Members of the listserv of the ecological society of America (ECOLO-L), 1) misinformation jockeys regularly fill the media with politically charged perspectives specifically targeting environmental agendas.
2) most of us depend on organizations like ESA to voice the collective opinion of ecologists to the public. 3) Normally this single united message would be stronger for the public than having 10,000 different messages coming out. 4) however, currently we have so many misinformation organizations and outlets flooding the web and media, that the qualified opinions are flooded by the bizarre, inaccurate, inept and even dishonest. 5) Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated the value of twitter to directly message piles of people. Unbeknownst to him and many is that twitter and facebook are actually becoming how the "old folks (us)" do it. Snapchat and other platforms are much more popular with younger people. 6) I suggest that each of us, independently as members of the scientific community from student to manager to scientist) post regularly about the environmental problems we are facing. I am not talking about name-calling or other similar attacks. When a public figure states something that is just plain wrong, everyone responds so the public sees those responses. 7) on Twitter, this is called twitter bombing. When a person posts something and thousands reply it can even shut down that organizations twitter or facebook page. Similar things can happen on snapchat, etc. 8) Times have changed and I believe that if we want a message to be heard and believed by the masses, it is critical that they hear masses of messages. Just like likes on facebook and follows on twitter, and cites on papers, our current society focuses on quantity (often over quality). Flooding the web with comments from individual scientists and other concerned parties enmass may be incredibly more effective to steering public opinion. 9) The key is that the participants must be organized, directed and focused on consistently piling on. Everyone has to be on the same page. We know this kind of thing works. In the 1960s protests of all sort lead to massive change. Today, protests via social media that encompass massive numbers of people twitter bombing and spreading the correct information should have a similar effect on public opinion. 10) if the mass of experts and students do not start speaking up, there are many very important aspects of life and the environment that could be lost. Thank you for reading my post, I truly hope it influences people to do the right thing and take action on important issues regarding the environment. -- Malcolm L. McCallum Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Langston University Langston, Oklahoma Link to online CV and portfolio : https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO Google Scholar citation page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYAAAAJ&hl=en Academia.edu: https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab> Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874 *Confidentiality Notice:* This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. “*Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans.* ” *-President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 into law.* "*Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive*" -* Allan Nation* *1880's: *"*There's lots of good fish in the sea*" W.S. Gilbert *1990's:* Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction *MAY* help restore populations. 2022: "Soylent Green is People!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn 2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth. The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) Wealth w/o work Pleasure w/o conscience Knowledge w/o character Commerce w/o morality Science w/o humanity Worship w/o sacrifice Politics w/o principle
