
I think it’s great that MM has given the public a reason to visit Climate Audit.
Too bad Obama couldn’t actually do something good with Sequestration and cut off Mann’s funding.
He so richly deserves to have his liplock on the public teat ended.
Maybe he could get a job as a cable news TV weatherman?
David,
Their cowardly response is to phony the results even though nobody has been injured..
That’s an intergenerational crime.committed because of their cowardice.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
It is the classic rant — the last cry of an endangered species.