Posted on 06/01/2009 6:04:00 PM PDT by neverdem
Earlier this month a briefing paper for US government officials and environmental leaders on ways to "re-frame" the global warming debate in order to build stronger public support for climate change legislation, found its way into the hands of the New York Times (see Seeking to Save the Planet With a Thesaurus). Re-framing is a technique used by politicians to make radical ideas more palatable to the public by replacing controversial expressions with language that evokes empathy, cooperation, and a sense of interconnectedness. The concept is based on the work of George Lakoff (and others), a Professor of Linguistics at Berkley University and well known adviser to the environmental movement, who believes that if you control the language of a debate then you control the way that people think.
The report obtained by the New York Times had been prepared by the Washington-based public relations firm EcoAmerica. They explained that terms like "global warming" turned people off because they fostered images of "shaggy-haired liberals, economic sacrifice and complex scientific disputes." The report suggested that rather than talking about "global warming" they should be discussing "our deteriorating climate." They went on to recommend that instead of using the term the "environment," they should use "the air we breathe, the water our children drink," rather than "energy efficiency" which made people think of "shivering in the dark," they should be saying "saving money for a more prosperous future," and instead of confusing people with "cap and trade," they should be using terms like "cap and cash back" or "pollution reduction refund."
The report stressed the need for aspirational language and shared ideals like "freedom, prosperity, independence and self-sufficiency while avoiding jargon and details about policy, science, economics or technology."
Of course, there has already been a major shift in the language...
(Excerpt) Read more at scoop.co.nz ...
This is the first time in my life that I have had the furnace kick on in June.....
So they need to be better liars?
Obama promised climate changes...and is delivering
New Speak?
A lot of people stand to lose a lot of money (not to mention a lot of control) if they can't keep the myth going.
“Berkley University” refers to what-—The University of California at Berkeley? I get a little ticked whenever someone who is allegedly learned refers to my Alma mater incorrectly.
Firewood sales just north of my current position are at an all time high for this time of year.....
Some of the prophecy sites predict cold weather so severe that it will split rocks.
This is the first June I remember wanting a jacket.
They have figured out what a cash cow “Climate Change” is. They will stop at nothing to milk it for all its worth. Truely, the biggest hoax in history.
"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?... Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?..."
- George Orwell, 1984
How can climate “deteriorate”?? What nonsense. Climate can only get warmer or cooler, wetter or dryer.
Ignoring Occam’s razor? I’m guessing there isn’t any sun spots right now...
That's not even prophecy. It's normal winter weather physics. Water soaks into rocks. When it reaches +32F and changes from liquid to solid, it generates sufficient force to split rocks, water pipes, streets and sidewalks. That why northern tier states spend all summer doing road repairs after the winter does damage to the roads.
When the evidence of "global warming" fades in the light of empirical observation, the subject mutates to "climate change". When doubt is cast upon man's ability to affect the global climate, proof of the opposite notion becomes a matter of "consensus". What is reasonably doubted is thus "assumed" because it is said to be so, and those who doubt it are held to be "deniers". And who wants to be one of those?
We had SEVEN inches of snow on June 6th, 2008 in my city. This year seems to be more rainy with daily thunderstorms.
It is was said to be a very reliable method of prediction.
I heard the local weatherman say yesterday that we had a dozen (or more) days over 90 degrees last May, but only three days over the 90 degree mark this May.
This is Texas, so I'm not too dismayed about the cooler temps this time of year. Ask me again this winter, and I may have changed my tune.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.