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This is a link post A great argument for acting
against something that could destroy us as a species.
Please, think about it.
(I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 8:58, Reply)
This is a normal post seent he 1st 3mins
and im loving it! alas i need to go to work, so bookmarked, but so far its very interesting and he makes some good points! very good find buddy! hope you all have a good day!!
 (I helped save b3ta! Captain Pilchard The king of B-movies!, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:03, Reply)
This is a normal post Watched It All
Well worth my time.

*clicks*

Cheers
 (I helped save b3ta! Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:13, Reply)
This is a normal post Awesome
and coming from a 'merkin as well.
 (I helped save b3ta! barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:29, Reply)
This is a normal post hmmm
wouldn't an economic depression of that magnitude have roughly the same effects of the other Worst Case Scenario? bah, whatever, I agree with the man, weather true or false we'll wind up with a cleaner world.
 (I helped save b3ta! Arsonade is saving up for a new box of hummus, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:32, Reply)
This is a normal post 'weather'
a good pun is its own reword
 (I helped save b3ta! barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:36, Reply)
This is a normal post [hehe...
..this is the single ben pun I have ever known ;?)

someone famous right? I remember seeing it on a quotes site once? ]
 (DrZaarlon Witchspace To Ra!, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:58, Reply)
This is a normal post ahh.
this is pascal's gambit.

good article on wiki about it - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager

basically also proves why religion takes off....
 (oller, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:33, Reply)
This is a normal post Well, doesn't really prove!
I don't think everyone 'takes up religion' as some kind of divine insurance.

(edit: lets not start the classic b3ta religion debate please. Just ends up as a flame war :P)
 (I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:48, Reply)
This is a normal post oh right, so you just get the last word in then end it
;)
 (oller, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:03, Reply)
This is a normal post Nono,
I wasn't trying to be like that. Just saying the arguments on /talk get rather...heated, shall we say.
 (I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:06, Reply)
This is a normal post actually, I think pascal's gambit is a bit silly
because it ignores things like principles and integrity.
 (I helped save b3ta! a username Tue 30 Mar 1971 til, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:31, Reply)
This is a normal post Yes, kinda
but he also addresses that in another video - he's done quite a few.
 (A Hospital Carpark, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 12:46, Reply)
This is a normal post I love the argument up until the end
I posted this as a reply a week or two ago, but by that stage I assumed everyone had seen it (It's been posted on my facebook thing at least 5 times).

I guess I was wrong.
 (I helped save b3ta! gronkpan @vomitinglarry.bsky.social, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:39, Reply)
This is a normal post Also, he's done a follow up
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF_anaVcCXg
 (I helped save b3ta! gronkpan @vomitinglarry.bsky.social, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:43, Reply)
This is a normal post I prefer the followup
.. there should be more teachers like him.
 (I helped save b3ta! a username Tue 30 Mar 1971 til, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:59, Reply)
This is a normal post I think this is the one to watch
as the notes he posted against the video above are:

"DON'T WATCH THIS VIDEO. I'm serious. This message isn't a hack (I'm the guy in the video), and it's not a ploy to get you to actually watch it (reverse psychology).

It's just that there's a hole in this argument big enough to drive a Hummer through because of an assumption I didn't realize I had (isn't that just the way with assumptions. . .), and the argument has been UPDATED to address this hole."
 (I helped save b3ta! Fetid Mimsy Bouncing Back!, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 13:17, Reply)
This is a normal post whats wrong with the end?

(I helped save b3ta! a username Tue 30 Mar 1971 til, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 9:48, Reply)
This is a normal post He turns into a whiny pussy.
He also approaches the story a little too dogmatically for my liking.

His very valid argument will be disregarded by people that don't agree with him, so it turns into a video that preaches to the converted rather than helping anything.

If people think they've helped out by forwarding a youtube video, they won't feel as guilty about the amount of electricity, food or water they've used up every day.

If they got out and devoted some time to their local community (ask the council if there's a vacant lot that could be turned into a park, or a park that could have some work done on it, they're happy to get volunteers for all sorts of things), they might actually cause a bit of change.

