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The Forum > Article Comments > The 'War on Bad Weather' > Comments

The 'War on Bad Weather' : Comments

By Luke Escombe, published 5/3/2007

Bush and his circle of pulp novelists have been out-narrated and must slink into the shadows like Gollum.

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An amusing article. The threat of terrorism is exaggerated - you are more likely to drown in the bath - but the wolf has at least nipped a few times in Bali, Madrid, NY, London. Fear of change itself, based on modelled projections, is certainly a coup for the Left, an endless empty space in which to pour anxiety, and thus closer to the big paternal narratives of the past to which you refer. Mother Nature is angry! - though evidently less angry than She was at various times before Man was even a glint in the Creator's eye. Yes, shouting like a looney that the end of the world is nigh doesn't have to be a sandwich board job anymore - it'll get you the back page (eg Phillip Adams). Whereas, saying "Don't Panic" will get you evicted from dinner parties. I suspect the aliens will be arriving any day now.
Posted by Richard Castles, Monday, 5 March 2007 9:54:55 AM
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Good one, Luke. You've included all the right qualifications, to make it both readable & enjoyable.

Thought of sending this to a newspaper?
Posted by bennie, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:18:06 AM
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Very interesting essay, but it does leave one with a feeling that maybe one should withdraw, and stand by our good old Aussie terms - .... oh, no worries, cobber or just she'll be right, mate...

Certainly the foxy Johnnie Howard has been able to dumb us down this way, as if he's been the best Aussie PM since sliced bread. Not really that long at all, and by the looks about all our little Johnny cares about history.
Posted by bushbred, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:59:06 PM
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Good article.
If conflict is necessary to sell a story then it's clear why the War on Terror and the "War on Bad Weather" (i liked that one) are best sellers. Here we have the man vs. man and the man vs. nature plotlines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_(narrative)

It seems another needed element is the magnitude of threat to the protagonist and his survival or the goal he is trying to attain. The greater the chances of the "hero" losing to the threat, the more tension there is in the plot and the more gripping the story becomes.
So the threat of vast networks of terrorists plotting to undermine our "Western" ideals of freedom and democracy looms large as does the threat of our planet becoming uninhabitable by climate change.
Posted by Donnie, Monday, 5 March 2007 1:11:25 PM
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The author said: "In ten years time, when Arnold Schwarzenegger strides out on to the White House lawn,..."

My understanding is (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong) that a person must have been born in the United States if he/she wishes to become President.
Posted by Ev, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 9:13:09 AM
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Re: "Arnold Schwarzenegger"
My gosh Ev, you're right! In an article so concerned with the slavish devotion to truth and legality that underpins American politics it seems a stunning oversight. Is it possible the author was being deliberately flippant?
Posted by Aquaman, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 10:28:38 AM
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"Is it possible the author was being deliberately flippant?"

Dunno. Was he? If so, why?
Posted by Ev, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 3:49:19 PM
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Okay girls and boys time for a reality check.
Global Warming is a LIE!
Climate Change is a LIE!
The Earth is an open system It can't have a green house effect
because it doesn't have a glass roof!
Climate is ever changing and what is remarkable is
the relative stability of the weather over the last
150 years. the temperature hasn't varied more than 0.2 degrees.
So syop worrying and move on.
Posted by Mercy, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 3:38:51 PM
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oh Mercy stop pissing in the wind and being a patronising twat.. your opinion has no credibility
Posted by peachy, Sunday, 11 March 2007 11:20:35 AM
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