'Might as Well Enjoy the Music Until the Boat Sinks'

The news that a group of scientists think the earth may have reached a "tipping point" beyond which the climate becomes inhospitable to human life and there's nothing we can do to stop it, is pretty scary stuff, unless you have the right attitude.

The news that a group of scientists think the earth may have reached a "tipping point" beyond which the climate becomes inhospitable to human life and there's nothing we can do to stop it, is pretty scary stuff, unless you have the right attitude. One of our commenters made a valiant effort to put a positive spin on that worst of all possible news, which Alex Abad-Santos wrote about Thursday, but his heart wasn't in it. Lawrence DeLeurere wrote:

One could look at this as terrifying news, but you can also look at this as great news. If we can't do anything about it, might as well enjoy the music as the boat sinks. No more caring about pollution or carbon emissions or sustainability or locally grown food or anything else. It's too late to bother. It's like going to a baseball game in September after both teams have been eliminated from the playoffs. You just get to relax and enjoy the game, no pressure. The managers put in random guys who couldn't sniff the order any other time of year, the dugout is jovial, they're swinging for the fences instead of overthinking everything. You can just relax and let whatever comes your way come your way. :)

A follow-up comment from Maine01 took a different approach: "Wow. I mean no offense, but I'm really, really glad not to know you. Because your attitude... got us here to begin with. And it's really unattractive." To which DeLeurere replied: "The smiley face was meant to convey facetiousness. We need a facetious font."

Yes, difficulty in expressing sarcasm has long been a bane of the Internet -- and the printed word in general, for that matter -- but the real value in DeLeurere's original stance is that if it turns out to be true we're all doomed, that point of view may be the only one that will keep us sane.