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.
Okay. But every minute we can delay reaching that threshold will be worth it.
To me it’s the same as the US democracy right now. Yes it’s far too late to see no ill effects and we are already facing the consequences, but every act of resistance to unlawful, immoral and unconstitutional orders slow them down, and with enough co-ordination may slow them down enough before Trump and the oligarchs become truly unstoppable.
For any issue that effects our world’s existence, stand boldly and take action. Don’t let the fear of the inevitability of it consume you.
In fact, they are already unstoppable. History showed us many times that when autocrats are in full power, they keep it forever, unless they lose a war or die without having planified their succession. And don’t talk me about the Biden example, his presidency did not prevented an unpreceded harm by the GOP.
It’s precisely this mentality I’m arguing against (the unstoppableness of Trump, that’s what he wants you to think).
People only have power over you, if you obey their command. MAGA obeys Trump, that’s why Trump has power over MAGA. Whether he has power over the rest of America depends on how much Americans want to defend it from his ongoing attacks, which are happening right now and will continue. “Right now” means that it’s not too late. Giving up and conceding means giving Trump a free pass to wreck the USA.
Your statement is extremely naive, because when a politician establish a rule, you are legally forced to follow it, and believe me, the authorities don’t care about the means to enforce the said rules if they don’t want to follow them. Resistance to Trump will lead to increased repression, you should not forget he is a known authoritarian. If you want to risk your freedom -if not your physical integrity- to set yourself above the law, good for you, but don’t incite people to do so.
It’ll at least determine how many species survive. And the threshold to total human extinction is very high, so every ton of co2 is part of a life saved.
Above a certain threshold there will be no discernible difference in the outcome to our civilisation.
The planet is fine. The people are fucked. G. Carlin was and is right.
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.
Okay. But every minute we can delay reaching that threshold will be worth it.
To me it’s the same as the US democracy right now. Yes it’s far too late to see no ill effects and we are already facing the consequences, but every act of resistance to unlawful, immoral and unconstitutional orders slow them down, and with enough co-ordination may slow them down enough before Trump and the oligarchs become truly unstoppable.
For any issue that effects our world’s existence, stand boldly and take action. Don’t let the fear of the inevitability of it consume you.
In fact, they are already unstoppable. History showed us many times that when autocrats are in full power, they keep it forever, unless they lose a war or die without having planified their succession. And don’t talk me about the Biden example, his presidency did not prevented an unpreceded harm by the GOP.
It’s precisely this mentality I’m arguing against (the unstoppableness of Trump, that’s what he wants you to think).
People only have power over you, if you obey their command. MAGA obeys Trump, that’s why Trump has power over MAGA. Whether he has power over the rest of America depends on how much Americans want to defend it from his ongoing attacks, which are happening right now and will continue. “Right now” means that it’s not too late. Giving up and conceding means giving Trump a free pass to wreck the USA.
Your statement is extremely naive, because when a politician establish a rule, you are legally forced to follow it, and believe me, the authorities don’t care about the means to enforce the said rules if they don’t want to follow them. Resistance to Trump will lead to increased repression, you should not forget he is a known authoritarian. If you want to risk your freedom -if not your physical integrity- to set yourself above the law, good for you, but don’t incite people to do so.
“The Earth will just shake us off like a bad case of fleas.”
It’ll at least determine how many species survive. And the threshold to total human extinction is very high, so every ton of co2 is part of a life saved.