I'm trying to concentrate on my #work, but I keep getting pulled away by #doomscrolling. There's even more doom to scroll these days than usual, it seems.

Much of what I'm scrolling is discussions in #science-focused spaces, started and (somewhat) moderated by people who want thoughtful and informed discussion. Often they stay that way for quite a while. But the loons always find them, and descend in hordes. Like locusts without the charisma.

#Antivax is the most common, but #creationism and #climate change denial always put in a good showing. More recent crankeries like the explosion of flat-Earthers: please don't try to tell me they're all "just trolling." Others too numerous to list.

There are the hardcore #ideologues who don't try to mask it, and the "just asking questions" crowd who are just as much true believers, minus the honesty. And another circle beyond that, people who genuinely don't know enough to know what questions to ask. Some of them might still be reachable—

—if you have the time and patience. Which I no longer do.

I did, you know, for much of my life. I'd give clear explanations, "as simple as possible but no simpler," and I've been told I was pretty good at it. Hell, I *enjoyed* doing it, and maybe still would. Answer questions. Smooth out sticking points. Engage with anyone, any time, anywhere.

I just can't anymore. And I hate that.

More and more of the people who look like they might want to learn, who can at least be given what they need to know to *start* asking the right questions, are really clever ideologues. Or they're just happy in their #ignorance. It's a trap either way.

Like I've said before: nearly everyone is ignorant about nearly everything. The sum of human #knowledge is too vast for anyone to learn more than a sliver of it in a lifetime. This is nobody's fault.

Science is fractally complicated. Each field is complicated, and each subfield is equally complicated, and each sub-sub-field ... you get the idea. No matter how much you know, you still have just as much to learn as you did at the start.

Maybe everything worth knowing is like this. Again, nobody is to blame.

But it is your fault, very much so, if you don't know anything about the subject at hand—and insist on spouting off anyway. If you react to those who know more with anger or mockery or baffled rage. If your deliberate, willful ignorance gets you and people around you killed.

So you know what? It's not my fault if I can no longer make myself care.

I'll keep on answering questions, and asking them too—and *listening* to both the questions and the answers. That's in my blood. I know there are many, many people in the world who do want to know more than they do now, and if you're still reading this, there's a fair chance you're one of them.

Everyone else can go to hell. That's where they're headed anyway, a hell they make for themselves, and the only remaining reason to try to get through is that they'll drag the rest of us with them. When that effort fails, as at the moment it manifestly is ...

Back to work. That may still be one place I can do *something*.