I applaud the willingness of this newspaper to keep us informed about the peril of global warming (“April was 12th month in a row with record heat,” Page A1, May 19), though, sadly, I suspect that most Mainers will ignore the implications of this and other such reports.

I am reminded of FDR’s statement that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I used to think it a political catchphrase coined by a clever speechwriter. But I’ve come to appreciate it as something much more profound. It speaks to why so many people and politicians deny the reality of human-induced global warming: The consequences are too fearful to contemplate.

This is not an isolated phenomenon. Our fear of terrorism leads us to cut off immigration, deny asylum, build walls and adopt an “America first” mentality. Our fear of violence leads us to stock up on weapons and pass “right to carry” legislation.

Our fear of big government causes us to strangle it by lowering taxes, thus limiting its effectiveness in serving the common good. Our fear of compromise justifies vilifying the opposition. Our fear of extending civil rights to those who look, act or speak differently prompts all manner of “protective” efforts.

It seems to me that ignorance is the basis for these fears – an ignorance that goes hand in glove with an anti-intellectualism that is sweeping the country. We see signs of it in the crass language of the media, the video games played by children and adults, the distortion of facts on the Internet and the unsubstantiated statements and promises of politicians.

In this election year, with so much at stake, it is more important than ever that reason, fact checking and civil discourse triumph over fear and its ally, simplistic thinking.

Joe Hardy

Wells

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