The ugly denier: a real, clear and present danger

Denialism is ugly. At its heart is an abdication of responsibility. Denialism goes hand in hand with bigotry and worse. Today there's an example of that at WUWT.

Anthony Watts claims (archived here) that John Kerry is mentally ill because of a speech he gave at a ceremony "in Honor of Special Representative to Muslim Communities Shaarik Zafar". It is part of the role of the Secretary of State to give speeches at ceremonies like this. It is also part of their role to reach out and speak out in times of crisis and difficulty. In particular, to remind everyone that that people of all faiths and no faith can live in harmony, despite what is happening elsewhere in the world. You can read the speech here.

John Kerry doesn't avoid reference to the ugly events by a radical political group that pretends to be Islamic. He faces it head on. He also makes the point that those actions are not the face of Islam.

Anthony Watts on the other hand is a muckraker who not only wants to destroy the planet by preventing any action to mitigate global warming, he now comes out as a warmonger. An ugly bigot inciting hatred. He's shown his sociopathic tendencies before in other ways. Now he's combining his determination to destroy the planet by warming with his desire to destroy the planet by inciting hatred of Muslims.

I don't know if all climate science deniers are bigots, racist and sexist or not. Probably not. But evidence suggests that they are more likely to be so than the general population.

Let me illustrate. Anthony Watts under a headline: "Is John Kerry mentally ill? ‘Scriptures Commands America To Protect Muslims From Global Warming ‘, quoted this part of the speech in support of his claim that John Kerry is mentally ill:

Our faiths are inextricably linked on any number of things that we must confront and deal with in policy concepts today. Our faiths are inextricably linked on the environment. For many of us, respect for God’s creation also translates into a duty to protect and sustain his first creation, Earth, the planet,

Confronting climate change is, in the long run, one of the greatest challenges that we face, and you can see this duty or responsibility laid out in Scriptures clearly, beginning in Genesis. And Muslim-majority countries are among the most vulnerable. Our response to this challenge ought to be rooted in a sense of stewardship of Earth, and for me and for many of us here today, that responsibility comes from God.

Anthony followed it up by writing this, to stir up the bigotry and lynch mob mentality of his rabble:

I do hope Mr. Kerry travels to the heart of an ISIS stronghold to deliver this message personally. Maybe then he’ll gain a sense of priority and perhaps, some sanity when he realizes his epic mistake. 

What Anthony chose not to quote was any of the rest of the speech. For example, this was what immediately followed the above:

We also know that a cadre of extremists – nihilists, people like ISIL – are just waiting to seduce these people into accepting the dead end. And when people don’t have a job, when they can’t get an education, when their voices are silenced by draconian laws or by violence or oppression, we’ve all witnessed the instability that follows from that, from the lack of dignity and respect for the human person. To meet the demands of these populations for dignity and opportunity, frankly, requires new and creative partnerships. That’s why Shaun is here. That’s why we’re here today. We need to reach beyond government to include religious leaders and faith communities, entrepreneurs, civil society groups, all of them working together to invest in a future that embraces tolerance and understanding, and yes, even love.

Anthony Watts is very lucky he lives in a democracy where he probably won't be punished for inciting hatred like he has. He has the freedom to belong to a cadre of WUWT extemists, nihilists, deniers. He is free to seduce his followers into accepting a dead end. He doesn't have the excuse of not being able to get an education. His voice is not silenced by draconian laws or by violence or by oppression. Anthony Watts has no excuse for his lack of dignity, for inciting hatred. Anthony Watts doesn't want to reach out or work together with others to make the world a better place. He is free to do all this, just as I am free to be disgusted by his behaviour.

Usually there is something to ridicule at WUWT.  This WUWT article is beyond ridicule. It is a reminder that deniers at WUWT aren't just depressingly ugly, they are a real, clear and present danger.