In November 2009, climate change crusader and failed presidential candidate Al Gore made an appearance on The Tonight Show, hosted by Conan O’Brien. While talking about geothermal energy, Gore made an astoundingly unscientific claim – a claim so far beyond the bounds of reality that one might have thought he was deliberately using hyperbole to emphasize a point. Gore was serious, though, and demonstrated his utter ignorance of scientifically proven fact. Not a single person on the political left and nobody involved in climate change activism batted an eyelash.
From that moment onward, every American capable of rational thought should have realized that when leftists utter the word “science,” they are attempting to bully into silence those who reject their world-view. Their respect for science is limited to how much they can use it to advance their agenda.
Dumb as a Box of Hot Rocks
“[B]ut two kilometers or so down, in most places, there are these incredibly hot rocks,” former veep Gore explained to O’Brien during that hilarious moment of 2009 television, “because the interior of the earth is extremely hot, several million degrees … “
Nowhere on the planet Earth – neither at its core nor on its surface – is the temperature anywhere close to “several million degrees.” Our planet would not exist as a solid object if the temperature of the rocks below the surface were millions of degrees because the rock itself would not exist. That, my friends, is a scientific fact.
The left wields the term “science denier” the same way it does “racist” or “white supremacist.” Progressives use these terms as weapons. Should a person be labeled in such a way, leftists believe, the stigma is so shameful – so irredeemable – that there is no coming back from it. So, most people will avoid saying or doing or even thinking anything that might saddle them with one of these dreadful identifying tags.
Some Science Is Better Than Other Science?
Point out to one of the woke that biological males are incapable of menstruating, though – which is a scientifically proven fact – and their adoration for science will instantly disappear as they condemn you for your bigotry. Deny the existence of 128 genders in favor of the established biological norm of male and female, and you will suddenly be deemed worse than Hitler. Such are the ways in which progressives use science when it suits them while casually disregarding long-established scientific orthodoxy when it does not.
Of course, science itself is a process of exploration, study, and experimentation. As such, it is not always above critical analysis. A good scientist will – and should – continually question the established science. After all, hundreds of years ago, the most revered men of science asserted that our planet lay at the center of the known universe. To suggest otherwise would not only get you branded a “science denier” but also assure you of a hot date with a wooden stake in the town square.
Yet, while humankind continues to expand its scientific knowledge, certain things are absolute. With the exception of the brain, few functions of the human body are a mystery. Gravity does prevent us from floating away. The air we breathe is composed of a particular mixture of gases. Some things we know for sure, such as the distinct biological differences between males and females. Other things are determined by variables we have yet to pin down – such as whether human activity can affect the climate and the median temperature of the planet.
Unmasking the Science of Masks
Another commonly accepted belief, despite the lack of credible scientific evidence, is that forcing people to wear masks – or, more accurately, any piece of paper or cloth – over their noses and mouths will stop the spread of a virus. Question the efficacy of masks, and you will be subjected to ridicule and contempt for ignoring the known science. What known science, though?
Anyone with an open mind and an hour or so to spare can search the interwebs and discover plenty of scientific evidence that masks provide nothing more than a very moderate chance of protecting one from a virus. Numerous academic studies undertaken by virologists, epidemiologists, and other – you know – scientists discredit the mask theory.
In fact, the celebrated Dr. Anthony Fauci, just a few months ago, was telling us that wearing masks was not only pointless but possibly detrimental. He was supported in his proclamation by the surgeon general and numerous medical professionals. Since then, the masks have not changed, and neither has the virus, but, magically, the masks work now. Science!
To be clear, there are no credible scientific studies that prove masks do not work, but there are a great many studies concluding that, due to a multitude of variables that cannot – or have not – been conclusively factored in, it is impossible to scientifically prove, beyond doubt, that masks themselves have slowed the spread of COVID-19. Indeed, one cannot find a medical professional who is willing to say that scientific study has proven the efficacy of mask mandates beyond question.
Should we believe what the media are now telling us – that the virus is currently spreading as quickly as ever and that certain parts of the United States are experiencing record numbers of infections? The wearing of masks has become more prevalent over the past couple of months, coinciding with this alleged resurgence of COVID-19. It doesn’t take a scientifically trained mind to observe the obvious discrepancy.
Suffice it to conclude that science has been cheapened and abused by those who wish to use it for political gain. Those who comply with mask mandates do so for one or more of three reasons: They are unaware that there is an extremely small chance of dying from COVID-19 unless they have certain other medical conditions, regardless of age. They are reacting to peer-pressure – walking into a grocery store and seeing that everyone is wearing a mask. They are afraid of negative perceptions that they are inconsiderate, or that they deny the “science” that proves masks will protect them.
Perhaps it is time to ask ourselves if there is an agenda at work behind the normalizing of the wearing of masks. Perhaps it is time to refuse to accept the climate of perpetual fear. Maybe the masks are an experiment to test the limits of public compliance. After all, if everyone can be scared into wearing masks all the time, what else can they be scared into accepting?
Ask yourself this, reader: Do you see a time in the foreseeable future when the media and the politicians will tell you there is no longer a need to wear a mask? You don’t see it, do you?
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Read more from Graham J. Noble.
