Why the Oxford Union speech cut through | Konstantin Kisin

why do you think what you said had such an incredible impact because you did it quite sympathetically actually you were careful in the way that you assertively attract attacked a comment but you did it with some sensitivity I think that's why I think that's one of the reasons why I think another of the reasons why is that we live in a society in which adults are afraid of children and so when you see someone who's speaking to young people in on their turf at a college at a university and who's prepared to speak truth to them but to do it in a way that's got a bit of humor a bit of levity that tries to meet them where they're at and says look I know this is what you think here are some things you probably haven't thought about I think that's quite appealing to people because as I say we live in a society where we're fearful uh of telling young people what we think and what perhaps they need to hear so I think that's another of the reasons and the third reason is I tackle very directly uh the Doomsday narrative about climate change and Net Zero uh and I explained to people the reality of that issue and how that isn't isn't going to be addressed uh so the fact that no one has ever told these people in the UK who glue themselves to roads and throw soup on paintings and whatever that this country is responsible produces one percent of global emissions and is responsible for another one percent so two percent you know the idea of killing pensioners every winter with fuel poverty doesn't seem as appealing if you recognize that it has absolutely no impact on global warming whatsoever um so I think it's the combination of all of those three and you know hopefully uh if I say so myself someone trying to use logic we don't have a lot of that going on lately and I also think that as you said the sensitivity to other people and to you know trying to ex find a way to connect not to point point the finger and say you're stupid your work you're this you're that but to say look here are some things here's some rational arguments about where you may want to modify your thinking um I think that's why and actually one of the most gratifying things that has happened since is I've had a lot of contact with a lot of people who anyone watching this conversation would be shocked that I even prepared to speak to me um people reach out to me and go you know what I can see that you're trying to win people over let's talk uh from a lot of people who who who a lot of people sort of on our side if you like if there is such a thing would consider like the enemy I think that's the thing that I'm really really Keen to get past is we've got ourselves locked into you know they call it the culture war and once you start calling something a war it's very difficult to see the humanity of people on the other side um I always try and make this point I don't know about you maybe maybe this isn't true for you but I know that when I was 20 years old I was stupid and arrogant and thought I knew everything and I had the solutions to everything and I was well you only thought it I knew you knew right well and that's kind of how it is yeah right so we've got to remember that you know young people are like that and some of them are persuadable some of them not all of them of course but some of them are let's try and persuade them it does tell you something about the way in which we now educate raise and educate our young people that in a sense what you did was to put up an alternative moral proposition as well as I saw it you know you're really saying well if you pursue policies single-mindedly thinking the only thing challenged before us is climate change and we've got to turn ourselves inside out well what happens if that results in people in the rest of the world starving because it can uh that's a moral Dimension as well but it's also a practical one isn't it because they won't care about the environment that's one aspect of it so there's a there are alternative moral perspectives for young people who are idealistic and care about moral issues but then there's a very hard nose practical one if you really want to ensure that climate change policy is demolished break down the liberal Global Order and allow the autocrats what they want which is domination of global politics that's right and I think you know a bit about that from well I mean if the Russians in the now I don't say the Russian people and the Chinese people but they're everybody the people who run those countries if they have say well you're not going to advance arguments about climate change very effectively and that is at stake now because they are plainly seeing us as degenerate as lost as ineffective divided ill-disciplined and they're right we are all those things we should be aware that we are all those things and the reason that I've been speaking about this and the reason you speak about this is that that is the path that we're sliding down that slope and either we stop it uh all those things that people care about are going to go in in the Dustbin of History along with our civilization [Music] thank you

Channel: John Anderson Media

Views: 124,653

Keywords: John Anderson, John Anderson Conversation, Interview, John Anderson Interview, Policy debate, public policy, public debate, John Anderson Direct, Direct, Conversations

Id: G-35wlLsukE

Length: 5min 42sec (342 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 08 2023