Why is the general public so narrow minded?

Question

This forum is rife with people complaining about this spring's "cold" weather and using it to "prove" that global warming does not exist. Why do people not understand statistics? Statistics, not simple arithmetic, is used to analyze data from meteorology and biology because these disciplines involve huge time scales and immense variability that cannot be conveniently quantified. I recall a very warm spring two years ago but no one was 'complaining' that it was too warm. I bet no one even noticed. Even this spring has been hot in some parts of the world. In Australia (autumn there of course), it has been extremely hot. Why can't these people look at the entire world's weather for the past 50 years (at least) before deciding to be an armchair scientist and proclaiming that global warming is fake.

Answer 1

Because nobody likes change, and most people will stay comfortably in denial, some even in the face of incontrovertible proof.

Add to this the fact that there is a great deal of anti-global warming propaganda out there.  Propaganda that is being spread, and spoon-fed to the same people your question cites, by the same industries which have always been opposed to changes in their way of doing business which would clean up our air, fight increasing global warming, and take away from their bottom line.

If you want an even better answer to your question, please read a short Science Fiction story:  The Marching Morons, by C. M. Kornbluth (You can read about it in Wiki).

And yeah, last time this old f**t looked, the poles are melting at an increased rate (this is why polar bears are drowning).  

Just because Al Gore is making a buck, does not mean that his basic thesis is incorrect.

"Would you buy that for a quarter?"  (ibid)

Answer 2

I agree with you that the voting public generally know very little on many important subjects.  I too am one of those individuals wondering where all that global warming is this spring.  You were really scoring brownie points with me until youir last sentence aboiut looking at the past 50 years of weather.  If you're using the last 50 years of weather data to decide that global warming is actually happening, then you're no better than the people you reamed out earlier in the paragraph.

50 years may be a very long time for a young sprout like you, not really all that long for an old f**t like me, but it's a mere blink of the eye in historical terms.  For example, 20,000 years ago, Missouri was under glacial ice estimated to be 1000-2000 feet thick.  The north central part of the state was considered to be the leading edge of it as evidenced by topographical quees.  Evidence shows that the earliest humans showed up here maybe 10-12,000 years ago.  So where did all that  glacial ice go?  Maybe those cavemen cooked up all of the wooly mammoths and caused global warming....And the last glacial advance was just one of many in a warming-cooling cycle.

Incidently, one problem with the ice trapped carbon dioxide measurments is that it's a proven fact that increasing carbon dioxide levels do not correlate accurately with increasing temperatures.  I also love the way global warming proponents explain cooling areas (like the Florida citrus belt moving south) by saying that because of global warming, some areas of the globe will become cooler.  If you ask me, that could be turned around to say that with global cooling, some areas of the world, particularly the polar regions, will warm up.  

I'm not saying the poles aren't warming and not saying we shouldn't reduce greenhouse emmissions, just that people need to do a little more research and look at all points of view (not just Al Gore's) before jumping on the global warming bandwagon.  Check into how much money good old Al has made with his books, movie and speaking engagements.  You'll find it's millions and millions of dollars.  The exact figure is debated, so I won't quote anything but he's found himself a real cash cow and it's no wonder he's riding it for all it's worth.  He (and you and I) would be idiots not to.  I've been around a lot longer than you have, so just let me tell you to not place much value in someone's opinion if that opinion just happens to me making them money hand over fist.

Answer 3

So what's with the Marzipan?

Answer 4

Because this is yahoo answers and most of the users probably have never had a statistics class?

Young people with a narrow range of experience and knowledge will obviously be narrow minded, won't they?

Answer 5

Because the "general public" has little or no information to go on! Do you really think that the government or scientists are going to let us know what's really happening?

Answer 6

Because there is no proof of global warming, unless you ignore the fact that weather was occuring and drastically changing, several times even, long before we kept records.

Just because things have been different in the past 5 years proves nothing. The planet has been around for billions of years, and we have been keeping weather records for about 150.

It's nothing about being closed minded; it's common sense practically applied. The climate is changing, there's no doubt about that; it's got nothing to do with anything man is doing.

Answer 7

First, there is a big difference between "global" and "local" warming.  Just because it gets warmer than or cooler than usual in one area means very little.

The primary reason is that people believe whatever is popular to believe.

Answer 8

Throw some willful ignorance in the mix, and even old people can be narrow-minded.