I... think I just felt my brain die

[ciroccoj]

Memo to myself: don't ever, ever, ever click on a "discuss this story" link from Yahoo News.

There's this link to a story 'Doomsday Clock' moves closer to midnight amid nuclear, environmental fears, which I thought might be interesting. Clicked on it and was instead taken to the Share Your Thoughts page and... ::sob::

Yes, we're doomed. Not because of the threat of global warming or nuclear war, but because of the sheer weight of the stupidity of our species. I think there were maybe two sane and reasonably intelligent comments there amidst the almost uniformly illiterate crap. Said crap seemed evenly divided among the wildly hysterical, the invincibly ignorant & complacent, and the bewilderingly paranoid. Plus a few random nutjobs here and there to keep it interesting.

I only read about thirty comments before backing out in dismay, so I may have missed a few gems of reasoned argument from either side of the story. But here's a small sample:

• "Our Prime Minister Seven Harper has to get out of office - he withdrew from the Kyoto Protocal"
  
  First off, it's Protocol, and no, he hasn't. He's admitted we won't come near to honouring, but has not officially withdrawn. Which is arguably worse than outright withdrawing and you're welcome to state that, but get your facts straight first.
  
  
• "and i myself think that this climate change is normal its just a bunch of overgown city slickers wh are to sissy to take the cold i think they should grow up and live with the cold!!"
  
  Y'know, The Day After Tomorrow was just a movie, right? You know most of us aren't actually worried about a new Ice Age, right?
  
  ...right?
  
  
• "According to the Bible, God will intervene before we destroy ourselves, so why worry?"
  
  O...K...
  
  
• "WOW! You selfish ignorant stupid people! These scientists are alot smarter than you. Who writes "i've never filled my car up with fossil fuel"? Where do you think gas comes from? It comes from fossil fuels DUH! Look it up."
  
  Incidentally, she's quoting somebody who said governments had to get on board and do their part to make alternative sources of energy accessible to regular people, because "[t]hese sources have been around for years yet I still have to fill my car up with fossil fuel."

The article itself, by the way, is somewhat interesting. Nothing new, just more of the same plus a couple assertions that I'd have to check out before feeling comfortable agreeing or disagreeing with them.

Comments

[stephantom.livejournal.com]

Haha, yeah clicking those discussion things is always a bad idea. I've done it myself before and... One time, it was in response to some article about the new pope, and wow was that conversation... interesting.

That last comment though, wow. Way to completely misread the comment you're responding to!

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

I've done it myself before and... One time, it was in response to some article about the new pope, and wow was that conversation... interesting.
Oy, vey, I can just imagine. But I'd rather not ;)

That last comment though, wow. Way to completely misread the comment you're responding to!
Yeah and I didn't have the heart to keep reading to see if the original commentator responded to the lady who ripped into him. Just... no. Put the keyboard down and back away slowly...

[lizzie-omalley.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain!

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

It burnsss, preciousss, it burnsss...

[snarkhunter.livejournal.com]

Oh my lord.

According to the Bible, God will intervene before we destroy ourselves, so why worry?

Yes. The Bible says exactly that. Book of Morons, Chapter 7, Verse 12. 'And when nuclear holocaust approacheth, the LORD shall stretch out his hand and say, "Thou shalt not blow up the world." Then His angels shall taketh all nuclear warheads to and send them to the depths.'

(Unless the person means that the End Times will come, and if that's the case, I'd say worrying is very much in order. But maybe that's just me, being a godless heathen liberal and all. I need to worry, see.)

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

Book of Morons, Chapter 7, Verse 12.
LOL!!!

According to the Bible, God will intervene before we destroy ourselves, so why worry?
I had an almost insane urge to write "The London Underground is NOT a political movement! Plato was not BELGIAN! And the central message of Buddhism is NOT 'every man for himself!' Those are all mistakes, Otto! I looked them up!"

But maybe that's just me, being a godless heathen liberal and all. I need to worry, see.)
:D :D