The entertaining saga of the Akademik Shokalskiy, frozen solid in Antarctic ice for more than a week, has been good for more than just a few hearty guffaws; it’s actually a textbook example of Applied Progressivism. A misguided mission from beginning to end, the story was then misreported by the mainstream media who – firmly stuck in their own Leftist agenda – refused to discuss the truth.
 

The Akademik Shokalskiy episode serves to illustrate the selfishly-hypocritical nature of progressive thought ~
 

Saving the planet from evil humanity

Liberals, leftists, socialists, progressives… however they choose to self-identify these days, all have one primary goal: reforming human nature to achieve an earthly utopia. The environmental offshoot of this movement is currently pushing their (increasingly implausible) theory of man-caused climate change. And the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, led by one Chris Turney (professor of climate change at Australia’s University of New South Wales), embarked on their ill-fated journey to give credence to that half-baked hypothesis.

 
Fox News was one of the few mainstream sources to report the truth ~

The leader of a scientific expedition whose ship remains stranded in Antarctic ice says the team, which set out to prove climate change, is “stuck in our own experiment” […]

“Sea ice is disappearing due to climate change, but here ice is building up,” the Australasian Antarctic Expedition said in a statement. 😯

In other words; the facts contradict our reality therefore the facts must be wrong even though we’re frozen in reality. Or something like that.
 
When your goal is utopia, facts are irrelevant.
 
 

Fueled by self-interest

 
Used to be, back in the day, that scientists were objective, intent on actually discovering, rather than being personally invested in a particular theory or hypothesis. Unfortunately that’s not the case with so many of these climate change professors.
 
Turns out our Prof. Turney happens to have ~

… set up a carbon refining company called Carbonscape which has developed technology to fix carbon from the atmosphere and make a host of green bi-products, helping reduce greenhouse gas levels.

Oh – you mean he’s got a vested interest in proving the existence of man-made global warming? Well, well… How AlGore-like of him.
 
That old adage “follow the money” can be applied to almost all progressive projects.
 

Pushing the propaganda

 
For the most part the media glommed on to the Akademik Shokalskiy story for its prime-time drama factor, but steered well-clear of any real invesigative reporting ~ MSM Glosses Over Irony of Global Warming Scientists Trapped in Antarctic Ice.
 
If you only watched the network news, chances are you never learned the original purpose of the expedition. Nor did you hear about Turney’s personal stake in its success. And what about the cost – in real tax-payer dollars?

… the passengers were helicoptered out 12 at a time by a Chinese aircraft which presumably wasn’t relying on green energy from Carbonscape or any other source on which we and other governments around the world have blown billions, if not trillions, of dollars.
~ Clarice Feldman @ the American Thinker

As I mentioned in the introduction, this amusing tale of the frozen research ship is not without its instructional value. What have we learned?
 
Progressives seek to recreate Eden by reforming human nature, hopefully lining their own pockets in the process. They plan to build an elite ruling class on the backs of the bourgeois (most of whom will be eliminated or forced into serfdom).
 
Were they to be perfectly candid about their ambitions, most average Americans would vehemently oppose progressives, so they’re forced to resort to deception. And they’ve enlisted the mainstream media to obfuscate for them (our new Pravda).
 
Ultimately, progressivism is doomed to failure because it embraces such an unrealistic view of the world, how it works and the true nature of its inhabitants.
For the future of the planet – and its inhabitants – pray that it fails soon, without inflicting much more damage.

 
Here’s a humorous postscript to our modern-day fable, from the New Zealand Herald: Forest needed to cover carbon footprint of icy rescue ~

The expedition had pledged to plant about 800 kauri trees in Northland to cover its carbon footprint. Environmentalists believe planting trees helps to offset the impact of burning fuels such as diesel.
 
But former Act Party leader and Herald on Sunday columnist Mr Hide said that would have to increase to about 5000 trees to make up for the fossil fuels burned in the rescue.

 
Related:

On why it would be quite wrong to laugh about Prof Chris Turkey and his Antarctic Ship of Fools ~

“Climate change” is the greatest threat mankind has faced in the history of the universe because all the nice, caring people say it is and because even if it isn’t technically a major, proven or unprecedented threat well it kind of feels like it ought to be and therefore we shouldn’t look too carefully at the actual evidence.
~ James Delingpole