Guy McPherson walks away
from his followers
Seemorerocks
It brings me no pleasure to say this but it seems that Guy McPherson is bowing out of the limelight. As I have said he does so with a snarl and a whimper.
"As I have pointed out previously in this space, the typical responses to my evidence-based work include betrayal, derision, rejection, isolation, defamation, and plagiarism. Occasionally, though, I am merely mocked. Most people no longer need me to point out the ongoing loss of habitat for humans on Earth. I prefer silence to battling proverbial windmills and actual morons."
He does offer, as an afterthought, a fairly insincere thanks to what are left of his supporters.
He does offer, as an afterthought, a fairly insincere thanks to what are left of his supporters.
"I owe a huge thanks to my supporters. However, I can offer only the time I have given and now my thanks. I have little else left to give."
https://guymcpherson.com/2020/07/opting-out-of-social-media/
Not only is he essentially walking away from his followers but he wants to charge them for what is left.
https://guymcpherson.com/2020/07/nature-bats-last-membership-options-on-youtube/#more-24193
Here is what he says:
What would you do if you were already dead, had nothing to fear, nothing to lose, no one to impress? From now on, I will attempt to live as if I had nothing to fear, nothing to lose, and no one to impress. Why not? I’ve already greatly exceeded my expected expiration date.
What would you do if you were already dead, had nothing to fear, nothing to lose, no one to impress? From now on, I will attempt to live as if I had nothing to fear, nothing to lose, and no one to impress. Why not? I’ve already greatly exceeded my expected expiration date.
Inspired by a forthcoming adventure, as well as the evidence underlying my work, I will attempt to temporarily disable all social media except YouTube, effective 13 July 2020. If I succeed in this endeavor, and the experience proves as enjoyable as I believe it will, then
I will not re-enable my social-media accounts. If you must contact me after noon Eastern time on 13 July 2020, then I can be reached via email, as indicated beneath the About tab of this blog/a>.
I will continue to post periodically at Nature Bats Last, including mention of videos in which I appear. You can subscribe to Nature Bats Last here, which means you will receive a notification via email when I post here. I will otherwise post generally only when I have a peer-reviewed paper published or when I announce or complete an interview (recent interviews are posted here). Along with cohost Kevin Hester, I will continue participating in Nature Bats Last Radio on the Progressive Radio Network the first Tuesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
However, I intend to greatly reduce the amount of time I spend online, as I indicated about a month ago.
I will continue to post videos on YouTube on the Nature Bats Last channel. You can subscribe to the channel here (click on the red SUBSCRIBE button), and you can become a member of the channel here. Membership includes benefits beyond subscription, at costs that vary with benefits.
As I have pointed out previously in this space, the typical responses to my evidence-based work include betrayal, derision, rejection, isolation, defamation, and plagiarism. Occasionally, though, I am merely mocked. Most people no longer need me to point out the ongoing loss of habitat for humans on Earth. I prefer silence to battling proverbial windmills and actual morons.
I owe a huge thanks to my supporters. However, I can offer only the time I have given and now my thanks. I have little else left to give.
***
It is generally recognised that a good teacher (and if Guy self-identifies with anything it is being a 'teacher') will see that some of his pupils will have excelled themselves by taking it one step further, even being slightly critical. A noble human being will welcome the success of others and wish his students well.
The narcissist will not do that and will see everybody else other than themselves as being responsible for their perceived misfortunes.
They will also cast themselves into the role of the victim.
I first came into Guy McPherson's orbit in 2012 and have observed the evolution (and subsequent devolution) of his ideas through that time. I think that his research, especially on positive feedbacks as well as on the destruction of human habitat due to rapid warming were inspired.
They still stack up - al the more so with what we are observing right now.
Naturally, there was a lot of push-back (and some of it very unpleasant) to such radical ideas and the reactions of Guy McPherson made the whole situation worse...and worse. During that time I was (right up to 2019), one of his fiercest defenders (just check anything with the tag "Guy McPherson').
The implications of what he was saying were implicit in the message; he did not need to go on to become the Prophet of Doom.
But, he did and became fully identified with that.
Up to 2016 he was doing research and updating his Climate Change essay.
However, since then he has completely stopped doing any climate change research.
This became crustal-clear on his last visit to New Zealand when he appeared on television where he was ridiculed. He had the perfect opportunity to talk about some of the latest evidence in the form of extreme weather that confirmed everything he had been saying. But he passed that up to talk in generalities and the "we're all going to die" message that he has become so identified with.
