I spent years doubting the science of climate change and spending time with people who didn’t believe in the science either.
When I realised I was wrong, I felt really embarrassed.
To move away from those people meant leaving behind an entire community at a time when I didn’t have many friends.
I went through a really difficult time. But the truth matters.
I’m the granddaughter of coal miners in Pennsylvania and my family moved to Florida when I was young.
We have a Polish Catholic background and we attended church regularly, but at the same time we were very connected to science because my mum was a nurse and my dad sold microscopes and other scientific equipment.
I’ve lived in the South. There is immense social pressure to not even consider climate change as real alongside all the outright lies and rationalizations about climate change being pushed constantly that you don’t even want to open your mouth to publicly question denialism. You don’t want to deal with the shit you might get for speaking up. It’s like being an atheist. You learn to dodge the issue if you don’t want to deal with either the ignorance or the grief.
Yep, that kinda social pressure can be difficult.
I live in the south, and I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut on a variety of topics.
While the truth is important, I’m not gonna change these peoples minds. Expending that energy, and self inflicting negative emotions is just not worth it.
Hell, when I was much younger I tried to convince a 16 year old coworker that he should absolutely “spend time” with the girl from his school (also worked there, she was objectively attractive, though too young for me) and they went to talk. He wound up shrieking turn or burn at her over and over, while leaving the building.
Yeah, her family was just a different flavor of christian.
Not even raging hormones can counter some brainwashing.