Empathy and denialism

Anyone still here?

Anyway, Brian here - been off, doing stuff. Like everyone else on the planet, tracking what's happening with covid. One thing I think I may have picked up from the doctors and medical professionals trying to get people to get vaccinated is that empathy is the best approach. I'm thinking of doctors like Dr. Monica Gandhi with backgrounds in HIV harm reduction, before she switched to covid. Empathy, as opposed to pointing and laughing, is something I could consider doing in response to climate denialists.

One response to this is that when it comes to the small number of paid denialists and the larger number that are deeply psychologically invested in their side's tribal victory, nothing will work. So why not point and laugh instead, and maybe shake a few fence-sitters down to the rational side?

I think empathy can also bring those fence-sitters down on our side. At least that's what the doctors think.

Eli a long time ago said something to the effect of differentiating between those who merely visit the well of denialism and those that have drunk deep. I suppose that's kind of similar except for reserving the verbal knives in a few cases for those deserving few. 

 Anyway, something to think about, and a happy to summer to all. May the climate denialists at least go get their covid vaxx and boosters.