Guest essay by Larry Hamlin
The Orange County Register published a spreadsheet on October 27, 2024 (shown below) presenting results of Chapman University’s 10th annual update of their study “Our Fears and How They’ve Changed” survey.
The last year “Global warming and climate change” made the top 10 fears list was for the years 2018 and 2019 where this “fear” was 9th on the list.
The year 2024 top ten fears listing has “Global warming and climate change” as number 21 (falling below the year 2023 placement) on the list despite decades Democrat led anti-science government driven climate alarmist hype and propaganda.
The number 1 fear on the 2024 “Top 10 fears” list is “Corrupt Government Officials” which has led this list since 2016.
The year 2024 top 10 fears listing is shown below.
It seems that the more the climate extremist media pushes contrived government climate alarmist propaganda schemes (unsupported by valid science data versus phony models) the more suspect the public becomes of their flawed politically driven alarmist hype.
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The minor little problem is that Kamala Harris supported The Green New Deal, a Green Blob wishlist best described as a fascist socialism designed by retarded schoolchildren. While she may not be stressing it now, the fact that she ever supported it is indicative of either green fanaticism or a willingness to pander to fanatics.
But her values have not changed.
She s rather like Senator Byrd. Having been an official with the Klan means history matters.
I fear the bullies, and Government bullies in particular.
They have been screaming about the end of the world for over 50 years. Even the dimmest of wits will eventually realize they are being scammed. They just hate admitting it.
Median USA age is up to 38.5 years (google)
Yep. As the saying goes…”You can full some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time”. More children need to hear about Chicken Licken.
Your average suburban & small towns households are as always primarily concerned with things that affect their daily lives.
“Climate emergency” bullshit does not resonate with them at all.
John Kerry’s dribble at the WEF and the UN would not divert their attention from the hockey games even during ad breaks.
Add to it, the price of eggs due to salmonella and E. Coli outbreaks (not grocery store price gouging).
Considering the relentless global warmunism-mongering of the Dems, news media, and popular media over the last 30 years, which has become increasingly shrill, apocalyptic, and accusatory in their demands for immediate radical change, the general public just cares less and less … we (excluding the neurotic True Believer warmunists) all tend to care about things that directly impact our lives today and in the immediate future, and such practical concerns are what dominate our limited mental tolerance for fear.
Increasingly, as was discussed before, Republican lawmakers and governors like Ron DeSantis are no longer silent and passive when it comes to global warmunism and are taking their arguments for sane non-destructive policies right to the radical left and their handmaidens in the media who always love a good scare story and a good vs. evil story they can peddle to increase ratings and mouse clicks and ad revenues.
The origins date back over 70 years with the increasing strident alarmism 50 years.
Surprised that “fear of US using nuclear weapons” didn’t make the list.
As of 1996, USA had more, bigger and better. Tsar Bomba was a 1-off.
It goes without saying if it weren’t for number one (corrupt government officials) there would be no talk of number 21 (global warming and climate change).
Just above the fear of “global warming and climate change” was “artificial butter used on popcorn at the movie theater.”
When all the bad stuff we were supposed to fear didn’t happen, eventually even people in California wise up and stop fearing. Manhatten’s West Side Parkway is still dry. Tuvalu did not sink below the waves. Polar bears are thriving. Glacier National Park still has glaciers. UK children still know snow.
OTOH, following the green agenda HAS caused real bad stuff to happen. Gasoline prices are way up. Food prices are way up. Thousands of auto workers in Germany are about to lose their jobs as VW closes three plants. EVs aren’t selling because they cost much more yet go less far.
Not to mention Gavin Newsom just signed a bill requiring California refineries to keep inventory on hand to “prevent gasoline price gouging” at the same time the California unelected CARB board is expanding its carbon reduction regulations.
Then, Phillips 66 just announced it was closing its LA refinery, selling the property and moving out of state.
They supply 8% of all gasoline in California. And California cannot import refined gasoline because of its “special” formulation requirements. Guess what will happen to gas prices with that loss?
Ah, but the revenue stream is increased due to underground storage and inventory taxes.
“Russia Using Nuclear Weapons” in 3rd reveals age of respondents. I don’t think anyone under 30 knows that’s still a possibility.
They aren’t building nuclear fallout shelters in their backyards anymore, and no children are being taught “duck and cover” in schools, so somehow I don’t think the nuclear weapons fears are that big.
“The US becoming involved in another World War”?
The term “World War” needs to be defined.
You can run but you can’t hide.
The problem is, we are engaged in a World War.
The tactics are divide our society and trash our economy.
Our Fears and How They’ve Changed”
Is alarmism working? How can we ramp it up going forward… etc
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time” Most likely said by Abraham Lincoln.
Apparently, Project 2025, more powerful than Climate Change, can do anything.
The fact that it is nothing to do with Trump, doesn’t stop the Democrats from LYING about it.
I fear economic collapse due to energy cost increasing and reliable energy failing – all brought about, of course, by corrupt government officials. I guess that puts me in agreement with the survey finding.
Here’s a classic example of the result of crying wolf too often. People have learned long ago to take any weather events in their stride so that hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast and tornados across the Midwest are greeted with no more than “this-is-to-be-expected” rather than irrefutable proof of climate change. The panic- spreaders have gone to the well too often; now they’re finding that it ran dry long ago.
Enter in “The boy who cried wolf” syndrome.
The desensitizing the public to real emergencies will lead to tragedy.
While people as a whole are not worried about the climate, they are not convinced it is bad science. Many are willing to accept government spending and policies that address the non-existent climate problem. This means trillions more could be wasted before the truth becomes obvious.
The good news (?) is that a trillion dollars isn’t worth what it once was. ;))
Item 6 (?) Not having enough money.
That will rise.
Just throw in more minimum wage and more government overreach and higher energy costs and it will continue to rise.
What’s to fear? None of their catastrophic claims have come true, draconian laws and edicts ‘to save the planet’ that no one wants are becoming more common, the “renewable” cry is turning into a waste of their money and energy reliability is disappearing.
We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
— FDR
I’m reminded of the IRS in the 1980’s charging Leona Helmsley and Willie Nelson for income tax evasion. I was with H & R Block at the time. Several clients, “If they do that to such well-known people, what would they do to me?” “Not a damn thing.” “Just well publicized scare tactics.”
Why on earth would you worry more about what the climate MIGHT be like in 2100 than what the Russians MIGHT VERY WELL do in 2025, eh?
Why on earth is potential problems fifty years out more of a worry than not having enough money to get by in the here and now?
And when the whole political process is corrupt and rotten to the core, why on earth is that less worrying than whether some grant-chasing computer modellers have the first clue how to model earth’s climate or not?