But why would you expect “scientists” to do so? Don’t we want them mainly… doing science?
Someone should though yes. Given the ongoing rise of fascism all around the globe, I don’t think it’s a priority right now, but yes it would be good.
And since it’s good, my strong guess is that someone already did it. The reason then that we did not hear about it is bc “we” (collectively) did not care to hear about it. We’d rather click on more exciting stuff like which celebrity got yet another ass implant, or something.
Even now, neither of us have run a Google or DuckDuckGo search to try to find it - it’s more fun to talk than to listen 🤪. As monkeys, we run on hormones rather than logic, and it’s easier to feel superior to everyone else than to actually put in effort to better ourselves.
Again, I didn’t say that it was necessarily the responsibility of scientists and it definitely shouldn’t be their responsibility alone. Science communication should definitely be many people’s full time job. But also, yes, I do think scientists should evangelize for themselves too. Do interviews, spread the word. It isn’t an either-or situation. Subject matter experts often talk to the media about the work they do. Why shouldn’t they? And first person knowledge and expertise is always a better source than some journalistic summary.
Even now, neither of us have run a Google or DuckDuckGo search to try to find it - it’s more fun to talk than to listen 🤪. As monkeys, we run on hormones rather than logic, and it’s easier to feel superior to everyone else than to actually put in effort to better ourselves.
We HAVE heard about it. The point is that the general public, your friends and family, your neighbors, your working class community, has not. It’s not even a little bit about feeling superior. It’s that this could 100% be common knowledge.
Just because someone said it and it’s on the internet for you to find if you go searching hard enough and dig past the bullshit propaganda like this post, that doesn’t mean that the communication is done. If my mom hasn’t heard about it, you didn’t get the message out wide enough. It is not common enough knowledge until the average person is not susceptible to bullshit posts like Matt Walsh’s because they aren’t void of any knowledge on the subject.
Putting the onus on individuals in the public to seek out and find the answers is exactly how you get where we are now. Where a small subset of people know the answers and frustratingly have to fight back against incredibly effective misinformation campaigns like this. If we can put the problem in everyone’s face making the “Ozone Layer” and “Climate Change” common layman’s terms, then we can do the same with the wins against those problems.
Knowledge is indeed the cure to lack of information.
The new era though is not merely misinformation but active disinformation. You are trying to cure the problems of two decades ago.
In the modern era, people will be - in fact, already are - “alternatively” educated. Dr. Fauci has his facts, while the common man has their “alternative” facts, which they feel supercede the former. Studies show that when literally paid to do so, citizens who watch a mainstream source of news will have different opinions on matters such as whether COVID was fake or not, in comparison to people who only exposed themselves to e.g. Faux News in the USA (and different, other sources worldwide but the study I am thinking of was in the USA).
So I am saying that 20 years ago I agreed with you. But we are fast heading into an era where the challenges are different. Scientists themselves will likely cease to exist… eventually, and be replaced by “alternative scientists”, and you better believe that those politically active actors will most definitely get the word out just as you said should be done, almost like that task were the real purpose of their existence, as opposed to finding facts.
But why would you expect “scientists” to do so? Don’t we want them mainly… doing science?
Someone should though yes. Given the ongoing rise of fascism all around the globe, I don’t think it’s a priority right now, but yes it would be good.
And since it’s good, my strong guess is that someone already did it. The reason then that we did not hear about it is bc “we” (collectively) did not care to hear about it. We’d rather click on more exciting stuff like which celebrity got yet another ass implant, or something.
Even now, neither of us have run a Google or DuckDuckGo search to try to find it - it’s more fun to talk than to listen 🤪. As monkeys, we run on hormones rather than logic, and it’s easier to feel superior to everyone else than to actually put in effort to better ourselves.
Again, I didn’t say that it was necessarily the responsibility of scientists and it definitely shouldn’t be their responsibility alone. Science communication should definitely be many people’s full time job. But also, yes, I do think scientists should evangelize for themselves too. Do interviews, spread the word. It isn’t an either-or situation. Subject matter experts often talk to the media about the work they do. Why shouldn’t they? And first person knowledge and expertise is always a better source than some journalistic summary.
We HAVE heard about it. The point is that the general public, your friends and family, your neighbors, your working class community, has not. It’s not even a little bit about feeling superior. It’s that this could 100% be common knowledge.
Just because someone said it and it’s on the internet for you to find if you go searching hard enough and dig past the bullshit propaganda like this post, that doesn’t mean that the communication is done. If my mom hasn’t heard about it, you didn’t get the message out wide enough. It is not common enough knowledge until the average person is not susceptible to bullshit posts like Matt Walsh’s because they aren’t void of any knowledge on the subject.
Putting the onus on individuals in the public to seek out and find the answers is exactly how you get where we are now. Where a small subset of people know the answers and frustratingly have to fight back against incredibly effective misinformation campaigns like this. If we can put the problem in everyone’s face making the “Ozone Layer” and “Climate Change” common layman’s terms, then we can do the same with the wins against those problems.
Knowledge is indeed the cure to lack of information.
The new era though is not merely misinformation but active disinformation. You are trying to cure the problems of two decades ago.
In the modern era, people will be - in fact, already are - “alternatively” educated. Dr. Fauci has his facts, while the common man has their “alternative” facts, which they feel supercede the former. Studies show that when literally paid to do so, citizens who watch a mainstream source of news will have different opinions on matters such as whether COVID was fake or not, in comparison to people who only exposed themselves to e.g. Faux News in the USA (and different, other sources worldwide but the study I am thinking of was in the USA).
So I am saying that 20 years ago I agreed with you. But we are fast heading into an era where the challenges are different. Scientists themselves will likely cease to exist… eventually, and be replaced by “alternative scientists”, and you better believe that those politically active actors will most definitely get the word out just as you said should be done, almost like that task were the real purpose of their existence, as opposed to finding facts.
Hopefully I am wrong.