No offense, but this is exactly the kind of active pessimism that this post is trying to combat. The only mindset that creates positive change is active optimism. In other words, hope for better and taking action to try and get there.
Note that this is not to be confused with inactive optimism. “Everything will just work out on its own”. That also doesn’t work.
Active pessimism is the most damaging mindset, though, because it actively drains others of their will to make things better. Feeling hopeless is real and understandable, I’ve been feeling it, too. Spreading it around and shutting down those who are trying to do better isn’t the way to process it, though.
I mean thats not really true even if the most catastrophic of feedback loops was actively happening if we invented something for effective carbon capture and storage or did something more drastic like launch enough nukes to start a nuclear winter we could still do something.
We shoudn’t rely on carbon capture, the technology is still at an embryonary stage and will not be ready on time to have a significant impact. Nor on a nuclear winter, for obvious reasons.
I agree but you said that there would be a point that our actions do not matter. I’m pointing out that there will always be choices to be made that will have some level of effect. You also can’t convince me that if people started dying the the numbers that are expected that if someone told the person in power that a nuclear winter would solve they wouldn’t at least consider it.
EDIT: Thought you were the person that I had initially replied to my bad. Thanks 9bananas.
I was simply pointing out that there will always be some level of choice. I do not think that putting ourselves into a nuclear winter is something that should be considered a good idea I was simply pointing it out as an option that was technically available. Not using an option is still making a choice.
And that single release, equivalent to two years of human output, is the tip of the spear.
Hope police want to argue that if we are calm about things and don’t point out the dire situation we’re in, we’ll somehow manage.
It’s the same argument as telling a passenger in a car driving towards a cliff at 50 mph, close enough that seconds matter, to not yell ‘CLIFF! BRAKE!’ Because it would demoralize the driver, and should instead calmly inform the driver that we might have some problems if they don’t stop applying pressure to the gas.
I think you misunstand my point. I’m saying that doing nothing is never the only option. There are a lot of people saying that the world is fucked so we might as well do nothing. my only point is that we should at least try doing something.
It’s more like me saying to the driver you should use the ebrake after it becomes too late to use the normal breaks and other people saying that since the normal breaks won’t work we might as well do nothing and accept flying off the cliff full force.
No offense, but this is exactly the kind of active pessimism that this post is trying to combat. The only mindset that creates positive change is active optimism. In other words, hope for better and taking action to try and get there.
Note that this is not to be confused with inactive optimism. “Everything will just work out on its own”. That also doesn’t work.
Active pessimism is the most damaging mindset, though, because it actively drains others of their will to make things better. Feeling hopeless is real and understandable, I’ve been feeling it, too. Spreading it around and shutting down those who are trying to do better isn’t the way to process it, though.
I agree with you, but I’m not sure the post is really effective for that goal.
Fucking hope police with their unscientific view that honest assessments and factual information are less important than optimism.
The OP’s tweet is wrong.
This is undeniable.
There are certain limits past which feedback loops kick in and after which our actions won’t matter.
I mean thats not really true even if the most catastrophic of feedback loops was actively happening if we invented something for effective carbon capture and storage or did something more drastic like launch enough nukes to start a nuclear winter we could still do something.
We shoudn’t rely on carbon capture, the technology is still at an embryonary stage and will not be ready on time to have a significant impact. Nor on a nuclear winter, for obvious reasons.
I agree but you said that there would be a point that our actions do not matter. I’m pointing out that there will always be choices to be made that will have some level of effect. You also can’t convince me that if people started dying the the numbers that are expected that if someone told the person in power that a nuclear winter would solve they wouldn’t at least consider it.EDIT: Thought you were the person that I had initially replied to my bad. Thanks 9bananas.
I was simply pointing out that there will always be some level of choice. I do not think that putting ourselves into a nuclear winter is something that should be considered a good idea I was simply pointing it out as an option that was technically available. Not using an option is still making a choice.
FYI: wrong user; check names again ;)
Oops thanks for that.
Carbon capture and nuclear winter won’t do a goddamn thing if the clathrate gun goes boom, and it is looking like it has:
https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-02-12/massive-methane-leaks-detected-in-antarctica-posing-potential-risks-for-global-warming.html
And that single release, equivalent to two years of human output, is the tip of the spear.
Hope police want to argue that if we are calm about things and don’t point out the dire situation we’re in, we’ll somehow manage.
It’s the same argument as telling a passenger in a car driving towards a cliff at 50 mph, close enough that seconds matter, to not yell ‘CLIFF! BRAKE!’ Because it would demoralize the driver, and should instead calmly inform the driver that we might have some problems if they don’t stop applying pressure to the gas.
I think you misunstand my point. I’m saying that doing nothing is never the only option. There are a lot of people saying that the world is fucked so we might as well do nothing. my only point is that we should at least try doing something.
It’s more like me saying to the driver you should use the ebrake after it becomes too late to use the normal breaks and other people saying that since the normal breaks won’t work we might as well do nothing and accept flying off the cliff full force.
Except that this is the argument that hope police give to people screaming to pull the brake. Not just to people black pilled.