But then there was this a few months ago. He appeared before the New York City Council to give testimony on abrupt climate change. He was given a short period to lay out his case but spent about 4 out of 5 minutes laying out his own credentials and saying nothing substantive.
As I have been out of the loop for some time - and he was never honest anyway - I have no idea of his reasons and motivations. I can only talk about what I observe.
I noticed that the more evidence came in to confirm his hypotheses the more reluctant he was to talk about it.
Perhaps he just wished in his heart that the whole thing he created would just go away.
Now, we are reduced to this - a daily round-up of news headlines read off a piece of paper and a round-up of the stock market.
How did we get from the professor emeritus with something profound to say about climate change, if not the human condition, to this, where he is reading stuff about the stock market off a piece of paper - and wanting to charge people for the pleasure?
First he walked away from Empire ( when I first met him), then he walked away from most social criticism and I have to ask - has he walked back into Empire?
In ancient mythology and in the Shakespearean tragedies the hero has a fatal flaw. In this case it is arrogance and narcissism made more extreme by those who walked into his life and offered him monumentally - bad advice.
***
My experience with Guy McPherson has taught me a powerful lesson and never again will I become involved in a group that has become with what cane called a death cult.
I will research, make observations - point in a certain direction - but I will never again speak with such certitude about the future.
While the original idea may have been good being involved with groups leads to the most incredible biases that do not always stand up to scrutiny.
***
It is generally recognised that a good teacher (and if Guy self-identifies with anything it is being a 'teacher') will see that some of his pupils will have excelled themselves by taking it one step further, even being slightly critical. A noble human being will welcome the success of others and wish his students well.
The narcissist will not do that and will see everybody else other than themselves as being responsible for their perceived misfortunes.
They will also cast themselves into the role of the victim.
I first came into Guy McPherson's orbit in 2012 and have observed the evolution (and subsequent devolution) of his ideas through that time. I think that his research, especially on positive feedbacks as well as on the destruction of human habitat due to rapid warming were inspired.
They still stack up - al the more so with what we are observing right now.
Naturally, there was a lot of push-back (and some of it very unpleasant) to such radical ideas and the reactions of Guy McPherson made the whole situation worse...and worse. During that time I was (right up to 2019), one of his fiercest defenders (just check anything with the tag "Guy McPherson').
The implications of what he was saying were implicit in the message; he did not need to go on to become the Prophet of Doom.
But, he did and became fully identified with that.
Up to 2016 he was doing research and updating his Climate Change essay.
However, since then he has completely stopped doing any climate change research.
This became crustal-clear on his last visit to New Zealand when he appeared on television where he was ridiculed. He had the perfect opportunity to talk about some of the latest evidence in the form of extreme weather that confirmed everything he had been saying. But he passed that up to talk in generalities and the "we're all going to die" message that he has become so identified with.
But then there was this a few months ago. He appeared before the New York City Council to give testimony on abrupt climate change. He was given a short period to lay out his case but spent about 4 out of 5 minutes laying out his own credentials and saying nothing substantive.
As I have been out of the loop for some time - and he was never honest anyway - I have no idea of his reasons and motivations. I can only talk about what I observe.
I noticed that the more evidence came in to confirm his hypotheses the more reluctant he was to talk about it.
Perhaps he just wished in his heart that the whole thing he created would just go away.
Now, we are reduced to this - a daily round-up of news headlines read off a piece of paper and a round-up of the stock market.
How did we get from the professor emeritus with something profound to say about climate change, if not the human condition, to this, where he is reading stuff about the stock market off a piece of paper - and wanting to charge people for the pleasure?
First he walked away from Empire ( when I first met him), then he walked away from most social criticism and I have to ask - has he walked back into Empire?
In ancient mythology and in the Shakespearean tragedies the hero has a fatal flaw. In this case it is arrogance and narcissism made more extreme by those who walked into his life and offered him monumentally - bad advice.
***
My experience with Guy McPherson has taught me a powerful lesson and never again will I become involved in a group that has become with what cane called a death cult.
I will research, make observations - point in a certain direction - but I will never again speak with such certitude about the future.
While the original idea may have been good being involved with groups leads to the most incredible biases that do not always stand up to scrutiny.
Well stated and summarized.
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