Science lives on, even when it comes to climate

Anyone who has ever worked for a large company knows the kind of humor Tata Steel employees recently unleashed in Whatsapp and Facebook groups, after the publicized protest action by climate activists from Kappen Kolen met. A little stupid, a little flat, not funny, but you have to do something. And they admitted that, the demonstration took the form of “it is inWhere the activists were lying on the ground like corpses. Then she also asks for shocking jokes (“Immediately in the oven, it won’t stink”).

What interests me in the whole issue is psychology. First of all, the psychology of the snitch. “I don’t want to be associated with a group where these types of false comments are being made, therefore leave this group immediately,” a staff member wrote on the app group. They made screenshots and sent them to Noordhollands Dagblad. It’s clear that staying in such a pool of applications is very problematic, but working for a company that poisons the environment with carcinogens and exposes employees to asbestos – no, that’s okay.

A textbook example of cognitive dissonance

And what about scammers? I’m sure: If their father, mother, or partner had cancer, and you made a rude joke on them, they’d be mad. If someone hurts their children, they will pounce on them like predators and go to the carotid artery, so to speak. Right about that. But when other people are at risk, adults and children who live near Tata Steel, it is clear that your head as an employee is locking yourself up. A textbook example of cognitive dissonance.

The problem is not limited to Tata Steel. Slandering climate activists is a national pastime. There is an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence about the harmful effects of climate change, but you’re seeing even the most sensible people go into the reflexive “ho ho, don’t panic” and dismiss the science.

in denial mode

They are people who use their cell phones to send out angry tweets, but they seem to miss the fact that such a cell phone is only possible thanks to hundreds of years of scientific knowledge. They couldn’t have made their polluting flights without the very complex science that underpins aviation. A good proportion of all of them would have already died, if medical science had not made such a journey in recent centuries.

However, when this knowledge brings a message they don’t want to hear, they enter denial mode. Will they mock activists who do nothing but demand action on those scientific ideas?

We prefer the problem to the solution – until we lose our laughter.