Ok, I can get sort of disagreeing the wildfires are from climate change - that’s a couple of logical steps you have to make. But “It’s not causing anyone to cough” is plainly ludicrous. It was making me cough when I went outside.
“It doesn’t smell bad”? Maybe they have COVID and lost their sense of smell altogether? It certainly smelled bad to me. And if you thought it smelled great - wow. I just don’t ever want to be around you if you like those sorts of smells. I can’t see it actually working with anyone who’s ever been in wildfire smoke before - like you don’t need science or education or anything to notice if it makes you cough, or tell something doesn’t smell great.
I think there is a lot of pride to be conservative coming into play here. Hard to explain, but I sometimes see this in my family. They proudly present their ignorance to show off their conservativism, hold it in front of them like a banner. When I inquire a bit deeper their views are often a bit more reasonable, it just feels like average boomers wanting to be cool by flaunting their ignorance, as weird as this sounds.
Yeah it feels like most right wing people are more progressive than they think.
I’m not from the U.S. but everytime I talk with a conservative we agree on a lot of things once they stop talking with slogans
That’s my experience too. Often when I talk to people they have pretty moderate or left-leaning views that would fit well in any of our more left-leaning parties. However the majority of them still votes for our biggest conservative party, which openly promises and does the opposite of what they claim they would want in a conversation. Frustrating.
Yes, there are likely lots of people like me who remember having smudge fires to keep the bugs down when working outside in the country or how a campsite smells.
But, living in Alberta, with the air quality rapidly going to hell, the notion that breathing this stuff in day after day even if only when outside is somehow not harmful is ridiculous.
I often find with really nuts conservative ideas there’s this kernel of truth that they are based on. The conservative focuses on that, the progressive focuses on the crazy parts. I am not excusing this. The lack of critical or deep thinking is a serious problem. All I’m trying to say is if you meet them in reality you might be able to find some common ground and maybe help them see another point of view or learn a little yourself about their perspective. Doesn’t quite work that way dealing with online trolls but occasional can in person.