Why do you think many participants here consider every question to be some...

[XenonEmeritus]

...sort of advocacy or an agenda rant? (For example, I once posted a simple question about the meanings of Total Solar Irradiance and solar constant and got incredible rants saying things like "nice try" and "You just refuse to wake up to the facts." The same questions posted on a Physics forum gets calm, sane answers.)


I find it interesting that no matter how objective the question that is posted here, many will post "fail" or some irrelevant rant that seems to be their effort to (1) predict what "side" the questioner is on, (2) guess/anticipate what agenda they THINK the questioner has, and then (3) insult the questioner in some way. Other than simply being immaturity due to the young age of many adolescent participants (whether or that adolescence is chronological or merely developmental), what is it about the Global Warming Forum that brings this about? I used to think that only the Religion & Spirituality and political forums saw this kind of polarization and rancor -- but Global Warming Forum seems to have many of the same "religious" types of dynamics underway. How do you explain it?

 

[DON'TPANIC]

The responses you're talking about sound like denier garbage to me. Climate realists don't usually answer questions in that way unless rediculous statements are being made in the question.

I don't know if you've noticed, but about 80% of the questions on here are from science deniers. 80% of questions on this sight are agenda driven, and 100% of the denier questions and answers are agenda driven.

Global warming denial is science denial. That and religion go hand in hand. In fact, the majority of the deniers are conservative christians.

 

[ThomasF]

The idea of using a extrapolated climate theory as grounds for remaking the worlds economy has many people worried. We have not been able to get the world to agree on a boycott of Iran to prevent nuclear proliferation, thousands die of preventable diseases, wars abound, millions live in poverty, and yet people think the world can/will have a coordinated response to an as yet still unproven threat. The Earth may be getting warmer, but any country altering their economy along the plans of cap and trade, would be committing economic suicide.

 

[GaryF]

...because they are.

You are right that it is exactly like the R&S section.

Unless a questioner is well enough known and has a reputation for asking "objective" questions (and that would put them about 5 standard deviations [2-tailed] outside of the expected), questioners are routinely insulted because most questions are nothing more than insults or rants themselves with a question mark stuck at the end.

Neither forum has anything at all to do with getting answers to questions or learning something.

Most interesting, I suspect that they also have the highest proportion of Poes. Both forums are frequented by people so profoundly stupid that they cannot be distinguished from a person who is pretending to be pathologically stupid and delusional.

 

[nathan]

It is because they don't want to be wrong. Most people on Yahoo Answers aren't willing to listen to the other side because they convince themselves that they are right. This makes it very hard to have any meaningful debate.

Edit-
Looking through these answers, it amazes me how polarized most of them are. Many of them accused their opponents for pushing an agenda when they were also pushing their own agenda with their response.

 

[Baccheus]

It is odd that global warming is a science that people will post answers on without knowing anything. The blogosphere is full of people making claims about the science that are false. I hope that one of the few knowledgeable people were able to answer your question. Just ignore those who pretend to have something helpful to offer.

 

[pegminer]

Unfortunately this is a pretty reasonable assumption. Certainly the majority of questions on here are advocating a viewpoint. Both sides are guilty of this. This would be a much nicer group if all rhetorical questions were eliminated. I try to answer all real questions with real answers, but I'm afraid I lose patience with people that are just trying to stir up hatred or slander scientists. Because of that there may be some real questions to which I don't give very good answers and I apologize for that.

 

[Jutes]

This question is a rant in & of itself, but I will attempt to answer. Number 1, if you get a more sane & calm answer on a physics forum, then go there for your answer. Don't expect that in this general setting. The reason that people are upset is that global warming is ruining our world. Everyone talks about it but nothing is done & this is probably the most important environmental problem we have. If anything I have said offended you, it was not meant in that way & I am certain no one else meant to hurt your feelings, but if you don't like the site then don't use it.