I was sent a clip from Alan Jones’ drivel on Sky News. Of course, he was whining about the ‘climate change hoax’ and the children and others (including me) who went on ‘strike’ for climate action on Friday, the 20th of September all around the world1.
He quoted an anonymous piece which he said was sent to him. The fact that he read it out on Sky News (where else?) indicates that he agrees with it. It went: “To all the schoolkids going on strike for climate change; you’re the first generation who’ve required air-conditioning in every classroom; you want TV in every room and your classes are all computerised; you spend all day and night on electronic devices; more than ever you don’t walk or ride bikes to school; but you arrive in caravans of private cars that choke suburban roads and worse [sic] than rush hour traffic; you’re the biggest consumers of manufactured goods ever, and update perfectly good expensive luxury items to stay trendy; your entertainment comes from electric devices. Furthermore, the people driving your protests are the same people who insist on artificially inflating the population growth through immigration, which increases the need for energy, manufacturing and transport. The more people we have, the more forest and bushland we clear, the more of the environment that’s destroyed. How about this: tell your teachers to switch off the aircon, walk or ride to school, switch off your devices and read a book, make a sandwich instead of buying manufactured fast food. No; none of this will happen because the piece says, because you’re selfish, badly educated, virtue-signalling little turds inspired by the adults around you who crave the feeling of having a noble cause while they indulge themselves in western luxury and unprecedented quality of life. He says the piece ends by saying: wake up, grow up and shut up until you’re sure of the facts before protesting.1
Aside from sounding like most of it was written by someone in the 1980s at best, many of these idiotic statements are irrelevant because they refer to electrically operated devices, and renewables are rapidly replacing coal in the generation of electricity, despite the government’s best efforts to slow down that process. Indeed, the Labor-Greens government in the Australian Capital Territory is on track to have all its electricity generated by renewables next month; i.e. October 2019.
Jones’ assertion that children should turn off their electronic devices and read a book, also demonstrates his inability to realise this is the 21st century. Many books these days are actually on electronic devices. It beats cutting trees down so you can store their pulped remains on your bookshelves once you have read them.
His assertion that it is the people striking for the climate who are clamouring to keep immigration high is simply a lie. I expect those protesting want to see asylum seekers and refugees treated humanely in Australia, not in concentration camps in Nauru, Christmas Island or Papua-New Guinea. This is not the same as immigration. Those who do clamour to keep immigration high are those in big business, as it keeps their growth figures up and their bottom line healthy. The government have been vacillating about immigration for some time, as they know if it decreases, the mask of perceived growth they have covering the nation’s falling per capita GDP will be removed, and their abysmal management of the economy will be exposed2. They also know that if it increases, all the xenophobic votes they hope to regain from One Notion may be lost forever.
Jones calling someone selfish is a typical conservative ploy of accusing others of the crimes of which you are guilty. Conservatives do this all the time, and I have documented a prime example elsewhere3. Another thing that irks Alan Jones is that children these days are much more aware of the world that he was in his readin’, writin’, ‘rithmetic’ and canin’ days up at Toowoomba Grammar.
Jones’ ignorance of science is so profound that he believes scientists can perpetrate a conspiracy. In my years nearly 40 as a research scientist in geology, I have seen two ‘conspiracies’ unmasked, and who do you think they were unmasked by? Not by a bunch of plucky billionaires and fossil fuel industry executives. They were unmasked by other research scientists. I use inverted commas in labelling them ‘conspiracies’ because they were perpetrated most likely by a single scientist and it is incorrect to call a hoax perpetrated by one person a conspiracy. Large conspiracies are impossible in science, because science is the most cutthroat business to be in, as everyone is trying to demonstrate that everyone else is wrong. So, believing that thousands of scientists could fabricate a hoax of this magnitude is so ludicrously out of touch with reality as to be laughable.
For Jones to call climate change a hoax is simply not just a denial of science but of reality. He seems to think that science is just a matter of opinion, and being so opinionated makes his opinion correct. Nothing could be further from the truth. I would give my eye teeth for climate change to not be happening as my life is reasonably comfortable. However, it is my children and their children who will be affected by it. Despite all the denialism from people like Jones, climate change is happening and we have known this for 30 years or more. Jones’ calling of these children ‘badly educated turds’ is just another silly, childish thing to say, especially when it is Jones who is the badly educated one. This is the 21st century, and the lack of science literacy is the very definition of poor education, and Jones is profoundly lacking in scientific literacy. He is a pompous, narcissistic, ignoramus completely out of his depth passing an opinion on any field of science, let alone climate science. 2GB should sack the malevolent fool.
Sources
Same people who support “artificially inflating population growth through immigration”? Roflmao. Doe he mean ten pound poms like Abbott? Straw man arguments rarely stand up to scrutiny but this gem makes as much sense as using public toilets for activities other than those they were designed for. Can’t think of any poll which suggests there is a link between the two but lying and invention of alternative facts are unfortunately standard fare for many conservatives and their supporters. The “turd” who invented that would no doubt claim that Australia is a much advanced and better place since we “white men” invaded despite the obvious detrimental effects on the environment since 1788. Hypocrisy much? Jones (and very likely the author of the rant also) is a supporter of consumerism and constant economic growth. Again – hypocrisy much? We are all hypocrites to varying extents but the biggest hypocrites among us are those who accept progress but will not acknowledge its human and environmental costs and will never support action to lessen the impacts – except where it suits them and their agendas of course. It must pain them to see industry leaders and heads of right-wing and conservative governments around the world investing heavily in renewables and making efforts to reduce or contain carbon footprints.
Jon,
It is weird that all these fruitcakes attacking Thunberg actually foam at the mouth even at the concept of climate change, let alone doing anything about it. It has become almost a knee-jerk response (with the emphasis on ‘jerk’), with no thought involved. They are just digging the hole deeper.
SINCERE APOLOGY BY 2GB MANAGEMENT: Dear credulous mass who fervently admire the Delphic Oracle of the Whole Planet, Missy Alan-ah Ducky-Jones. Only joshing, but honestly, the cat was out of the bag with that book by grubby, muckraking truth-teller . We must, with “deep regret” once again, yawn, disown the terriblawfuldastardly comments made on radio about innocent misled brats attending climate change pointless alarmist demonstrations so they can wag a day of incarcerated boredom. Anyway, Alanah darl is (again) on warning of contract termination (which would ruin the network financially). He was wantonlyirresponsiblyinsulting to dare such scurrilouslyvulgarlyinfantilely expressed views as he rightly broadcast. We totally, unhesitatingly, indubitably refute in a sort of a kind of small, extremely miniscule invisible way, what he said in his own inimitably naughty “up-you-warmist-wankers”manner, you can be assured. And we assert without reservation that if he does make outrageously factually crap correct statements ever ever again, if he calls a gulled, manipulated child a spoiled pat of anal output for following commie-unionist-loonytoon propaganda from ex-hippy, ex-Green Ban retirees and cafe-latte sipping inner city trendoid doomsday preppies who are watermelons – green on the outside but… – we shall hesitate to take the severestest, the mostest decisivest action we would never resolve upon. As we have always done not to ensure Alannah reaches a highly ethical, utterly honest, fully factual, informed standard of speech/conduct. Indeedy deedy yes! Trust us, and keep tuned in to Jonesy.
Russell,
Chortle!