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Environmental anguish getting you down? Bill Nye and Arnold Schwarzenegger have some advice.

'Deniers, quit denying — and we can all get to work and change the world.'

True
The Wilderness Society

Bill Nye is a very sad Science Guy.

Our climate is changing, and the planet is in danger. The science that lends Bill Nye his nickname — the thing he's dedicated his life to — is the only thing that can save us.

Unfortunately, there's a small but incredibly vocal minority who refuse to yield to facts — and whose stubborn resistance has already done massive damage to the planet we call home.


What's a bow-tied educational entertainer to do?


Sad Bill Nye is sad. All GIFs via " National Geographic."

Easy: enlist the aid of Dr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, world-renowned psychologist.

Wait what?!

That's the delightful setup for a recent episode of National Geographic's "Explorer."

If you don't have 45 minutes to watch the whole thing, below are the highlights of how Arnold guides the Science Guy through those famous "five stages of grieving" for our man-made planetary disaster. (But don't worry — there's a happy ending, just like the real fifth stage!)

1. Denial

Ignorance is bliss, so Nye travels to Florida on a quest to learn from the most masterful of those who reject mainstream climate science. How are they able to live such happy lives, blind to the painful, glaring reality of the disastrous future on the near horizon?

Nye speaks with Florida state Rep. Mike Hill, who basically sticks his fingers in his ears and says, "LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" when Nye presents him with evidence of global warming. Also, did you know that government employees in the state of Florida aren't even allowed to say the words "climate change?"

2. Anger

In Alberta, Canada, big oil companies are physically forcing themselves onto protected land and drilling for tar sands — which are both environmentally hazardous and economically impractical.

Nye joins the frontlines of the fight alongside the activists and protesters who are screaming for a change. Because, hey, if someone came in and permanently ruined your home and then turned around and tried to charge you for it, you'd be pretty pissed, right?

Spoiler alert: Yup, they're pissed. But a few small grassroots efforts can't stand up to the combined might of Big Oil all by themselves.

3. Bargaining

There has to be a middle ground, right? A truce or a sacrifice we can make to appease the carbon-producing corporations and also save the planet at the same time ... right?

Not so much. As the Science Guy finds, every time we try to find a compromise, carbon emissions still come out on top. Unless we make a unilateral change across the board and bring an abrupt end to fossil fuels, we're only delaying the inevitable.

4. Depression

When we're depressed, we sometimes feel like we're drowning, waves of misery crashing all around us until the pressure is too much to fight and we just stop swimming.

For the people who are already dealing with the effects of the changing climate, that's not a metaphor.

In this section, the Science Guy visits South Pacific islands and American coastal towns to see how the rising water levels and chaotic patterns are ravaging the homes of real people. The truth is ... not so pretty.

5. Acceptance

After a heartbreaking conversation with ecologist Guy McPherson, the Science Guy becomes the Whiskey Guy. With so many barriers in the way of a solution, he has no choice but to turn to his old friend Jack Daniels for solace.

But wait! If we truly accept these three important facts, things will actually look up:

  1. Climate change is real.
  2. It's happening now, and it's getting exponentially worse.
  3. And there's a still chance to make it better.

And that science that Bill Nye has dedicated his life to? That's what's going to help us.

"There's enough energy in most places — wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal — to run the whole world. What we need is to DO IT. We need to get started," the Science Guy said.

That's great news! Let's start listening to it!

You can make a difference right now! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sign this petition to stop risky off-shore oil drilling in Australia — and help shield our planet from catastrophic climate change.

After you're done with that, you can watch the full episode of National Geographic's "Explorer" online — it's well worth* your 45 minutes!

*And not just for Arnold's corny puns.

The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

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"I would rather stay here and starve — and die, if it come to that — than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters."

A photo of Jordan Anderson.

In 1825, at the approximate age of 8, Jordan Anderson (sometimes spelled "Jordon") was sold into slavery and would live as a servant of the Anderson family for 39 years. In 1864, the Union Army camped out on the Anderson plantation and he and his wife, Amanda, were liberated. The couple eventually made it safely to Dayton, Ohio, where, in July 1865, Jordan received a letter from his former owner, Colonel P.H. Anderson. The letter kindly asked Jordan to return to work on the plantation because it had fallen into disarray during the war.

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Dayton, Ohio,
August 7, 1865
To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

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