Twice now in the past month I’ve seen editorial cartoonists in my local paper mocking the claim of global warming by drawing snow. The comics are sketched in not-so-subtly violent fashion. A couple of weeks ago, Lisa Benson depicted a shivering, snow-bound woman warming herself by burning Al Gore books. Today’s comic features a drawing of a hippy with a “stop global warming” shirt being knocked over by a snowball labeled “Winter 2010.” Congratulations to these artists: they have discovered that winter is colder than summer. They seem to have forgotten all the cold and snows of winters past.
In the meantime, NOAA records of global temperature show that each of the last 9 years is among the 10 warmest of the past 130 years (1998 rounds out the top 10). Historic tide data at www.climate.gov show an indisputable rise in sea level. The National Snow and Ice Data Center’s satellite updates show Arctic sea ice extent matching and on some days breaking the record lows of two years ago.
The cartoonists, published in my paper and syndicated around the world, confuse seasonal weather with global climate. If they are sincere in doing so, then surely come April we’ll see a comic with global warming deniers being beaten about the head by a large daisy. If I don’t see the daisy, I’ll suspect that their confusion is not so sincere.
The creators of such cartoons are either ignorant of subtleties and careful thinking or are counting on the ignorance of viewers and readers. Either way, they’re propped up by a general group consciousness that wallows at a low level and reminds me what a freak I am for liking to explore intricacies and complicated questions.
I’ll take both counts. The majority of people who poo poo on global warming have solid backing like how could we get this much snow if there’s global warming, or it’s too cool in the summer for warming knowing they have not actually done any looking in to the facts. And they way they have spun the Gore story strengthens their arrogance about the issue. Why research when I can just wait for Bill O’Reilly to tell me my opinion on the subject.
Grady, the Earth is not a refrigerator that’s set with a universal thermostat of hot or cold. Climate changes are on average, over long periods of time, not just a matter of what the weather happens to be like this week. Do you understand the difference between weather and climate, Grady?
If only we had a font for sarcasm. See Greeny I should’t need to explain to someone of your vast intelligence that where I said “a solid backing like” was not in fact a solid backing at all. Thank you for talking to me like I’m 5, next time maybe some charts or pictures will really set home the point.
Grady, maybe you’re being sarcastic – how am I supposed to know that, when there are grown adults who say stuff pretty much identical to what you wrote? Writing with sarcasm is a highly ineffective way to get a point across, unless that sarcasm is so extremely over the top, no one could mistake it. If you don’t want to be misinterpreted, I suggest that you say what you think.
Haha, there was some doubt at first, but Grady’s closing line about O’Reilly confirmed sarcasm. A true wing-nut would either not mention research or would say they researched when what they really did was hear O’Reilly. But I agree with Green Man that sarcasm should generally be avoided as confusing and insubstantial.
i’m sure there are cartoonists who could have a field day with climate change deniers. whether our hometown newspapers would publish them is another question. it seems the left leaning media has been left leaning up against a brick wall of right leaning corporate ownership.
the term global warming leaves an opening for naysayers every time the temps temporarily drop. (believe it or not, sometimes, even summer gets a little chilly) the “new ice age” theme song is played to the gullible masses and climate change is swept under the rug by the fair and balanced coverage of the likes of FOX news’ bill o’reilly.
Ramone, I think you’ve hit on something very important: The role that a lack of ability for critical thinking plays for many Americans. They’d see right through any garbage corporate messages, if only they had an idea of what separates a resaonable argument from an unreasonable one.
This aberrant weather is an indication of how chaotic it will become going forward. We’ve NEVER HAD 2 back to back blizzards as far back as records have been kept. Wait til it starts impacting food production! We’re in for some “interesting” times.