Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Rebecca Huntley, a prominent Aussie academic, is concerned voters choose politicians with inadequate climate policies. Her solution is for people who dismiss the urgency of the alleged climate crisis to be driven from positions of power, and prevented from making donations to political parties.
Climate change splits the public into six groups. Understanding them is key to future action
ABC Radio National By Rebecca Huntley for Big Ideas
Updated Wed at 10:14am
In Australia there is now widespread public acceptance of the reality of climate change; we seem to see its effects almost hourly.
But the electorate still votes for political parties with environment policies that I would call recalcitrant, and with significant groups of climate deniers in their ranks.
…
We need to increase the Alarmed cohort, absolutely no doubt.
But we also need to develop and hone their skills of talking to others not of the same mindset.
And we need to provide social and emotional support as many of them — many of us — struggle with feelings of grief, dread and burning anger about what’s happening to the planet and the response of many of our political leaders.
We need to shift more of the Concerned group into the Alarmed group.
We need to find a way to convince the Cautious that urgent action is necessary.
This, very difficultly, often requires language that isn’t fraught with tones of crisis. More on this in a moment.
We need to engage the Disengaged — probably the hardest task of all, because it requires us to rebuild their faith that our democratic institutions are capable and willing to do something about it.
And finally — in my opinion, and I say this with no trepidation whatsoever — we need to drive the Dismissive group out of positions of power in our government, stop the flow of their donations into our political parties, and find smarter ways to engage with them in the media, including social media.
…
This will then expose those who dismiss both the science and the solutions, the denialists — who are today a minority, albeit a powerful one — as what they are: out of step with the rest of us, determined to put our collective wellbeing and our way of life at risk.
We must not let their voices be the loudest in the public arena.
…
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-29/climate-change-global-warming-six-groups-rebecca-huntley/11893384
Rebecca is advocating that a group she doesn’t like, “climate dismissives”, be excluded from full participation in the democratic process, by “stopping the flow of their donations to political parties”, and by “driving the dismissive group out” of power. Her justification for these extreme views is the alleged urgency of the climate crisis.
There is a name for this brand of political ideology, and it isn’t a nice one.
Rebecca Huntley (born 1972) is an Australian social researcher and expert on social trends. She is an author and researcher with degrees in law, a first class degree in film studies and a PhD in Gender Studies. She has been a regular columnist for Business Weekly Review, a feature writer for Vogue and a radio presenter for ABC’s RN. She regularly features on radio and TV.
Here are some more of Rebecca’s thoughts.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-29/climate-change-global-warming-six-groups-rebecca-huntley/11893384
If she can see the effects of climate change on an hour by hour progression, then she must be really shaken upon waking up from an eight hour sleep. Must be hard to cope with the shock.
LMAO!
Yeah when I think back to the weather 100 years ago I can certainly feel that ~1C change.
Ask her on an average or cold day whether she’s feelin it.
Most people wouldn’t understand climate if it bit them on the face.
Darned if I know what these climate change bad things are. I will be 80 soon. Nothing accused of being dangerous climate seems other than simply ordinary. Sure, there is some evidence that ambient temperature sensor have warmed less than a degree in my lifetime, but my negligent body lacks the accuracy of a good thermometer and cannot detect this teensie weensie change that freaks out true believers.
These true believers talk about what is projected to happen with climate change and its allegedly associated disasters. Come on, be specific, what is there to fear that was not there 80 years ago?
Bugger all except fear itself, I reckon. Geoff S
Acolytes for Profits advocating abor… cancel culture. A wicked solution, again.
This is what happens when social (science?) studies academics can’t leave their cocoons.
I witnessed this discussion at my place, where this young woman of about 35 said exactly the same thing, that, come next election, they need to educate people how to vote so they stop voting conseevative. At that point I intervened and pointed out that her proposition amounts to brainwashing. You can’t imagine the looks of surprise and indignation on their faces.
I’m trying to figure out if going from being a denier to a denialist is a step up or a step down.
Interesting she kind of dabbles in words of conciliation, but clearly she has the only correct view.
Her condescension and rank arrogance just speaks Dunning-Kruger Effect to me.
Next stop, gas chambers she would be promoting for climate deniers I expect.
That is where this kind of thinking ends.
Climate hystericysts like this slag, are the Fourth Reich.
Climate change is accepted by most people as part of the natural ebb and flow of our environment, it’s easier to break down the human element into three groups
1. Those that believe based on the emotion
2. Those that disbelieve based on the science
3. Those that sit on one side of the equation or the other based on the facts presented to them
I used to be a 3, but am now a 2
Politics is no longer about who caters to the needs of the ones or twos. But who works with and is honest with the threes.
It’s a fine balance and who is playing the right game?
Scomo, and dare I say it here Tanya, as much as I may despise her is going for gold. Shorten and Albo were never in the game!
Replace ‘the Alarmed’ by ‘the Pure’ and ‘the Dismissive’ by ‘the (whatever minority)’ and you have a speech that J Goebbels would have been proud of.
Hello BallBounces. “Denier” is a loaded term meant to stigmatize anyone who so defiant of common decency as to ask for a fair, evidence-based discussion of the causes and consequences of climate change. It is basically an insult and, once you have been labeled a denier, there is no longer any obligation for anyone to listen to anything you say. “You’re a denier,” means “talk all you want, but I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”
“Denialist” is a newer term which seems to imply the same thing as denier, except with a heavy professional or political motivation. It’s like the opposite of “warmist.” A warmist is somebody who believes in catastrophic climate change and wants to sell you the political or (expensive) technical solutions to it. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elon Musk are warmists.
