[Vision2020] Bill McKibben: "The Climate Skeptics Can Crow" Re: 10:10 "no pressure" video

[Paul Rumelhart]

*goes down on his knees throwing his hands up in the air*

I just wanted somebody to watch the (expletive-deleted) film, for 
sobbing out loud!

And, if you (or anyone else) is not too busy, and it doesn't take too 
much time out of your day, and it doesn't conflict with your religious 
convictions, and you just happen to be in the mood, please watch the 
film and let me know what you think.

Paul

Ted Moffett wrote:
> As the following source indicates, your statement that "this video is 
> intended for mass consumption by the public at large" should be 
> qualified with the fact that "The film was withdrawn from public 
> circulation by 10:10 on the same day it was released, as a reaction to 
> immediate intense negative 
> publicity..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Pressure_(film 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Pressure_%28film>) .  Therefore the 
> availability of this film for the public at large at this point in 
> time is not the result of the 10:10 campaign promoting the film.
>  
> As far as being "brave enough" to watch it, I doubt there is any 
> content that would exceed the levels of violence, blood, gore or 
> torture, etc. that is common in the modern world of film making.  
> Along with many others, I'm too jaded by the violence in modern media 
> to be easily shocked by what I view in a film.
>  
> Bill McKibben, well known author and environmentalist, involved in the 
> 350.org <http://350.org> project, wrote a response regarding this 
> film, which I have pasted in below.  Just as he wrote, "The climate 
> skeptics can crow." a prediction fulfilled by your emphasis on the 
> objectionable content in this film, while you do not comment on the 
> serious and thoughtful science and economics I previously presented 
> that is included below your response lower down.
>  
> http://climateprogress.org/2010/10/01/bill-mckibben-days-that-suck/
>
>
>       (A response to the "No Pressure" Video)
>
> October 1, 2010
>
> /Bill McKibben — some-time guest blogger and the author most recently 
> of the must-read 
> <http://climateprogress.org/2010/05/22/review-bill-mckibben-book-eaarth/> 
> book ///Eaarth — has asked me to post this response to a noxious video 
> that some irresponsible folks in the UK put together.//
>
> I just climbed off an airplane at Boston’s Logan Airport. The day 
> began in Monterrey, Mexico–and though I was tired, I was also feeling 
> pretty good. Our big day of action on October 10th has been building 
> to a crescendo: we yesterday broke our record from last year, 
> registering more than 5500 actions for the big Global Work Party.
>
> But I’d barely turned on my computer when that good feeling turned to 
> a kind of quiet nausea. There were emails from people all saying the 
> same thing: Have you seen this? This was a gross video making its way 
> around Youtube, purporting to show people being blown up for not 
> believing in climate change. It’s been “pulled” from Youtube by its 
> creators, the British climate group 10:10, but of course nothing is 
> ever really “pulled” from Youtube. If you want to watch it bad enough, 
> I’m pretty sure you can find it. Or you can look at the stories by 
> climate deniers assailing it as the latest example of eco-fascism.
> The climate skeptics can crow.  It’s the kind of stupidity that hurts 
> our side, reinforcing in people’s minds a series of preconceived 
> notions, not the least of which is that we’re out-of-control and out 
> of touch — not to mention off the wall, and also with completely 
> misplaced sense of humor.
>
> We put out a statement at 350.org <http://350.org> saying we had 
> nothing to do with it–we didn’t see it till it had made its way around 
> the web, and as soon as we did we let people know we thought it was 
> disgusting.  We’ve known the creators for years–they put out a 
> statement apologizing for their lapse. But it’s the kind of mistake 
> that will hurt efforts. What makes it so depressing is that it’s the 
> precise opposite of what the people organizing around the world for 
> October 10 are all about. In the first place, they’re as responsible 
> as it’s possible to be:  They’ll spend the day putting up windmills 
> and solar panels, laying out bike paths and digging community gardens. 
> And in the second place, they’re doing it because they realize kids 
> are already dying from climate change, and that many many more are at 
> risk as the century winds on. Killing people is, literally, the last 
> thing we want.
>
> There’s no question that crap like this will cast a shadow, for a 
> time, over our efforts and everyone else who’s working on global 
> warming. We’re hard at work, as always, but we’re doing it today with 
> a sunk and sad feeling.
>
> – Bill McKibben
>
> /JR:  The video is beyond tasteless and should be widely condemned.  
> Individual anti-science, pro-pollution disinformers, of course, 
> routinely promote hate speech but you rarely see anyone on their side 
> denounces them.  I’m speaking of people like Anthony Watts, with his 
> utterly offensive comments on the Purported eco-terrorist who was shot 
> and killed by police 
> <http://climateprogress.org/2010/09/01/eco-terrorist-shot-and-killed-by-police-wattsupwiththat/>.   
> And of course there’s the Swift Boat smearer (see “UK Guardian slams 
> Morano for cyber-bullying and for urging violence against climate 
> scientists 
> <http://climateprogress.org/2010/07/15/uk-guardian-slams-morano-for-cyber-bullying-and-for-urging-violence-against-climate-scientists/>“).  
> And the worst of all is Lord Monckton **(see Monckton repeats and 
> expands on his charge that those who embrace climate science are 
> “Hitler youth” and fascists 
> <http://climateprogress.org/2009/12/12/tvmob-hate-speech-lord-monckton-hitler-youth-fascist-climate-activists/>)*.*/
>
> */None of this excuses that disgusting video.  But the difference is 
