A poke at climate doubt pushers, by Dave Hampton, the carbon coach, and member of the Green Rewards Sustainability Advisory Panel created a bit of a stir when it appeared on his blog:
So we invited Dave to re-view and re-mix it - for publication here - on Green Rewards.
Just after watching BBC TV Question Time, the one with ‘Grick Niffin’ on the panel, I had nightmares about Truth Deniers, and how it was that honest, decent people can so easily get seduced towards them. My field of speciality is a big muddy field! Humankinds collective denial (by their actions) that there is any real climate problem. In this muddy field it’s important to remember there are two very distinct types of denier ‘animal’ that you will encounter. With totally different response strategies needed. Actually "doubt pusher" may be a better name than 'denier'. Get this:
Doubt is a popular feel-good drug
Whether we seek escape from the pain of being part of the species that 'allowed' the holocaust, or escape from the dull ache that we are now complicit in mass suicide and the future deaths of billions including our own children, we seek escape, distraction, cold comfort. A tiny bit of doubt eases the pain enormoulsy. These are big emotional 'charges' Dave! But watch out when the climate taboo next crops up in polite conversation. We are talking about (or not talking out) latent near-universal abuse of our own children's Home planet. Hardly small talk.
So what are these two types:
My hero Miles Kington used to say "There are two types of people in this world. People who divide people into two types. And people who don't." Think about it! I honestly don't know why, but this is one of my favourite sayings of all time!
Here goes:
Type 1 (or Class A!) Doubt Pushers: They work upstream – and are misanthropic - clever - bad - and privately fully aware that they are wrong, in the views they pretend to hold.
and
Type 2 (or Class B) Doubt Addicts: These are the carefully selected victims and prey of the pushers: they get infected and used – after feeling the high - of a smidgeon of doubt, and enjoy being a lone voice – a maverick.
Now it turns out that doubt takers, soon become doubt addicts, and some fast become doubt pedlars. (And of course some pedlars are invited to become proper paid up pushers.) Pedlars of doubt experience new found fresh popularity - for the welcome relief they bring (e.g. at dinner parties) to the throbbing headache of dealing with the huge climate reality backlog. Think David Bellamy - one of my childhood hero’s - and someone I still believe to be a good man.
I don't think there are that many Class A's left - but they are very toxic - very clever – highly motivated – superb at doing what they do – (appearing to profess some doubt) - and superb at hiding what they do too. All we can do is help expose them, and hold them to what they have said.
We also need to hope that less Class B's will get duped over the years, although currently it’s a boom industry. But they are less likely to succumb if we love them. (Class A's are usually immune to this tactic.) This is a big learning point. You won't love a Class A into the light. Just as you won’t convince a Class B by the power of your argument. You have to let go. There are two very different approaches needed. It’s made more complicated because it is usually almost impossible to tell if the person is a pusher of doubt or an innocent victim. They look and sound the same. That’s the skill of the Class A doubt pusher. But trust your instincts, love the person, and see what happens.
What also gives me hope is my belief that someone like Ann Widdecombe is not rotten to the core, she's just been duped. (Not atall easy to do with a lady as shrewd as her, and certainly not atall easy for her to ever admit.) She will get there eventually. She might want to listen to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He doesn't suffer fossil fools easily.
Dominic Lawson though – by way of example - I struggle to give him the benefit of doubt. Maybe I'm wrong. But I sense a man who justifies his immoral stance as being in some way 'right' down the line. Extreme right maybe! History will judge Class A's harshly, very harshly indeed.
All we can do is calmly and courageously expose them, and hold them to what they have said.