I myself am a denier (and durn proud of it, partner.) I am not a denialist because I don’t want to sell you oil and gas, or make you vote for Maxime Bernier. Although those are excellent choices, should you care to make them.
“heavy professional or political motivation.” Not to mention “denialist” also provides an academic patina. I will wear either moniker. Interesting definition, with example sentences, here: https://www.lexico.com/definition/denialist
Ian, yes please! Vote for Max!
There is something fundamentally troubling about a legally trained advocate, demanding the best way to win her argument, is to make sure the other side can’t speak?
I wonder if she has even heard of Magna Carta? As she is presented as a spokesperson, supposedly being a law graduate, one would hope so, but these days who can be sure?
Did the great Hungarian freedom fighter die in vain?
This moron is a water melon with zero self awareness.
Feminists really are morons.
Here are the categories and the percentages associated with each:
31% Alarmed
26% Concerned
16% Cautious
7% Disengaged
10% Doubtful
10% Dismissive
That doesn’t even remotely resemble what I have seen in the real world. I was expecting a normal distribution, with the vast majority of people being Cautious/Disengaged. I have met very few people who are legitimately Alarmed. Most people I have talked to will claim some general level of concern about climate change, but immediately become less concerned when you attach even a modest price tag to solutions it in terms of increased taxes or energy costs. That sounds more Cautious/Disengaged to me.
Yes but people can be concerned about “aliens invading”, it does not mean they think it likely or really care. That is the problem with polls when they use language like that. The question needs to be of the sort you posed are you willing to pay to do something about climate change policy or change how you vote.
It could also be the Goldwater affect.
A lot of people are nervous about telling complete strangers what they really feel, if what they really feel is out of step with whatever the popular media is pushing.
So just more “Project Fear” then?
Next thing we know, every time someone expresses a wrong opinion they will put 10 random villagers up against a wall.
”Rebecca Huntley, a prominent Aussie academic, ”
Never heard of her, so how ‘prominent’
Ciao
John
You will be sent off to the leftist re-education camp immediately 🙂
Actually I had never heard of her either but so many over educated stupids get MSM time these days they all become a blur.
“Academic” is such a misleading, or at least overestimated, term. How about “an a$$hole with both a strongly held opinion and an advanced degree in something or other.”
Academics, what would we do without them?
Actually, that’s an experiment I’d happily embrace.
State Climate Science’s new rule: censor (and preferably ruin) any scientist speaking against Official State Climate Science. Reminds me of the book “The Mortal Storm” where a Hilter Youth asks his science professor to affirm that Aryan blood has elements making it superior to others. The professor says that science shows there is no difference. The Hitler Youth tells him the State says Aryan blood is superior. The professor loses his job and dies in a concentration camp.
(Rescued from spam bin) SUNMOD
Did the “youth” report the professors’ thought crime?
Actually, I hope you Aussies go full mental green, go 100% ‘renewable’, shut down debate totally, Green New Deal to kill the economy, the whole bag. Then when it all ends in lots of tears, maybe the rest of our muppet governments might actually stop and think before following you over the cliff. Sorry, I know that’s a little harsh on most folk, (including family and friends of mine), but sacrifices must be made…
Shutdown the economy? Maybe. But with over 100,000 people arriving every year in Sydney alone, the housing market will continue propping up everything else around it, I don’t think so. There is nothing much more than resource mining here in Australia.
The economy is on shaky ground however and here are 3 of my popular indicators;
1. New car sales are down.
2. Job market is slow.
3. Junk food providers start offering discounts.
Ticks to all three.
Taken me 11 months, to the day almost, to find work in IT. Responses have been either too old, too white (Not the right “culture fit”), too experienced, not experienced enough and too expensive (Market rates). I was interviewed in October last year, never heard from them until just a week or so ago. Well, after the interview the manager did say he would be in touch. To me, it sounds like they hired someone on a business visa that I call a “paper engineer” (Got all the certifications, but no real world experience in the technology) and failed to deliver.
The biggest shock will come when there is no fuel to buy, not sure if Aus is back to the required 90 day reserves from a while back when it was discovered we had on 28 days reserve.
social researcher..i don’t need more.
So its come to this then.
Whats next then Rebecca Huntley?
Put people into camps perhaps?
Re-educate them with force?
Beat them until they aquiesce?
Gas and burn them in ovens when they wont ?
She sounds everso “liberal” to me.
She’d find herself well in favour with a certain fat faced dictator just north of south Korea and in good company amongst all the other despots that have ever polluted our planet with their vile prescence.
She clearly understands nothing of what freedom means, just the freedom to act like some kind of animal whe she cant get what she wants.
To me she has life exactly backwards.
But if her world the Emperor wears magnificent robes of the finest fabric and most glorious colours.
I see a fat naked fool.
Now I support driving the extremely gullible from every position of power and robbing them blind,exploiting their incredible gullibility as a caution to the rest of us.
Like addicts,they will never begin to recover until their current conditions become too miserable to endure.
The Cult of Calamitous Climate has been most revealing,the authoritarian nitwits have all climbed on board,regaling the taxpayers with their demands for indulgence moneys.
Now we are months into Government Issued “Climate Emergency”.
Exposing the utter uselessness of our professional parasitic class.
Government promoting mass hysteria for purposes of power,wealth and control has exposed our Agencies as corrupt and stupid.
Our “watchdogs” the suppliers of “Professional unbiased advice” to the hapless politicians how believe they hold power..otherwise known as the “civil service” are exposed as rabid.
“Who watches the watchmen?”
Did anyone see this interview with Mikey in Australia a few weeks ago? Found it on Judith Curry’s site. OMG, what a piece of work. https://therealnews.com/stories/australia-fire-denying-climate-change-wont-save-you