I was told as a kid – at home and in class – that there are some things we just do not talk about with others. I believed my learned elders and did just that…and you know what…that just made things worse.
Almost every time I tried to start a genuine conversation about these taboo topics – and I always used peer-reviewed evidence, facts (or the huge lack of any evidence), and real world examples to make my point – I would often get rapidly and aggressively shot down with heated emotions, wild eyes, and hateful words and phrases.
These responses totally threw me off and made me wonder WTF was going on in the other person’s mind that, rather than have a rational conversation about a difficult topic, they would choose to be so easily triggered and resort to attacking my questions and commentary with so much venom and vitriol.
Some personal examples;
(Note: the below examples are followed by a small sampling of the bizarre and often hateful comments I have received from easily triggered reactionary individuals.)
Evolution by natural selection –
I don’t believe in evolution! My preacher and my family said I can not hear this blasphemy!! It is not real. I did not come from no fish or monkey!!
Anthropogenic climate change –
No!! It is not happening, its cold outside so it is not real…and its a manufactured problem invinted by the chinese working with the WOKE leftist greenies to take our jobs and force us to drive electric cars!
The definition of theory –
There’s no real evidence to support any WOKE theories.
Renewable energy –
Not viable, does not work, takes American jobs, kills billions of birds, causes cancer, solar panels steal energy from the sun making the world colder, wind turbines stop the wind making it hotter…yada yada yada woke woke WOKE!
Fossil fuel subsidies –
More lies made up by the evil WOKE leftist greenies.
Fossil fuels –
They were put here by our god for us to use. If we don’t use them, we are going against God’s plan. The stuff that comes out of my car’s tailpipe is clear so it can’t be harmful. Coal rolling dosent hurt anyone and this is a free country so I can do what I like!! Drill baby drill!!
Pollution –
There is no air/water pollution because the air/water is clear !! That smell in the air is the smell of money!!
Electric vehicles –
They will never work, they are a passing fad, they are WOKE democrat cars, their batteries are tossed into landfills, they catch on fire all the time, they generate a dangerous EM field that makes you sterile, they are stealing our jobs!!!
Space exploration –
What a waste of money, space stuff does nothing for us here on earth…and youtube told me that space is not real and the earth is flat.
The age of the earth –
You are wrong!! My god said it is 6000 years old, so it is!!
Science –
I dont believe in science. Its part of the WOKE leftist liberal aganda!!
Religion –
My religion is the only one and my god is the one true god and you will burn in hell for eternity if you dont convert to my religion!!!
Human rights –
My people are the chosen ones!! My rights are more important!! Its my birthright and my way is the right way, the only way, and no outsider or immigrant will step on my rights and my god given freedoms!!!
LGBTQ+
They are all wrong, dangerous, and WOKE!! Their pronouns and choices do not matter, my sacred book and my favorite politician says they are all sinners and they will all go to hell!
Gender –
You are wrong – There are only 2.
The holocaust –
It did not happen.
COVID pandemic –
It was manufactured in a lab to reduce the population, it was a plandemic. Wearing a mask does nothing, it only shows that you are weak. Masks reduce your oxygen. Masks are WOKE!!! I don’t see any particles/droplets in the air so I do not believe they exist and my god will protect me – those who get sick and die – they were living wrong.
Vaccination –
Vaccines are full of toxins and will damage your brains!! Bill Gates is putting microscopic tracking devices inside the vaccines to track our movements!!
Vaccines are evil!! Vaccines will shorten your life!!!
Wildlife conservation –
WOKE!!! Wildlife are dumb animals. They were put here by our god for us to have dominion over and use as we please.
Nature conservation –
WOKE!! Nature was put here by our god for us to have dominion over and use as we please.
Air/water conservation –
WOKE!! There is so much air and water, we don’t need to worry about it. It was put here by our god for us to have dominion over and use as we please.
Snake conservation –
Snakes are evil, it says so in my holy book! Kill all serpents!
Guns –
!!!2nd amendment!!! Dead school kids are unfortunate, but you will not take my guns!!!
Thoughts and prayers.
The Government –
Before trump: the gubment is keeping us down, down with the gubment!!
During trump: praise our savior trump – or die! Do as I say or die! Look like me, act like me, think like me, vote and pray like me – or die.
Recycling –
Recycling is stupid, it is so WOKE!!!
Recycling takes people’s jobs.
Star Trek –
WOKE!!!
Taking care of the planet –
WOKE!!! No need to take care of the earth, it is imperfect. It was put here for us to use, so we can use it up, it does not matter. Heaven is perfect.
Homeless people –
Just get a fukin job already you lazy bum!!!
