Why are some people such hard skeptics about some things?

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Why are some people such hard skeptics about things that seem to be happening before our very eyes? Like my parents, they are very hard skeptics, especially my dad, whenever I try to let him know what's on my mind, by his intimidating tone of voice, I read he reacts like a screaming loud-mouthed bigot half the time, even though he wouldn't say that he was. At least mom seems to try to be more subtle and calm.

I talk about everything with my parents, but it's hard to talk about my fears of superi-intelligence, robots taking every single job available, obesity epidemic, global warming, etc. because they are such strong skeptics, almost to the point of bigotry. It seems that they are stuck in their ways forever and I can't change their mind. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to "cure" me of these fears.

It's so hard, which is another reason why it sucks to live with them still.

it definitely sucks to feel misunderstood. I wish I had an answer to give you that would make your father calm down. Some people get way too angry.

The thing about fears is, they're possibilities. There are intelligent people on both sides of the AI doom/AI utopia debate, and people in the middle. We've got climate change happening, and there's debate about whether things will get better and what the people of this planet will do in years to come. Maybe there's someone out there, but I don't know anyone who knows all the answers. As individuals, we unfortunately don't have that much power to change policy either, although we can advocate. We can only do what we can do.

With the climate change skeptics, it seems they would rather denial because acceptance means there must be action, and change, and that action may inconvenience them or alter their way of life, when they prefer it how it is. That seems to be what it boils down to in most I have spoken to.
Other times hostility is out of a fear that you might be right. Maybe he's scared of super intelligent robot apocalypse too
But good luck trying to work out the real motivations for others' behaviour out!

Don't think of us skeptics as party-poopers.

Think of us instead as designated drivers.

Superior intelligence? Half of the people in the world are of below-average intelligence, and they make at least half of the decisions. They are the ones you should fear!

Robots taking over all of the jobs? Only the jobs that don't involve creativity.

Obesity epidemic? Eat less; exercise more; problem solved.

Global warming? Stop using carbon-based fuels, reduce the global population, or both.

Better yet, forget about these "global" issues that you can do little to nothing about. Focus instead on personal issues, and you'll find that your own little world eventually improves.

skeptics of what?
i'm skeptical that the obesity epidemic would be fixed if everyone actually did "eat less, exercise more". the big food corporations and their governmental allies want people to think it's all their own fault, yet still maintain a low enough level of easily accessible information so that people keep buying into their sickly sweet s**t. and the diseases which come from it (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.) are often co-morbid with obesity but not exclusive to it, because it's not just the amount of food but also the type of food. thinking about it makes me imagine people as maggots...ugh

tangent aside, skepticism is cool because it creates an inquiry. i'd argue that if your parents are skeptical of everything you say about the things you've mentioned above without having a proper discussion with you about them they're not being good skeptics.

Your Thread-Title would be more accurate if worded...

Feel free to show me what "random link-generator" I must be using to make them so apparently random. ;o
You are certainly free to believe that they are random even when they are specifically related to those threads...

Judging by your post history, however, random videos on YouTube are apparently exempt from this litany of unreliable sources . How convenient.

Fear?

Ask a different but related question and see where the thought trails take you:

Why are some people so completely gullible about some things?