Friday, October 3, 2014

Is Cognitive Dissonance getting to Anthony Watts?


Sou's post this morning is another one worth sharing since I like the idea that Anthony Watts is getting rattled to the bone.  Maybe in the evolution of things he will next implode and his substantial contribution to guaranteeing a living hell on Earth for our children will finally shut down.  Sadly I appreciate there's too much money and right-wing political might behind his efforts at dumbing down the Manmade Global Warming education dialogue and the public, so I won't hold my breath.

But I will take advantage of Sou's Reposting policy to share her latest observations regarding the Wattzer's campaign of fabricating confusion and lies.


FYI 
Is Cognitive Dissonance Fueling Conservative Denial of Climate Change?
by Rania Khalek | June 15, 2011 | CommonDreams.org

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Media Exhibit Cognitive Dissonance Over Global Warming
By Noel Sheppard || August 19, 2008 | NewsBusters.org



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 



FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014


Broken promise: And how Anthony Watts is rattled

Sou | 2:31 AM

Update - see below. Anthony doesn't have the support he probably hoped for.



The science and other stuff posted at HotWhopper and from Eli Rabett of Rabett Run are really getting to Anthony Watts. For the third time in as many days, he's expressed some concern (a bit of an understatement :D) at HotWhopper pointing out the ridiculous at WUWT.  This time he's decided to complain in an article about internet trolling (archived here).

What Anthony Watts has always believed


With no hint that he sees the irony, under a cartoon taunting ATTP by anonymous cartooner, "Josh", Anthony Watts shows his vast command of vocabulary:

I've always believed that people who taunt others while hiding behind fake names aren't really contributing anything except their own bile and hatred. 
Now if WUWT decided to switch to science Anthony might no longer regard it as trolling to keep a blog that points out the ridiculous in pseudo-science, to replace it with science. As far as Anthony Watts is concerned, his endless derision of science and scientists and those who accept the science, is not trolling. It's only when mocking the endless mocking of science and scientists that it is seen as trolling in deniersville. (Remember, you can't be called a troll if you don't even ask a question, let alone a troll-like question.)

All this manufactured anger at anonymity does seem strange coming from someone who started an anonymous "society", without a single name willing to be associated with it in an official capacity. The "no-name OAS". (Not even its probable founder, Anthony Watts himself AFAIK.)

Perhaps the double standards are not so strange when you realise just how much of a conspiracy theorist Anthony can be, with his anticipation of nefarious intent.

Back to Anthony's latest dummy spit. There's more:

The best way to combat people like this is to call them out by their name every time they practice their dark art. To that end, and not just for these two losers, I'm stepping up moderation on WUWT. If you want to rant/spew from the comfort of anonymity, find someplace else to do it,  

Let's see how long it takes him to post another article from people who hide behind fake names, like HockeySchtick and Steve Goddard and other various anonymice. And how long before Anthony exposes "Bob Tisdale", who says he likes his own privacy but has no qualms in not respecting the privacy of other people?

Oh, and the article that Anthony dug up? It was a psych study about internet trolls. You can read about it here, or the full paper here.


BTW I respect a person's right to adopt any name they choose on the internet. I will not reveal anyone's name if they don't wish it revealed. I don't care who they are.

I've been posting on climate topics for years as Sou. Since long before HotWhopper. I prefer to keep my work life separate from climate blogging. Some people I trust knew who I was, and a couple I don't trust did too. Anthony Watts huddled over his computer for months trying to figure it out. It wasn't public knowledge despite Anthony's claims of it being so.

Anthony Watts can bully away to his hearts content. (While he's focused on HotWhopper it probably means one scientist won't have to take a bashing from WUWT. Or not today, at any rate. That's a good thing.) HotWhopper will continue to demolish disinformation about climate science. And where better to find out what disinformation is the flavour of the day than the "world's most viewed" anti-science blog? WUWT copies and pastes stuff from denier blogs all over the internet. It is a regular clearing house for science denial articles and provides a sterling "recycle denier memes" service.

For the rest of his post link to HotWhopper.com
With much thanks to Sou over at HotWhopper

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