"Spreading the word" is something that happenned in the 80s. If we're still pretending that all you have to do is throw a big concert and remind everyone that they're wasting resources, we're never going to get anywhere.

All you have to do is help out a bit. The more people that want to plant trees and have nature strips, the more it will be an issue to local council members. That's how things actually get changed. You have to start first, then the government will follow.
 (I helped save b3ta! gronkpan @vomitinglarry.bsky.social, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:04, Reply)
This is a normal post Totally agree with this.
Reuse.
Recycle.
Rethink.
 (I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:07, Reply)
This is a normal post The problem with slogans is that it's very easy to get sarcastic with them.

(I helped save b3ta! gronkpan @vomitinglarry.bsky.social, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:12, Reply)
This is a normal post I see.. and agree.
and I'm sure he would too.

But the most important point behind his video is to spread the "which is the greater risk?" meme as its the only way of convincing the fence sitting - "oh well, its not proven" - public to get off their arses and do something in the first place.
 (I helped save b3ta! a username Tue 30 Mar 1971 til, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:24, Reply)
This is a normal post I prefer to take the approach of "Fuck global warming, isn't it nice to have some trees about the place?"
Even in the middle of London, there are plenty of busy roads that could have tress down the middle instead of concrete barricades.
 (I helped save b3ta! gronkpan @vomitinglarry.bsky.social, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:44, Reply)
This is a normal post Right, that makes more sense,
because I reckon even if every city in England covered every available square inch with foliage it wouldn't make much of a dent in our CO2 output.
What I find interesting is that earlier you said that people wouldn't listen to this video if it disagreed with their own ideas. I guess that's probably been proven true by yourself - even though you say some positive things about the video, you also say "fuck global warming" and actually care much more about having trees around. Which means, all his arguments in the second video about global warming being more important than other concerns fell on deaf ears with you. Sadly you're one of the most positive responders to this guy.
 (tomfantastic -it's a pleasure, Sun 18 Nov 2007, 16:36, Reply)
This is a normal post But what if climate change means
the weather is just shit - but not that bad. We can deal with weather for the most part - with planning. Design of buildings and where we build them.

We are fucked on a slightly different, but related problem. We all love our Electricity.
 (I helped save b3ta! gaijintendo Regular Member, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 10:28, Reply)
This is a normal post No,
it definitely means: drought, famine, flood, political breakdown and economic disaster. You can quote me on that in 100 years if you like :P
 (I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 11:21, Reply)
This is a normal post It really doesn't.
people say (and believe) similar things on a religious level, and it is why I'll never believe that there is such a true thing as a religion vs science argument.

Both can be twisted and used to control people. If the meek don't inherit the earth, we're all fucked.
 (I helped save b3ta! gronkpan @vomitinglarry.bsky.social, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 11:28, Reply)
This is a normal post Fully agree with the gist of his conclusion.
However, he's a slimy prick and no mistake. Plus I detest his logically and philosophically flawed method, and his horrifically condescending delivery. The Pascal's Wager model he uses is predetermined, over-simplified and factually assumptive.

Moreover, this video depressingly implies that a meaningless gambling diagram will be more effective at persuading us to act than the horrible, plainly visible reality of WHAT WE'RE ALREADY ACTUALLY DOING. If that's the case, then I think it's safe to say the environment's fate is sealed.

(I also hate the fact that he does the irritating Dana Scully thing of supergluing his top and bottom front teeth together in the morning, then attempting to talk normally for the rest of the day hoping nobody notices. But i suppose that's slightly off-topic.)

As a final gripe, he should be using a chalkboard (as opposed to a big slab of plastic and a toxic, non-degradeable marker) if he wants to appear more convincing. Steampunk FTW! ;D
 (I helped save b3ta! grey kid is breakdancing to save a community centre, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 12:58, Reply)
This is a normal post Feel free
to email him and tell him all that. You might want ot include a little more detail on HOW and WHY he's wrong, too.
 (I helped save b3ta! Kerrisis There's someone in my head, but it's not me., Fri 16 Nov 2007, 16:15, Reply)
This is a normal post True
All he has actually done is demonstrate the precautionary principle. If you ignore the rational factual components of any dilemma, as this whiney twat has, you are left with no other rational choice other than to be blindly cautious. To this effect his argument has no greater validity than eclectically adopting the practices of all religions to cover your bets. Despite this obvious point, most people who view it will unquestioningly accept his assumptions, subsequently berating me to change my behavior in spite of their stupidity.