_______________
These are just a small sampling of the oddly disturbing, highly emotional, comments I have encountered over the years, from both students and adults, concerning these topics. Topics we should all have been taught to have calm, respectful, evidence-supported conversations about.
Sadly, it seems that many humans today cannot have a respectful conversations about anything real, without going off like a hair trigger gun. Why do they choose to act like this? Who or what has implanted itself into their minds to cause them to react with such malice, instead of calmly using their rational brain to actually think? It seems obvious that many humans today simply cannot think for themselves, they need others – father/authority figures real or imaginary – to make their decisions for them.
Could it be that they have been poisoned by their fairy tales?
Fairy tails about imaginary gods, promised lands, freedoms, money, politics and picket fences, etc. Bizarrely, many of these individuals know inside that their old fairy tails are wrong, yet they continue to self-medicate themselves and their offspring with all these highly addictive ancient religiopolitical toxins (as well as all the legal and illegal varieties of OTC and Rx medications, herbs, and potions) – because it is the easy way out.
In taking the easy way out, they are choosing to not use their amazing evolution-derived meat computer mega-brain to critically analyze all the avaliable peer-reviewed evidence and make up their own minds…yet they will loudly cry and pray to their gods and policy makers why their personal life, society, and the world, are having so many problems.
When no answers come (or inconvenienant answers they choose not to accept due to their lifetime of cultural conditioning (aka “indoctrination” in some circles) into their family’s religiopolitical cult of choice), they often choose to refuse/refute facts, evidence, and knowledge in favor of pointing blaming fingers at the “other” – when their own personal choices are the root of all their problems.
Even more disturbing is that the functioning systems and infrastructure that make our society and lives even possible – science, engineering, technology, trade, energy, farming, etc. – have been politicized to the point where they have become tools used by greedy charlatans, bent snake oil salesmen, and twisted pedophilic dictators and malignant freaks seeking religiopolitical power, control, and riches while their talking head minions distract over who is right or left, winning and losing, wrong or right…not what is real, factual, and supported by actual physical evidence…such as their fellow human beings being deleted with extreme prejudice – live on several cameras.
Critical thinking in a dieing virtue.
Growing numbers of the population have lost the ability to have respectful, knowledgeable, peaceful conversations about almost everything that really matters and instead resort to meaningless small talk, or no talk at all.
I am at fault as well. Over the last few years I have distanced myself from these important conversations because I have encountered so much angst, attacks, and hate from so many people over my last 5+ decades of life on this wet space rock. I know this hermitlike tactic is not productive in any way, but there comes a time when one must protect ones sanity over the alternative. This is why I write. It helps me winnow the wheat from the chaff. It helps me share my thoughts in a peaceful, thoughtful, respectful way. I know that some who read my words will disagree with me, but that is OK. We are all adults here. If you are angered by my thoughts and words, maybe you need to ask yourself why? Why are you angry? I had to have this conversation with myself long ago and the answer I found was this: their anger is not my problem, it is theirs. It comes from their mind, not mine. I have my evidence-supported facts in order.
Yet, for whatever the reason and despite the peer-reviewed facts and evidence on whatever the topic may be, the anger remains and this creates division.
Sadly, division among people often leads to misunderstandings, anxiety, fear, and sometimes even hate of the “other.” For some people this seperatist mindset can lead to “lunatic fringe” dwelling factions of misguided people that see anyone and anything outside of their chosen way of life – their tribe – as a threat to their existence. Example: ICE and the radical facist leaning mal-administration currently in power in the USA as well as the far left lunatics that would use harmful tactics to get their points across. Let us not forget the evangelical christo-facist types – they are a special kind of crazy, a crazy that is boardering on insanity. If christ were alive today they would call him an imposter and crucify him because of his empathy, love, and generosity toward the sick, weak, and infirm.
Some deep thinkers are calling this a “post-truth” world, and with the rise of AI and deep fakes, I predict that things will only get worse before they ever start to get better. However, concerning AI – it is we humans that invented this technology using science and engineering, and it is we humans who are choosing to use these things for hateful, nefarious, greed, and control focused reasons…instead of actually using them to solve the big problems we all collectively face.
Post-truth, obviously and as far as I am concerned, we are living in a post-humanity world where many fearfull people have lost their common sense, empathy, compassion, kindness, peace and love for their fellow human beings.
Common sense has been deleted.
Knowledge is being deleted.
Critical thinking is being deleted.
Art is being deleted.
Kindness is being deleted.
Empathy is being deleted.
We have become our own most limiting factor.
IMHO The only way we will ever hope to survive as a species is if we can find a way to kindly and respectfully communicate with each other about these topics again and maybe then will we re-awaken our lost humanity, and our lost hearts.
Or we will continue down this easy but dark path and extinct ourselves while blaming everyone but ourselves..


