and so we come to elements of the psychological makeup of the Muppets of Denial, the conspiracy theorists who deny anthropogenic global warming and the climate change it brings.
sarcastically, i regard them as special people who have taken on the burden of the special knowledge overlooked by all highly qualified experts in the field on behalf of us - we the sheeple.
sadly, their toxic mix of ignorance and arrogance exemplifies the Dunning-Kruger effect, and we're all the worse for it.
Writer Dan Williams in conspicuouscognition.com put it like this recently in regards to those signed up to conspiracy theories, such as climate change deniers.
DAN WILLIAMS:
“Consider, first, conspiracy theories.
"Surprisingly, one of the psychological traits that reliably correlates with a conspiratorial mentality is narcissism. It is obvious why paranoia would drive people to posit nefarious hidden plots. Why would tendencies towards grandiosity and entitlement have similar effects?
“One reason is that conspiracy theories offer an intoxicating status inversion. By rejecting the “official knowledge” disseminated by society’s elites, the conspiracy theorist rejects their claim to intellectual superiority.
"It is the conspiracy theorist, not the elites, who knows things that others—the gullible sheeple—do not.
"Through their bravery and insight, they have seen through society’s lies and uncovered what is really going on.
"To someone who craves feelings of status and self-importance, there is something delicious about such a worldview.”
......
if said Muppets had an ounce of self awareness this should ring a bell.
