[TeMPOraL]

I sometimes wonder how and if various groups of NIMBYs - i.e. anti-wind-farm, anti-nuclear, etc. overlap with each other. Sometimes I just wish I could point a finger and accuse someone of attempting to kill people and/or destroy civilization.

[voltagex_]

>Sometimes I just wish I could point a finger and accuse someone of attempting to kill people and/or destroy civilization.

Funny, that's what anti-wind/solar/nuclear people say!

I think it comes down to a lack of science education and a fear of the unknown.

[TeMPOraL]

> Funny, that's what anti-wind/solar/nuclear people say!

Yes, I know :). That's (among others) a reason I don't go and point my finger too much :).

> I think it comes down to a lack of science education and a fear of the unknown.

I'd add a collapse of trust in authority as an underlying cause for this and movements like anti-vaccination. I talk to people holding such beliefs quite a bit, and I've noticed they're perfectly willing to (selectively) trust science; they can even have an above-average understanding of it. It's often that they don't trust the intentions of governments and corporations (the "Big Pharma", evil Monsanto, etc.). So I think painting them as anti-science idiots, as it is often done on-line, is counterproductive. Not just because it's always counterproductive to paint the other side as idiots, but also because it's missing the point.