The Data: Climate change

Here are the most relevant, believable and sourced facts that argue that climate change is, indeed, an incoming asteroid. Please link your fact to its source.

The Data: Entitlement spending

Here are the most relevant, believable and sourced facts that argue that entitlement spending is, indeed, an incoming asteroid. Please link your fact to its source.

The Data: Family breakdown

Here are the most relevant, believable and sourced facts that argue that the decreasing number of Americans living in stable families is, indeed, an incoming asteroid. Please link your fact to its source.

The Data: Rising inequality

Here are the most relevant, believable and sourced facts that argue that rising inequality is, indeed, an incoming asteroid. Please link your fact to its source.

Reading: Entitlement Spending

Help us add to our library by using the comment thread to suggest quality reading on entitlement spending. Keep in mind that you are looking for sources that people who don’t believe entitlement spending is a future risk might find convincing in moving them toward seeing the asteroid. Be sure to also assess the credibility of your source through the lens of someone less likely to agree with you (to convince a liberal, you might want to avoid citing Ann Coulter or Fox News). Emotional and intuitive arguments can be very effective, but evaluate them critically first – anything that demonizes or belittles those who resist the notion that entitlement spending has to be reformed will only serve to cement their resistance.

Reading: Climate change

Here’s some of the best reading you’ll find on climate change. Help us add to our library by using the comment thread to suggest additional quality reading. Keep in mind that you are looking for sources that people skeptical of climate change might find convincing in moving them toward seeing the asteroid. Be sure to also assess the credibility of your source through the lens of someone less likely to agree with you (to convince a conservative, you might want to avoid citing Michael Moore or The Nation). Emotional and intuitive arguments can be very effective, but evaluate them critically first – anything that demonizes or belittles those who don’t believe in manmade climate change will only serve to cement their inability to ever do so.

Reading: Rising inequality

Help us add to our library by using the comment thread to suggest quality reading on rising inequality. Keep in mind that you are looking for sources that people who don’t believe entitlement spending is a future risk might find convincing in moving them toward seeing the asteroid. Be sure to also assess the credibility of your source through the lens of someone less likely to agree with you (to convince a conservative, you might want to avoid citing Mother Jones or MSNBC). Emotional and intuitive arguments can be very effective, but evaluate them critically first – anything that demonizes or belittles those who resist the notion that rising economic inequality has to be addressed will only serve to cement their resistance.

Reading: Family breakdown

Help us add to our library by using the comment thread to suggest quality reading on dissolution of the family. Keep in mind that you are looking for sources that people who don’t believe entitlement spending is a future risk might find convincing in moving them toward seeing the asteroid. Be sure to also assess the credibility of your source through the lens of someone less likely to agree with you (to convince a liberal, you might want to avoid citing Ann Coulter or Fox News). Emotional and intuitive arguments can be very effective, but evaluate them critically first – anything that demonizes or belittles those who don’t think the nuclear family is at risk will only serve to cement their resistance.

Multimedia: Climate change

climate change FLGot convincing video, pictures, or audio? Share it with us in the comment thread.

(Source: Image by Bounford.com and UNEP/GRID-Arendal. See data in Weiss, Overpeck & Strauss (2011) )

The Telescope: Family breakdown

“The telescope” is an exercise that allows a closer look at the asteroid. What questions are skeptics asking? Far from being annoyances, their concerns can serve to help us see the asteroid in more depth, dimension and accuracy. Remember that at the same time that people on your side of the aisle are more likely to see your asteroid, they’re also more likely to be blind to some of the critical details about it (read about morality binding us together and blinding us here). If you’re in the business of deflecting asteroids, an unflinching steely-eyed understanding of the asteroid is critical to getting the job done. In contrast, self-delusion very often ends badly.