Toles on the boiling frog

2 Responses to Toles on the boiling frog

1. Jeff Huggins says:

   September 24, 2009 at 9:06 am

   Funny — But Not Really

   As I’m sure Joe knows, this cartoon is funny because there’s much truth to it, and it allows us to poke fun at ourselves (humans), and yet it’s not really funny at all in the sense that the stakes are very real.

   In a sense, it’s a very SAD sort of funny.

   But my point is not to analyze comedy. Rather, it’s to use this opportunity to make the serious point:

   There are immense moral issues involved here, of course.

   Some people — far too often — seem to discount REAL moral issues by making comments such as “those environmentalists are moralizing again”. And indeed, a recent analysis of journalism I read seemed to suggest something like: frame matters in terms of energy and economics because the moralizing (about climate and the future) isn’t working and gets tiring. (This is an inaccurate characterization of the particular piece I read, which was a very good one, but there was a point in it that suggested that the appeal to morality is less than effective. And even making such a point, to some people, can seem to suggest that morality is just one of those fuzzy, unreal, optional, not-too-important things.)

   But the reality is this: Look at the cartoon. That cute looking cartoon character (or at least innocent looking) is actually being quite immoral. If he is in the pot with other humans, other species, and so forth, and given that he knows that future generations will be coming, and given that he knows that his actions and inaction are heating things up, he is — quite simply — acting immorally. He is being a BAD (and I won’t put that word in quotes, because that would diminish the point) human. Or rather, he is being a BAD cartoon character, in this case.

   It’s getting to the point where we will start having to point that out, using words that people understand, and (where warranted) naming names. I know, I know: It is often viewed as “impolite” or unfashionable or rude to refer to someone as a bad person, or to flat-out say that they are immoral or acting immorally. But the truth is, those are very fair and accurate characterizations in some instances, and the number of those instances is far too many on the climate issue. It’s no joke, unfortunately.

   (And I feel sorry for the frog.)

   Cheers,

   Jeff
2. Gail says:

   September 24, 2009 at 9:53 am

   Joe R, you HAVE to give me points for this!

   http://wonkette.com/411263/glenn-beck-literally-like-actually-literally-boils-a-frog-on-his-glenn-beck-show

   [JR: Yes, someone sent me this. You get points. I'll post it.]