97 Hours of 97 Percent Continues

John Cook and the Skeptical Science crew are continuing to count down 97 Hours of Consensus. Find out more at their site.

One of the best responses so far, which came thru Reddit:

I first want to thank you for what you are doing and let you know it’s not all for nothing. A few years ago your website convinced me that I was wrong about climate change. I use to be a “climate skeptic” and back then I would have assumed you were a paid shill and wouldn’t trust anything anyone would say about climate change, except the deniers like Mr. Watts.

I can’t remember exactly what changed my mind but I know it was because the methods you use on your website seemed less biased and the commenters were more friendly and willing to discuss the evidence with out personal attacks, especially in comparison to “Watts up with that?” Since then I’ve completed my degree in Environmental Engineering and work in air quality.

On to the question. How do you remain sane when dealing with and responding to the numerous deniers blogs out there? Isn’t frustrating daily having to combat the same misinformation over and over again? How do you take the personal attacks? When do you just ignore them?

Thanks again, and keep up the good fight!

SkepticalScience[S] – an hour ago

Thanks very much for your comment, Howard. It’s very encouraging to hear that our efforts are having an impact.

How do I cope with the seemingly Sisyphean task of debunking misinformation? In one sense, I just keep calm and carry on.

However, as a social scientist researching the attacks of science deniers on science, I see the attacks on science (and on myself) as opportunities to better understand the technique and cognitive processes behind science denial. We have a responsibility to future generations and this includes understanding those people not willing to protect those generations.