Freelance science and technology writer Peter Griffin wants us to question anti-vaccine information and climate change (just those that deny it of course), but only if we come to the conclusions he wants us to.
[Fire and Fury is] the story of how a disparate group of Kiwis – wellness bloggers, disgruntled health workers and far-right activists – joined forces during the pandemic to fight against the vaccine and the associated vaccine mandates.
A host of intersecting grievances were bundled together and promoted by a group calling itself Voices for Freedom, which has now amassed around 100,000 followers across social media platforms. Its co-founder Claire Deeks is in the documentary, filmed during the parliament protest.
“You are not conspiracy theorists, you are truth seekers,” she tells the scruffy tent dwellers gathered before her.
Note the subtle put-down.
But Voices for Freedom is about anything but the truth. It peddles a jumble of mis/disinformation, much of it delivered in Instagram videos by innocuous-looking yoga mums. It’s clear from Fire and Fury that the Wellington protests were only the start.
Take that yoga mums!
A growing and occasionally violent movement of people is happy to make its own truth and impose it on everyone else.
I hope the government doesn’t need to resort to censorship. I recently had a good-natured argument with a friend who is sceptical that humans ever landed on the Moon. That’s fine, he’s entitled to his opinion. It’s not hurting anyone if he thinks that.
Wow, you hope the government doesn’t need to resort to censorship?
But anti-vaccine misinformation does hurt people. Climate denial hurts people, by prolonging action on the biggest issue facing humanity. We are all entitled to our opinions, but we are not entitled to create our own truth – and push it on other people.
Isn’t this what climate alarmists are doing – pushing their own opinions on the rest of us? I also get the feeling that Peter would have no problem with a transsexual insisting others call them “she” instead of “he”. But, of course, you know, that’s OK.
“In science, particularly in the natural sciences, there is an absolute truth,” the British physicist and broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili said in March.
[…] Science is the search for that truth. It’s often messy and its answers can be inconvenient. But it’s the best system we have and we need it more than ever. I urge you to watch Fire and Fury and ask yourself – am I happy to drop down the rabbit hole of disinformation and misinformation?
Except that the claim that man is causing catastrophic climate change isn’t science because it’s not falsifiable. Although Peter is right when he says science is the search for truth, he shows a complete misunderstanding of the scientific process. And even though science is the search for truth, any scientist will tell you that that is something we can never achieve. All we can do is come up with the best theory we can to explain something until something better comes along.
Or will I recognise that I’m vulnerable to confirmation bias, that I will question dubious claims and inform my views with trustworthy sources? If enough of us opt for the latter, we can get through this. I think we will.
It’s funny how when there are snow storms, climate alarmists say it’s “weather” and not “climate”. But turn up the summer heat a bit and it’s “climate change”. Talk about confirmation bias!
When people say “I believe in free speech but I don’t believe people should be able to say things that are harmful”, they really mean “I believe in free speech but don’t believe people should be able to say things that I think are harmful.”
There is speech that is obviously harmful, such as urging people to riot or saying someone likes listening to old Spice Girls records. But we already have laws with regards to those, such as laws against incitement and defamation.
We must not question climate change lest we make it too late to prevent the wrath of the climate gods.
Guess who else thinks that other people shouldn’t be able to say things they disagree with lest we offend their gods? Religious fanatics. Except they call it “blasphemy”.
Climate change isn’t science. It’s a cult.