Appearing at a Christmas show in celebration of ‘atheism and science’, he obviously took the theme to heart and thereby misjudged his audience:
One blogger who was in the audience wrote that Ball had delivered a “ten minute rant descending to an incoherent ramble” in which he said that he doubted the small proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can cause global warming.That’ll show him! Where did he think he was, a collection of scientists and enquiring minds enjoying a poke at irrational beliefs, or something?
They added: “A cry of ‘shame’ from the audience broke the dam, the boos started and a perplexed and shaken-looking Ball was finally forced from the stage.”
Other audience members used Twitter to voice their surprise at Ball’s views.I bet he didn’t even wait for a cock to crow three times, either…
Helen Lippell wrote: “Oh my god just been listening to johnny ball blame global warming on farting spiders. Weirded out.”
Paul Sims, news editor of New Humanist magazine, tweeted: “Johnny Ball, childhood hero of many younger than me, just rolled out climate denial.”
And, in a supreme moment of irony for a man performing at an atheist show at Christmas, he uttered this profound and chastened apology:
"I shouldn't have turned it into a political rant and I won't be doing climate change again because I didn't go to be controversial or upset the show."Heh…
I should have titled this post ‘No Dissent Please, We’re Believers’…
A mighty, mighty man.
ReplyDeleteDuring my student days he was Rector at Glasgow University. He was our guest at a debating society dinner once and I made a lame crack about how many hours I had spent watching him as a kid.
He practically frogmarched me to the bar and insisted on buying me a pint: "I reckon it's the least I can do. But I hope just because you love the sound of your own voice, you won't become a bloody politician."
Always a dispenser of sound advice...
A mighty Rector, but the superiority of his climatological qualifications over those of his audience consists in what, precisely?
ReplyDeleteMr Grumpy,
ReplyDeleteIf he's wrong, what are they so afraid of?
Just been watching part of a TV documentary about Greenland being warm enough, 1000 years ago, to grow crops and keep cattle...
ReplyDelete"Always a dispenser of sound advice..."
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story!
"If he's wrong, what are they so afraid of?"
Indeed.
I was only talking about how he enthused me about numbers when I was a kid. He's just leaped even higher in my estimation. :-)
ReplyDeleteMr Grumpy, Jonny Ball does not claim to be a climatologist, he is a comedian and comedians often attack the mainstream views of their audience to be comical and allow them to laugh at themselves.
ReplyDeleteHis audience appear to be deficient in self deprecation.
Met Johnny Ball earlier this year at a Science Fair. Shook hands with the great man and reassured him that he was not alone in thinking that GW/CC is a scam.
ReplyDeleteFor fuck's sake. They boo Johnny Ball off a stage for daring to question the warble gloaming dogma and nobody seems to bat an eyelid when Prince bloody Charles starts waffling that we're about to lose control of the climate, as if we ever did in the first place. But oh no, Charles is up for saving the planet so like the Goracle and the various CRU researchers implicated in the 'Climategate' leak pure intentions excuse any amount of pure shite.
ReplyDeleteMisanthropy reaching critical levels, head pop imminent.
but the superiority of his climatological qualifications over those of his audience consists in what, precisely?
ReplyDeleteThe inferiority of his climatological qualifications isn't evident either.
But Jonny should have seen this coming (I guess that's why the nickname "Crystal" never stuck). If he whores himself out to a bunch of smug pub bores (Robin Ince FFS!) then he can expect to pick up fleas. As a veritable National Treasure they're not worthy to lick his leather-free boots.
(Always more of a Dinenage man myself anyway.)