this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2023
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Showerthoughts
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Everyone has priorities somewhere, so for some it's a matter of "looking after one's own first", truly believing that other countries/people aren't doing their part and not being willing to give their own (people's) means up when they would still suffer consequences either way.
I think a lot of it is the "fake news" thing, where the people they respect are telling them that everyone else is lying, and they believe it. Once you're in that mentality, it's almost impossible to get out of it because anyone trying to get you to leave is one of the liars. People have to try to convince themselves they are wrong, try to convince themselves the other side has the right of it and to understand the other position, but they also have to choose that path for themselves in those worst cases.
Some don't think anyone's going to suffer (or suffer more from one choice vs the other). They believe the people that say things like the ipcc are not just wrong but lying. And they often lack the tools to verify for themselves. This is worrying because they really have good reasons to think the things they do. Giving them more information doesn't help because they have an internally good reason to think you're lying (or being lied to, at least).
The people up top, who are saying the wrong things in the first place, who do have the tools to investigate their truth and are continuing to repeat them... I can't understand their motivations as other than monumentally selfish.
The people on the top have a variety of internal justifications for what they're doing. Some say that the world is "dog eat dog" and that they are the only ones looking out for themselves. Others say that what they're doing is for some grander good that will come once they acquire enough wealth and power. Some are deluded enough they have convinced themselves they are telling the truth. That and many more justifications fly through the heads of the ultra-wealthy and powerful as they continue spreading misinformation and enriching themselves.