h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: A Deep Brown Movement - A1314992
Author: Felonious Monk; Man or Mondegreen? - U108659

Looking for opinion pieces for the UnderGuide? Well, here's one, and one with a novelty: backed up with reasoned argument.

At the very least, it will provoke some debate.

A very interesting piece, and I suppose it could even be called brave, facing up to those opinions which you denegrate. Though, I would say, with good reason. It's so easy for political movements to become unfocused and emotive, and it does no good to the issues under discussion. Enviromentally we are in a mess, and as you say, have been for some time. And the issues are many and varied, yet we are beset with people on fire for the wrong things, implementing wrong headed and occasionally dangerous solutions. Remember when all those mink were released into the (I think)Kentish countryside. Not a very ecologically sound way of dealing with the fur industry methinks.
Complex issues elucidated both thoughtfully and with passion. Thanks.
Fatty

I have no problems with people holding opinions opposed to mine. But with the right to hold an opinion goes the responsibility to change it if the evidence unermining it is overwhelming. I only ask that opinions be based on reasoning.

Yes, I agree. Otherwise we are adrift in a sea of emotive responses, and open to manipulation. Base an opinion on fact, and it's a harder job to blur the issues for one's own ends.

Although, I sometimes feel it would be nice for some people to display any opinions at all.

Fatty

Peter Camejo, the Green candidate for Governor in the California recall, did us all a favor in the debates by actually having a brain, and using it to act and behave with reason. Would there be more like him.

Hi FM, I second what Fatty Lizard said in her first post and I sympathise with your views here. Which makes it difficult to judge in a way. I mean to spot where people might challenge it. You need some more readers and commenters.

One thing that I did think though, is that if you wanted to win people over to your argument. And you may not, an opinion piece isn't necessarily aimed at that. But if you do, acknowledgement that people have had some reason to lose trust in scientists' assurances might help. It would say 'yes I know there's some reason to be suspicious but...'.

Just , and thanks for posting it.

Waz I do hope not everything you bump is going to immediately show up in the post. People will start to get suspicious.

Anyway, I'm not so much in agreement. I can't say I wholehartedly disagree but I don't wholeheartedly agree either.

Mostly I think it's dishonest to criticise on the grounds of emotive appeal while pulling the same tricks yourself. A lot of your arguement smacks of setting up a straw dummy...

On the whole I do agree with you though. Rather than looking sensily at a broad set of not-neccesarily-connected issues and finding a reasoned, well thought out position on each one individually, too many people seem to be happy to take the whole idiotic manifesto at face value, then wrap it all up in cod mysticism.

Actually I think that annoys me more. The whole stupid new age trend. It is a horrible mix of clashing cultures and it is all based on commercial appeal. Dreamcatchers and long white 'pagan' gowns. Don't even get me started on the corruption of the word 'ethnic'. Ethnic bloody clothes, furniture, jewellery, every high street has an 'ethnic shop'.

The most 'ethnic' shops you will find on the average british high street are Argos and Woolies.

I'm not launching into the full rant, I'm not, I can stay on topic, really I can.

(off topic again.)

Oh, I forgot to say, I love the title.

It's in the Post today, if you want to re-read it and comment there.


FM

You don't mind a little bit of disagreement then? I wouldn't want to incur your full wrath.

Oh I really *like* disagreement, providing it makes me open my eyes to something I hadn't previously thought of. Just because we disagree doesn't mean that it has to lead hostility, does it?

Just out of curiosity, and because it might help with the current AWW debates, why would you prefer debate on this to take place in the post rather than the AWW?

I just thought it might attract more to the melee!

I'm having a run of bad luck when it comes to clashing with the Post !


FM, are you interested in comments on it as a piece of writing? They might work better out of the melee. If you are it would help to know if your aim with this is to express an opinion or to persuade others to your opinion.

Anyway - hope you get plenty of response via the Post.

I don't want to make any converts here. I just want people to understand that there are other opinions apart from green fundamentalism, and that they are equally valid. Yes, it's an opinion piece, but so is every other utterance I've heard from the green movement recently. Nothing there has been based on evidence, and nobody has a monopoly on truth. This is what I'm trying to get across.