Dumbest Education Question of 2019 So Far

[sanantone]

We also have to think about individual capabilities. How many people have the time, money, and skills to do what Massie did? Are you going to expect a single parent with a high school diploma to build a house that's off the grid? Are you going to expect that person to purchase a $40k Tesla?

No, of course not, but I expect that Kerry has the money to do what Massie did, but not the inclination, and definitely not the skills, which was the point of Massie's line of questioning.

The behavioral part is important, but the skills part isn't. What's being debated is whether or not the planet is getting warming because of human activity, and Massie is not a climatologist. Massie might be able to build things because he's an engineer, but does that help when he supports policies that allow companies to pollute the air?

[topdog98]

What's being debated is whether or not the planet is getting warming because of human activity, and Massie is not a climatologist.

Is Kerry a climatologist? He was the one there to give "expert" testimony during the debate, not Massie.

[sanantone]

What's being debated is whether or not the planet is getting warming because of human activity, and Massie is not a climatologist.

Is Kerry a climatologist? He was the one there to give "expert" testimony during the debate, not Massie.

He's a former politician with a political opinion on what should be done about what climatologists say is a problem. Massie is also entitled to his opinion on what political solutions should be pursued, if any at all. 

We're talking about two different things, so I'll just come up with an analogy. A physician tells a couple that their child has an aggressive form of cancer with a poor prognosis. The mother and father are debating with each other on whether treatment should be pursued. Neither of them are doctors, but they are in a position where they have to make the best decision for their child and family, not the doctor. The doctor gave them the information they needed; it's their job to decide what to do. In some real life situations, the parents might even be in disagreement on what type of treatment to pursue because one parent might believe in alternative medicine. In an alternative scenario, the mother and father are debating whether or not the child even has cancer. Neither parent is a physician, but one parent is trying to make a decision based on what the expert found and the other parent is challenging the expert because she has a degree in computer engineering.

[topdog98]

I know we are coming at this from two different perspectives, and that is okay. Different perspectives are necessary to finding solutions, and I respect your opinion.

I am of the perspective that solutions to these problems (such as environmental problems) are much more likely to come from engineers than from politicians.

[sanantone]

I know we are coming at this from two different perspectives, and that is okay. Different perspectives are necessary to finding solutions, and I respect your opinion.

I am of the perspective that solutions to these problems (such as environmental problems) are much more likely to come from engineers than from politicians.

Engineers do what their companies want them to do. There has to be an incentive for companies to want to do these things. Most companies are not concerned with long-term impacts to the environment; they are concerned with making money for their shareholders. Public transportation options are not going to come from individual engineers. Either a local or state government has to decide to fund public transportation improvements with possible help from the federal government, or a private company has to decide to take on the task. That company will likely ask for tax breaks. It doesn't matter if an engineer designed some cool train; someone has to be willing to purchase the trains and pay for the rail system to be put in place. We already have several different cleaner sources of energy and cleaner motor vehicles; the problem is getting people to use them.

If the engineer doesn't think that there is any problem, then he's not going to come up with any solution. As we already know, most scientists disagree with Massie's uninformed conclusions on climate change. Would you let Massie perform surgery on you just because he had to take some lower level chemistry courses?

[topdog98]

Would you let Massie perform surgery on you just because he had to take some lower level chemistry courses?

No, would you let Kerry perform surgery on you because he has a BA in political science? The question does not relate to my point. My point was that this man is not anywhere near the category of "moron," "idiot," or "dumb."

[sanantone]

Would you let Massie perform surgery on you just because he had to take some lower level chemistry courses?

No, would you let Kerry perform surgery on you because he has a BA in political science? The question does not relate to my point. My point was that this man is not anywhere near the category of "moron," "idiot," or "dumb."

I would have more respect for Kerry's intellect if he told me to listen to my doctor, and Massie claimed that he knew more than my doctor.

[topdog98]

And I have more respect for Massie because he lives a sustainable lifestyle, while Kerry only demands that other people do without, while he is exempted because he is better than the rest of us.

[sanantone]

I watched this exchange, and it makes Massie look pretty dumb or more influenced by politics than science. There is an absence of geological events that existed over a million years ago that caused the CO2 in the atmosphere to rise. We don't currently have volcanoes spewing all over the place. There were also more massive-sized animals in the past; the animals mostly producing methane today are farm animals. That's human activity. There were many periods in the past when the planet would have been uninhabitable for humans.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/...al-science

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And I have more respect for Massie because he lives a sustainable lifestyle, while Kerry only demands that other people do without, while he is exempted because he is better than the rest of us.

So, you have respect for his lifestyle. It wouldn't make one smart to eat healthy and tell you not to get needed treatment with a doctor. There are actually many people like that. They live very healthy lifestyles, but once they or someone else develops a serious disease, they avoid treatment or advise someone to avoid treatment.

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I just realized that I have a Bachelor of Science degree, but business administration isn't a science. I also have a Bachelor of Arts degree, but I didn't major in art. Woe is me. But, I did study biology and medical science, and I had a hybrid vehicle at one point and used public transportation for decades, so I guess I'm more qualified than Massie!

[topdog98]

I just realized that I have a Bachelor of Science degree, but business administration isn't a science. I also have a Bachelor of Arts degree, but I didn't major in art. Woe is me. But, I did study biology and medical science, and I had a hybrid vehicle at one point and used public transportation for decades, so I guess I'm more qualified than Massie!

But none of this is about us. We shouldn't take it personally. You are not testifying before Congress as an expert on climate. It is about Kerry and his qualifications as an expert witness on climate change.

It is a fair question. He doesn't have the best track record with this stuff. For example:

"Scientists project that the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer of 2013. Not in 2050, but four years from now," John Kerry, 2009.

The arctic region had 29% more ice in the summer of 2013 when compared to 2012.

Kerry should stick to politics, which was his major and area of expertise. He should not be testifying as an expert on climate change. That's why his credentials were questioned.