Well This is a New Experience

My last Huffington Post entry, about why many Republicans reject mainstream climate science, now has 125 comments. That's gotta be a personal best for me as a blogger. Of course, a lot of it has to do with the fact that there are global warming "skeptics" over there who post comments and tick everybody else off.....

More like this

The Associated Press has changed the AP Stylebook, tossing out a commonly used set of terms in favor of an entirely inappropriate word, for describing those who incorrectly and without foundation claim that climate change science is a hoax, or wrong, or misguided, or otherwise bogus. The term "…
By "they" I mean AP. But, really, CSI kinda messed this up too. Put this one on your list of examples of effective activism that backfired. AP is throwing out the correct term, 'denier' in favor of a bogus term, to describe climate science deniers. CSI wanted them to stop using 'skeptic'. But the…
Over at Crooked Timber, John Quiggin has launched a broadside at NYTimes Science Blogger John Tierney (also here) over what he (Quiggin) considers politicization of science: One of the big problems with talking about what Chris Mooney has called The Republican War on Science is that, on the…
Over the last few weeks, there has been quite a bit of discussion on the Blogosphere about certain global warming related issues. Denialists have come on strong with two major and widely disseminated distortions of scientific reports and consensus, and scientists and those interested in saving the…

It's not quantity but quality that counts.

Most of the comments I've read on Huffington Post were pretty vacuous (many of the posts too, to be very honest).

By Drak Tent (not verified) on 27 Mar 2007 #permalink

Shorter HuffPo comment thread denialist/delusionist: "the facts don't fit my beliefs!".

Best,

D

Hey--Of course I love you guys who comment here better (even if I have to censor you now and again ;>). I'm just saying, I was bowled over by the Huffpost comment volume.

%%$$#@**))&^%$ Mooney.
Censors all my best f&^%$#! comments.

I think bowling is an excellent analogy for Huffington Post comments (gutter balls and all).

By Dark Tent (not verified) on 28 Mar 2007 #permalink

It makes me a little sad though, to see your article attacking denialism about global warming, but on the same day they published more thimerosal/mercury/autism denialist crap from David Kirby.

Oh, and "skeptics" in quotes is too nice for the global warming deniers. I would argue they deserve the full "denialist" tag, just like HIV/AIDS denialists and holocaust deniers because they use the exact same methods. It's not just a matter of being unconvinced or having an alternative theory, they use the exact same methods. So screw 'em, they're denialists.

I agree.

In many cases, the science deniers have adopted the term "skeptic" because they believe it lends them an air of credibility in the scientific realm that they would otherwise not have.

They are deluded, of course. What they practice has nothing whatsoever to do with real scientific skepticism.

They give real skeptics (in the traditional sense) a bad name -- and they certainly do not deserve the moniker "skeptic", not even in quotes.

"Denialist" is good. So is "reality denier". So is "irrationalist".

By Dark Tent (not verified) on 28 Mar 2007 #permalink