Greta Thunberg Speaking on Climate Peril

In response to Greta Thunberg speaking to the UN about the perils of not addressing climate change and hurting people's lives, this woman demonstrated the sentiment of her second sentence - "I think not"

9/23/2019 FB Posted by: Penny [redacted] So a 14 year old has appropriate credentials and years of scientific knowledge and data to support her opinions? I think not-

Fortunately the follow up comments were universally against Ms. Penny for her complete lack of critical thinking regarding who and what a representative is on any subject. And while she is entitled to her opinion, she is also subject to the public criticism which follows such an ill-informed expression.

Instead of debating the content of Ms. Thunberg's message, the emphasis has been placed on the messenger. Ad hominem attacks are always indicative of the fact the person has nothing to add to the discourse. Unfortunately, the venue for debate in America has devolved into what comedienne Paula Poundstone has described, "America has become one giant game of Dodgeball."

It is a sad state of affairs that there are far too many people just like Ms. Penny on Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms who parrot their indoctrinated counter-measures and eschew the education that was offered to them as they matured from child to adult. When people adopt the ad hominem attack as their modus operandi in the public square they become like the little boy with a BB gun taking potshots at anything that catches their eye.

I Know You Are But what Am I

I Know You Are But what Am I? It's a child's game. It is much like Tic-tac-toe in that the game is played to a draw when Player 1 and Payer 2 are equally matched. Only when one Player is more anal retentive does he "win" by default. This is why the better move is to not play.

There is a poem and song lyric titled "The Drunk Driver Always Has the Right of Way." Sometimes even when you are right you must yield and let the impaired one have his way. This principle also applies in the game of habitual lying. The master liar states his lie. Everyone knows he is lying. He knows he is lying but he doesn't care because the war of attrition is afoot. The people who hear the lies point them out and refute the message being put forth. The liar lies some more. The refutation continues. Eventually, the refutation efforts wane due to sheer exhaustion. Besides, the level of repetition of the lies leads some people to believe them. That phenomenon exacerbates the futility of trying to outmaneuver the liar. He has an unlimited supply of false and misleading statements to use.

The childhood game goes like this. "You are a crybaby." The response is "I know you are but what am I?" This exchange goes on until the Player 1 gives up because Player 2 will never acquiesce. His is a world where he is the king, the master, the mogul who cannot be "one-upped." Eventually, everyone will leave him alone and criticized him behind his back. He becomes like the grumpy old demented grandpa who cannot be reasoned with only accommodated. The cognitive deficit becomes so severe that eventually he must be moved to supervises housing where he can rant and fuss to his heart's content and the staff placates him with "there, there we mustn't get the other residents all riled up.

The problem comes when the impaired one is the head of the household. He still has control of the checkbook and the other finances. Wresting control from him involves a legal battle royale, especially when he still has supporting associates who have something to gain by his absurd behavior.  

The conflict may very well result in the fall of the house. Maddness is highly destructive to everyone who contacts it. It is exceptionally destructive when an entire nation is the household. Eventually the mad one dies or otherwise reaches a state where he cannot function any longer and he fades away leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.