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Have you heard? Professional wrestling may be fake! In a
recent announcement, attorneys for a “professional” wrestler announced that
their client was suing the World Wrestling Federation for discrimination. The
wrestler alleged that officials of the organization refuse to let him win any
matches because he’s black, hinting that the outcome is predetermined.
Let’s face it: we all know that a 300 pound man cannot jump off the top rope
of a wresting ring and land on an opponent’s head without smashing his skull.
Yet, perfectly reasonable people will look you straight in the eye and tell
you about witnessing the latest match between Hulk Hogan and The Macho Man as
if it were real!
This comical situation illustrates a common human trait. That, of course, being
when we engage in an innocent fantasy as a way to be distracted from the drudgery
of “the grind”. But when it crosses the line from harmless entertainment into
something which may adversely affect the lives of real people, it is no longer
harmless. It is when we cannot see the difference between fact and fiction that
the potential for harm becomes real and therefore, immoral. In the case of the
wrestler’s lawsuit, it’s not about whether wresting is real, it is about discrimination.
This lawsuit promoted me to think about other situations where people choose
to ignore the obvious. Take science for example. Personally, I have always felt
that science is just one step behind common sense. But since in science a hypothesis
must be proven, the obvious isn’t sufficient. This is good, since “the masses”
and their collective “gut reaction” can be heavily influenced by false information.
Don’t forget, a lot of people thought Columbus was headed to sail right off
the edge of their world.
The problem is that science never proves anything completely. My scientist
friends often escape taking an advocacy position on an issue by stating that,
in fact, an investigation often raises more questions than it answers. There
is always one unanswered question still left hanging.
Take global warming, for example. The atmosphere that surrounds our planet
acts somewhat like the glass in a greenhouse. Sunshine passes through the atmosphere,
where some of the heat is absorbed and some is radiated back toward outer space.
A portion of the radiated heat that is reflected back towards the atmosphere
is prevented from further dispersal. In the greenhouse theory of global warming,
manmade gases collect above “normal” levels in the atmosphere, and serve to
increase the greenhouse effect by retaining excessive heat inside the Earth’s
atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming. No one has absolutely proved
this yet, but most people can readily understand and accept the theory.
Since in the time span of our lives, no scientist will be likely to prove that
recent record temperatures are the result of global warming, should we continue
lifestyles that are suspected and often theorized to be the cause of global
warming? I pose this question because record temperatures and climate changes
are no longer a matter of dispute. For example, industries fueled by petroleum
consumption, which produces copious amounts of greenhouse gases, refuse to accept
CO2 emission limitations set by the Kyoto conference. They say no one has proven
the greenhouse theory of global warming. They often point to the fact that the
Earth has been heating and cooling naturally for millions of years, and even
produce their own scientists who refute this theory as another manifestation
of “chicken little”.
However, in uncharacteristic numbers scientists are emerging from their “ivory
towers” to warn us of increased storms, floods, droughts, melting glaciers,
collapsing ecosystems, rising sea levels and increased forest fires across the
planet, all because of something they cannot prove and which is due to an escalating
greenhouse effect.
I could relate many examples of what I believe to be evidence that global warming
caused by the greenhouse effect is real, and that it is caused by us. That’s
right, humankind is in the process of destroying the planet for our children.
I can’t prove it incontrovertibly but I intend to do something about it, rather
than take the chance. Denial is easy and especially if it is in your own special
interest. This time, we have much scientific evidence and common sense. This
time it is more than a game.
PS The Nature Boy is real! He lost the last match because of that worthless
referee.
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