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Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

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Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#11

Post by throwanem »

arnvald wrote: post #5

Half-jokingly: let's give them some scary sounding, hellish names. Hurricane Benedict sounds like a friendly neighbour. Heatwave Astaroth - that's some serious stuff right here.

That's practically slander. Honestly, I don't think Christians even deserve to complain about climate disasters, not with all the effort they put into worshiping an incredibly priggish and unbelievably prudish deity for which weather-powered slaughterfests have always been such a go-to. And I mean say what you like about Ishtar, at least she gets that people are gonna fuck.

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#12

Post by whymauri »

I'm from Florida, and I think this is a good idea. Giving our hurricanes names helps cement them in the collective conscious of the region, and it definitely helps with awareness during early schooling.

I don't think having names for hurricanes ever desensitized me to them. The main driver for desensitization is time. It's either been so long since the last catastrophic hurricane that you're underestimating how bad they can get, or you've seen so many Cat <=3 hurricanes that you literally don't consider them a threat (a classic mistake, since they can gain strength so quickly).

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#13

Post by Cthulhu_ »

leetrout wrote: post #3

I am not a fan. We’re heading to naming all the major weather which happens often and is just going to desensitize people. The NOAA already doesn’t recognize winter storm names and I would expect them to use the same rationale for not naming heat waves, cold waves or any other extreme weather events that don’t bring destruction. (Not arguing against the danger of heatwaves).

That's exactly it, it's the "boy crying wolf" issue and everyone will just shrug. I found them starting to give "regular" storms already overly dramatic, or that they have started to hand out "yellow", "orange" weather alerts. Those are just not actionable for me as an average regular citizen. Mind you they probably mean that measures are being put in place for others though.

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#14

Post by Jiocus »

Has there been any research into general population behaviour when faced with unnamed vs named events?

My first thought is that anthropomorphizing dangerous weather phenomena to neutral-sounding beings could downplay their dreadful potential.

People seem rational enough to dehumanize mostly anything (or anyone) else they perceive as a threat. In fiction, writers use sinister names of characters, as a warning to the reader to prepare for the protagonists inevitable trial later on.

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#15

Post by LanceH »

The evidence of climate change isn't about some place being warm. That would make some place being cool counter-evidence.

I've already seen this play out with multiple years of seeing one side screech, "look how hot it is" and the other, "this winter is cold."

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#16

Post by krapp »

How about not naming weather events at all?

We shouldn't have to anthropomorphize something before people consider it a threat, like telling children to go to bed or the boogeyman will get them. Asian countries tend to assign typhoons a sequential id but they're still somehow cognizant of the danger.

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#17

Post by Waterfall »

Jiocus wrote: post #14

Has there been any research into general population behaviour when faced with unnamed vs named events? My first thought is that anthropomorphizing dangerous weather phenomena to neutral-sounding beings could downplay their dreadful potential. People seem rational enough to dehumanize mostly anything (or anyone) else they perceive as a threat. In fiction, writers use sinister names of characters, as a warning to the r…

They sure do! (Only if the names are female.)

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#18

Post by tosser0001 »

leetrout wrote: post #3

I am not a fan. We’re heading to naming all the major weather which happens often and is just going to desensitize people. The NOAA already doesn’t recognize winter storm names and I would expect them to use the same rationale for not naming heat waves, cold waves or any other extreme weather events that don’t bring destruction. (Not arguing against the danger of heatwaves).

I think they're a bit to aggressive in naming tropical storms as it is.

Currently any tropical storm that reaches 39mph/63kph gets a name, which to me is pretty low threshold. Maybe if every two-bit storm didn't get a name people would pay a bit more attention.

Re: Advocates want to name heatwaves like hurricanes to raise awareness of dangers

#19

Post by Waterfall »

throwanem wrote: post #11
arnvald wrote: post #5

Half-jokingly: let's give them some scary sounding, hellish names. Hurricane Benedict sounds like a friendly neighbour. Heatwave Astaroth - that's some serious stuff right here.

That's practically slander. Honestly, I don't think Christians even deserve to complain about climate disasters, not with all the effort they put into worshiping an incredibly priggish and unbelievably prudish deity for which weather-powered slaughterfests have always been such a go-to. And I mean say what you like about Ishtar, at least she gets that people are gonna fuck.

Are you suggesting that in Christianity they don't have sex? Sex is important in all religions, or their populations would die.
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