NEW VIDEO – The Psychology of Green: The Death Cult of Zero Worship
July 15, 2008 by Paul McKeever
On July 9, 2008, I was the guest of “Just Right” with Robert Metz on radio CHRW (FM 96.8, London, Ontario, Canada). The topic of the one-hour program was “The Psychology of Green”.
Over the course of the program, I contrasted rational individuals of high self-esteem with irrational individuals of low-self esteem. Many incompetent individuals, with low self-esteem, implicitly or explicitly adopt a belief about the nature of happiness which is very different from the belief held by competent, high self-esteem individuals. Happiness, to the incompetent, is merely zero sadness; numbness; zero emotion. In contrast, to the competent, happiness is an above-zero emotion, resulting from the achievement of rational values.
I proceed to discuss how the incompetent adopt philosophical beliefs which are designed not to help them identify and act in accordance with the facts of reality, but that serve the purpose of convincing themselves or others that it is not possible to identify and act in accordance with the facts of reality. Such beliefs are intended to have the effect of providing self-esteem without that which makes it possible: achievement. However, in practice, such a self-deceptive philosophy is destructive of the self and of others. It amounts, in the end, to a death cult of zero-worship, which regards those who achieve values as the wasteful and the evil, and which regards sacrifice – by oneself, but especially by rational, productive, achievers – as that which must be achieved by any means necessary.
The one hour program was video-taped. I’ve edited-in some visual content which provides some useful evidence and context. The result is broken into a two-part video (you can watch each part below). Enjoy.
The Psychology of Green (Part 1)
The Psychology of Green (Part 2)
The Western Standard has a story about this vid: http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2008/07/global-warming.html
“The Death Cult of Zero Worship.”
Brilliant. I’ll be sure not to forget that one. Maybe you should send it to Greenpeace as a suggestion for a new name?
I kind of wonder if there might be an evolutionary advantage to being “anti-capitalist” for some. (assuming that evolution affects our psychology). If you lived in a small hunter group, and everyone was able to kill a deer once a week, but you could only kill a deer once a month, you might be a “drag” on the tribe. When tough times come, you are more likely not to have food dished out to you because you contribute less to the tribe. You could even be banished, which would be almost certain death. You would have to find a way to increase your value to the tribe. One ( of many ) survival technique might be to denounce the more capable members. How dare they kill one deer a week and offend the deer god! When limits are placed that a man could only kill one deer a month , when bad times come, you will get just as much food as everyone else. Everyone might end up with less food overall, but at least you have your scrap and can stay with the tribe.