[MD]

I've seen a distinct shift in the amount of denial I hear in response to my PO sermons; just recently.

Please explain:

[DrBang]

Perhaps they are now put in a position to consider peak oil as a possibility.

This is scary for them. As a consequence they have to leave their "just don't think about it..." position. From there it is easier to trash the idea aggressively rather than think it through.

I have also found the same thing. Friends of mine who turn out to be most conservative find these ideas (and especially ideas about the actions of the US government) downright offensive. They then prefer to attack me after a piss poor defense (they generally fall back on CERA and Popular Mechanics saying that these organisations are the best in the world and would not lie!).

We had these discussions when oil was at $US 80 a barrel. It was claimed that $80 was an anomaly and will now retreat back down to $65 (these guys are economists BTW).

I sit back and wait. Once reality demonstrates the concept (as it is doing), they can observe for themselves. At which point we can return to the debate.

Dr Bang

[Shadizar]

If my own experiences are any indication, I imagine MD had very different responses.

Gas prices have gone up consistently for long enough for people to reach for explanations that the major media outlets can no longer offer them.

I think the basic change is that people have lost confidence. That is, they've lost confidence in the media and the government to explain to them what is going on. Both institutions have been painting rosy pictures for longer than the average person can withstand (in the face of reality).

At this point they know they have been (at best) misinformed. So, they are looking for alternative explanations. Peak oil therefor now seems less an outlandish idea.

-Shadizar