A perfect example of cognitive dissonance

AProudLefty

AProudLefty

Black Kitty Ain't Happy
Thanks to goat for posting this powerful scene.


It is going to be harsh on MAGA Republicans once they realize that none of their people care about them.
 
That movie piece is bullshit for the most part

Hexavalent chromium is only a problem if it is present in sufficient quantity to be a problem. The issue and where Brockovich (a ill-informed liar... err, lawyer) gets it wrong is she (in real life) sees pollution issues as an absolute, binary thing. That is, if any amount of pollution is present, it's evil and bad.

The result is that she (again in RL) will sue--and has made a career out of this--entities over tiny, irrelevant, and often non-verifiable amounts of pollution to get a settlement for cherry picked clients. For all intents, Erin Brockovich is an ambulance chasing POS lawyer that is gaming the system. She know SHIT about the science and environmentalism of the topics she sues on, relying instead on mostly getting those sued to settle without a trial.

If her targets were to go to trial and fight on the basis of science, Brockovich would likely have lost virtually every case she's brought. She is hardly the only lawyer or law firm that's made a career out of this bullshit either. She's just more of a celebrity.
 
T. A. Gardner said:
That movie piece is bullshit for the most part

Hexavalent chromium is only a problem if it is present in sufficient quantity to be a problem. The issue and where Brockovich (a ill-informed liar... err, lawyer) gets it wrong is she (in real life) sees pollution issues as an absolute, binary thing. That is, if any amount of pollution is present, it's evil and bad.

The result is that she (again in RL) will sue--and has made a career out of this--entities over tiny, irrelevant, and often non-verifiable amounts of pollution to get a settlement for cherry picked clients. For all intents, Erin Brockovich is an ambulance chasing POS lawyer that is gaming the system. She know SHIT about the science and environmentalism of the topics she sues on, relying instead on mostly getting those sued to settle without a trial.

If her targets were to go to trial and fight on the basis of science, Brockovich would likely have lost virtually every case she's brought.
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And yet the victims get millions of dollars. :dunno:
 
AProudLefty said:
And yet the victims get millions of dollars. :dunno:
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Because companies settle because it's cheaper and they can write the loss off. It's all about accounting. They settle, sign an agreement that they can't be sued again over the issue, and write off the loss on taxes. Companies that are willing to fight this bullshit usually demolish people like Brockovich even as it costs them more up front to do it.
 
T. A. Gardner said:
Because companies settle because it's cheaper and they can write the loss off. It's all about accounting. They settle, sign an agreement that they can't be sued again over the issue, and write off the loss on taxes. Companies that are willing to fight this bullshit usually demolish people like Brockovich even as it costs them more up front to do it.
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So it was a win for everyone. The Goliath and David scenario.
 
AProudLefty said:
So it was a win for everyone. The Goliath and David scenario.
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No, it's bad for everyone but the liars... err, lawyers involved. The plantiff(s) get a pittance--particularly in class action lawsuits. The defendant pays a pittance compared to their overall wealth and can't be found libel further, writing off the loss for what amounts to a zero sum end result. And nothing really gets resolved.

In most cases, the supposed environmental threat / issue was utter and complete bullshit to begin with. With hexavalent chromium it is rarely found, if ever, in amounts above a few parts per billion in drinking water.

chromium6Map.jpg


That is, there's next to nothing of it in drinking water. For it to really be dangerous you need 100 to 1000 times what's being found. The same applies for arsenic. You'll die from something else or natural causes before hexavalent chromium will do you in.

For a comparison you can understand... 1 ppb (part per billion) is about 1/3rd of a person in the US (~330 million). That is, 3 ppb = one person in the entire US. What's your chance of running into that one person in your lifetime? That's a rough analogy to what's being discussed here.
 
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T. A. Gardner said:
No, it's bad for everyone but the liars... err, lawyers involved. The plantiff(s) get a pittance--particularly in class action lawsuits. The defendant pays a pittance compared to their overall wealth and can't be found libel further, writing off the loss for what amounts to a zero sum end result. And nothing really gets resolved.

In most cases, the supposed environmental threat / issue was utter and complete bullshit to begin with. With hexavalent chromium it is rarely found, if ever, in amounts above a few parts per billion in drinking water.

chromium6Map.jpg


That is, there's next to nothing of it in drinking water. For it to really be dangerous you need 100 to 1000 times what's being found. The same applies for arsenic. You'll die from something else or natural causes before hexavalent chromium will do you in.
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Is that the same argument you'd use for Flint?
 
T. A. Gardner said:
Because companies settle because it's cheaper and they can write the loss off. It's all about accounting. They settle, sign an agreement that they can't be sued again over the issue, and write off the loss on taxes. Companies that are willing to fight this bullshit usually demolish people like Brockovich even as it costs them more up front to do it.
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plus often that shit is poison.
 
AProudLefty said:
Thanks to goat for posting this powerful scene.

It is going to be harsh on MAGA Republicans once they realize that none of their people care about them.
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Everyone knows that poisoned, bad water only happens in liberal places like Flint and only affects poor, non-whites. :rolleyes:
 
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