I spent years doubting the science of climate change and spending time with people who didn’t believe in the science either.
When I realised I was wrong, I felt really embarrassed.
To move away from those people meant leaving behind an entire community at a time when I didn’t have many friends.
I went through a really difficult time. But the truth matters.
I’m the granddaughter of coal miners in Pennsylvania and my family moved to Florida when I was young.
We have a Polish Catholic background and we attended church regularly, but at the same time we were very connected to science because my mum was a nurse and my dad sold microscopes and other scientific equipment.
It’s honestly what makes conservatives hate people on the left. The smugness that leads people to run back to their tribe and never having the ability to reaccess a believe because the second you do you have people like the poster above ready to do a victory lap and not accept someone that was able to get out of a circular thinking loop.
It’s on both sides. I’ve had to look at specific believes that in practice didn’t pan out the way I thought and if mentioned it to my friends group they would call me a far right shill or whatever bullshit term is being used right now.
There is little room for nuance and having a conversation that’s not surface level black and white opens you up for slander at times.