Comments on: Empathy, science and natural disasters https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:51:21 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47272 podrock Mon, 11 Oct 2021 00:47:59 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47272 You'd be amazed at what they have to put up with. Go to one of the unmoderated YouTube chats and you'll see insanity of a spectacular level scrolling at an almost unreadable rate. It's wild. Religious tracts, doomsayers, fear merchants, post of nothing but 25 emojis posted every minute, over and over again. The chats Pebble moderates are tolerable. There are many geologists and other interested people that are teaching and learning and share what they know. They ask good questions and are curious. I've learned so much just reading them. They have a saying that goes something like "we all share, we all learn" You’d be amazed at what they have to put up with.

Go to one of the unmoderated YouTube chats and you’ll see insanity of a spectacular level scrolling at an almost unreadable rate. It’s wild. Religious tracts, doomsayers, fear merchants, post of nothing but 25 emojis posted every minute, over and over again.

The chats Pebble moderates are tolerable. There are many geologists and other interested people that are teaching and learning and share what they know. They ask good questions and are curious.

I’ve learned so much just reading them. They have a saying that goes something like “we all share, we all learn”

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47270 RL Mon, 11 Oct 2021 00:24:33 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47270 Sorry trolls gave you all a hard time. Sorry trolls gave you all a hard time.

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47269 podrock Sun, 10 Oct 2021 23:51:40 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47269 Pebble moderates a couple of chat rooms on You Tube that watch the Iceland and La Paloma volcanos. It's a tough job. Full of crazy. It was especially bad the other night. Pebble moderates a couple of chat rooms on You Tube that watch the Iceland and La Paloma volcanos. It’s a tough job. Full of crazy.

It was especially bad the other night.

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47268 RL Sun, 10 Oct 2021 23:32:01 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47268 Is this relating to the volcano discussions on another site? Is this relating to the volcano discussions on another site?

]]> By: Pebble https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47264 Pebble Sat, 09 Oct 2021 23:48:38 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47264 As you know I’m not American but I was in the US on 9/11. A week after the event I was out somewhere and all shops closed out of respect. I was shocked to see a handful of Americans complaining about this. Very different to the community reaction at two stabbing and shooting events at home. As you know I’m not American but I was in the US on 9/11. A week after the event I was out somewhere and all shops closed out of respect. I was shocked to see a handful of Americans complaining about this. Very different to the community reaction at two stabbing and shooting events at home.

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47263 podrock Sat, 09 Oct 2021 18:22:07 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47263 When the Boxing Day Tsunami happened, in the first hours of the news, people I spoke with were horrified that early reports of thousands were dead. I told them the number was likely ten or a hundred times greater. After a while, it just doesn't register in our brains. More people have died from Covid in the US than died that awful morning. Three times as many. And yet this county just wants to go shopping and party. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around this. Sure, no one has died on La Palma. And my geologic curiosity wants to observe. But it does make me very sad at the loss and the callousness. When the Boxing Day Tsunami happened, in the first hours of the news, people I spoke with were horrified that early reports of thousands were dead. I told them the number was likely ten or a hundred times greater.

After a while, it just doesn’t register in our brains. More people have died from Covid in the US than died that awful morning. Three times as many. And yet this county just wants to go shopping and party.

I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around this.

Sure, no one has died on La Palma. And my geologic curiosity wants to observe. But it does make me very sad at the loss and the callousness.

]]> By: Pebble https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47262 Pebble Sat, 09 Oct 2021 18:02:40 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47262 I am a person with empathy but quite a detached style of empathy so natural disasters are things I look it and think oh, that’s a shame, donate some money, do something more practical and move on. But so many people with this just seem to not care. I wonder if events have made them only able to have capacity for empathy for one issue only. I am a person with empathy but quite a detached style of empathy so natural disasters are things I look it and think oh, that’s a shame, donate some money, do something more practical and move on. But so many people with this just seem to not care. I wonder if events have made them only able to have capacity for empathy for one issue only.

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47261 podrock Sat, 09 Oct 2021 16:38:38 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47261 And yet, a few hours ago, on the Iceland volcano camera, a young man proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes. And yet, a few hours ago, on the Iceland volcano camera, a young man proposed to his girlfriend.

She said yes.

]]> By: Pebble https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47260 Pebble Sat, 09 Oct 2021 14:38:32 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47260 I am not an emotional person but last night on there had me in bits. I suspect your posts were much the same as comments I made privately. I am not an emotional person but last night on there had me in bits.
I suspect your posts were much the same as comments I made privately.

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2021/10/08/empathy-science-and-natural-disasters/#comment-47259 podrock Sat, 09 Oct 2021 13:09:58 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=89163#comment-47259 Humans can be awful. They can also be wonderfully kind. What was that line in the movie Contact about us having such beautiful dreams and such horrible nightmares? Humans can be awful.

They can also be wonderfully kind. What was that line in the movie Contact about us having such beautiful dreams and such horrible nightmares?

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