> that those who are trying to preserve a livable climate and hence the 
> health and well-being of our children and billions of people this 
> century quickly denounce the few offensive over-reaches of those who 
> claim to share our goals — but those trying to destroy a livable 
> climate, well, for them lies and hate speech are the modus operandi, 
> so such behavior is not only tolerated, but encouraged./*
>
> /Please keep the comments civil.  And no, I’m not linking to the 
> video.  You can find it only if you want.
> --------------------------------------------/
>
> /Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett/
>
> On 10/3/10, *Paul Rumelhart* <godshatter at yahoo.com 
> <mailto:godshatter at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
>
>     I got the gender of the director of "the Age of Stupid" wrong.  My
>     apologies.
>
>     If any one out there is brave enough to watch this video that is
>     intended for mass consumption by the public at large, please do so
>     and let me know what you think.  If you can spare some time from
>     your researches on climate change, of course.
>
>     Paul
>
>     Ted Moffett wrote:
>
>         The director of "the Age of Stupid" is not a guy, given a
>         meaning of this word to be "a male."  When this film came out
>         last year, I repeatedly posted information to Vision2020 about
>         it, specifically referring to the director, Franny Armstrong,
>         who also directed such noteworthy films as "McLibel" and
>         "Drowned Out."  Read about Ms. Armstrong and her film making
>         efforts at website below
>          http://www.spannerfilms.net/people/franny_armstrong
>         ---------------------- Some people toss the word "guy" around
>         in a gender neutral way, as in "you guys" referring to a group
>         of men and/or women.  But when specifically referring to the
>         director of a film, to call them a "guy" I think in most
>         people's minds indicates they are a male.
>          I did not watch the video you posted a link to, given I have
>         far more professional and in depth sources to spend my limited
>         time studying, regarding what is required to address lowering
>         CO2 emissions.  However, I did a quick search on the 10:10
>         campaign and found a different video on YouTube regarding "The
>         Guardian's 10:10 climate change campaign," which I did not
>         watch either, but I suspect refers to the major United Kingdom
>         newspaper "The Guardian."
>          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=314UCvMmgrU
>         ---------------
>          For anyone serious about considering plans to lower CO2
>         emissions to address anthropogenic climate warming, I
>         recommend study of the following plan from the Earth Policy
>         Institute for lowering global emissions 80 percent by 2020, or
>         read NASA climate scientist James Hansen's book, 'Storms of My
>         Grandchildren."  There are numerous professional and in depth
>         sources addressing this problem, but these two sources are
>         certainly worth consideration.
>          The Earth Policy Institute has discussed "tax shifting" to
>         encourage less reliance on fossil fuels, and James Hansen has
>         advocated a "fee and dividend" plan.  Peculiarly, these
>         alternative plans to "cap and trade" are rarely discussed in
>         mainstream media, as far as I have noted.  James Hansen has
>         specifically stated that "cap and trade" is a flawed approach.
>          I have posted information on the Earth Policy Institute plan
>         and James Hansen's plans repeatedly, yet I do not recall
>         anyone on this list ever responding "onlist" specifically to
>         these sources:
>          Information on Earth Policy Institute's "80 by 2020" plan:
>          http://www.earth-policy.org/datacenter/pdf/80by2020doc.pdf
>          James Hansen on "fee and dividend" plan as discussed in a New
>         York Times article "Cap and Fade."  The article title makes it
>         rather clear that Hansen does not promote "cap and trade:"
>          http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07hansen.html
>         ------------------------------------------
>         Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
>          On 9/30/10, *Paul Rumelhart* <godshatter at yahoo.com
>         <mailto:godshatter at yahoo.com> <mailto:godshatter at yahoo.com
>         <mailto:godshatter at yahoo.com>>> wrote:
>
>            I just stumbled upon this (may contain disturbing images):
>
>            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UHN3zHoYA0
>
>            It's a video about the "10:10 campaign" that encourages
>         people to cut
>            their carbon footprints by 10%, with a rather remarkable
>            punishment for
>            those who aren't willing to do so.
>
>            This isn't a small-time production, either.  It's directed
>         by the guy
>            who directed The Age of Stupid, it's written by the
>         screenwriters that
>            wrote "Four Weddings", it has a soundtrack provided by
>         Radiohead,
>            and it
>            has a cameo by Gillian Anderson of X Files fame.
>
>            While I'm not blind to the humor involved, is this really the
>            message we
>            want to get across?  Play ball or die?  I mean, I'm willing to
>            conserve
>            energy and reduce gasoline usage without death threats.  I
>         just don't
>            think that "climate change" is necessarily the Armageddon it's
>            made out
>            to be, and this makes me wonder about the people pushing that
>            particular
>            agenda.
>
>            Anyway, take a look and let us know what you think.
>
>            Paul
>
>            P. S.  I'm *really* hoping that Ted didn't get issued one
>         of those red
>            buttons...
>
>
>