Cunts
 (I helped save b3ta! RANCID TESTICLE I AM GALACTUS, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 17:46, Reply)
This is a normal post He kind of addresses your point in the second video
in that he looks at the likelihood of global climate catastrophy. He actually argues that it seems more likely than not, but I wouldn't agree with him.
There's plenty of politics and agendas throughout the scientific world. Even if we could agree that there was a scientific consensus that climate change was very likely to happen, I'm not sure if I would put entirely that much stock in it.
The reason for this is that, even if the best climate models give high probabilities of disaster, by definition, they are predicting things outside of their normal range of use.
That said, even if you think the likelihood is as low as 10%, it'd still be well worth spending a few billion on sorting it out.
 (tomfantastic -it's a pleasure, Sun 18 Nov 2007, 16:54, Reply)
This is a normal post Okay,
So say he's convinced me that global warming is a fact (which he hasn't).
What the crap are we meant to do?

Give up our cars and stop doing anything ever? I need to work to earn money so I can live. Which means I need fuel, electricity. I need to use a computer which I;ve been told is bad for the environment. I've even started getting emailed adverts to use eco-coffins should I die! If we do everything we're guilt tripped into the economy will collapse and we pretty much fucked anyway.

Tell me - what the crap do I do so you greeny meanies will leave me alone and let me get on with my live? And no, I'm not going to start paying 5 times the price for 'Ecover' washing up liquid. Bugger off.
 (I helped save b3ta! PhoenixBlend, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 19:34, Reply)
This is a normal post That last sentence
exactly encompasses how obsessed people are with money. We live in such a materialistic society that it's now paramount to earn as much money as possible when it's perfectly enjoyable to live off just enough (I'm doing that at the moment!)

Obviously, don't throw out your car if you need it for work. But if everyone contributes slightly (e.g. recycling, composting, driving your car a little less) then it has a big effect. Simple.
 (I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Fri 16 Nov 2007, 23:48, Reply)
This is a normal post I know your right.
But its more than that. I'm made to feel that I'm evil because I don't live in a tree and survive off my own farts.

It seems that every company is suddenly 'green' - banks, clothes, the lot. And its all bollocks. I'm sure there are some companies that mean it but to me its one massive bandwagon and I'm bored of it.

I love my car - I NEED me car - I'm not driving a shitting Pirus or a VW van (which emit 12 times more CO2 than a 325 BMW by the way)

EDIT - Also I like to try to earn as much as possible - Not greedy, I just kind of see money as an indicator of how well I'm doing career wise. Thats not to say I see people who don't earn much as losers just I hope to be one of the best at what I do. I'll probably give most of the money away.
 (I helped save b3ta! PhoenixBlend, Sat 17 Nov 2007, 1:41, Reply)
This is a normal post That's one of the big problems about global warming arguments!
The "fight global warming" people are often lumped in with environmentalists. And the agendas get confused. Someone might say "we need to do XYZ for global warming" but actually the global warming is an excuse, with the justification that XYZ is good for the environment anyway.
This kind of dilutes the global warming thing. If global warming is as serious as we are lead to believe, then it's way more important than the usual environmental issues of potential damage to plant and animal life. (Since it's actually potentially damage to us.)
Also, the solutions given by environmentalists are, well, the sort of things they encourage anyway. Like giving up cars and stuff, other things we like having. More realistic solutions would be things like - industrial CO2 sequestration, more nuclear power stations, diverting some of the funds used to collect oil (e.g. Iraq war fund) to improving the most realistic alternative energy sources.
 (tomfantastic -it's a pleasure, Sun 18 Nov 2007, 17:11, Reply)
This is a normal post What a load of fucking shite

(I helped save b3ta! Pew Pew Pew! Lasers! wannabe Gong Farmer, Sat 17 Nov 2007, 2:20, Reply)
This is a normal post *pats*

(I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Sun 18 Nov 2007, 13:15, Reply)