Carnies, Climate, and the Fight for Reality
We Are In A Narrative War
We are not just living through political turmoil or economic shifts — we are living through an outright narrative war.
The stories we tell, and the ones we allow to dominate, are building or destroying the future in real time.
While manipulative storytellers often use these tools for selfish or harmful ends, many of the same tactics of emotional engagement can — and must — be used for truth, justice, and sustainability.
The Power of Narrative: Reality is Built by Emotion, Not Logic
Humans are emotional creatures first. We believe what resonates emotionally and justify it with logic afterward. The Atlantic writer James Parker recently described what he sees as a fundamental cultural split between “carnies” (as in, carnival workers) and… everyone else: those who are still expecting truth to win by merit alone.
"Carnies... understand instinctively—animalistically, sometimes—that life is theater, that people will believe what they want to, and that all the most essential things happen in the imagination..." -James Parker, The Atlantic
The theory is, if you show people what they want to believe, they will believe it and act accordingly, even if it defies all rational logic. To back this up, we have the showmanship of the current administration, the posturing of Silicon Valley, the influencer economy, and public relations/advertising as a whole.
Here’s the thing though — the carnies are on to something. We build our future shaped by how we define our values. Right now, the future is being defined for us, often by corporate spin teams. We see this vividly in politics, where the zero-sum game of the Trump administration is leaving businesses scrambling to pick up the pieces.
In the climate world, there’s a beleaguered sense of us-vs-them as agencies, investments, and research projects get gutted. This makes the drive for a sustainable society feel small and marginal. That’s the narrative they want us to believe. In reality, a recent experiment by The Guardian found that 75% of Americans want more action on climate initiatives, a resounding silent majority. The team also found that less than half believed that others also wanted climate action, a significant mismatch.
Narrative mastery shouldn’t be limited to manipulators — creative, ethical storytellers can use the same principles to build positive movements and markets.
Show people what they want to believe, and they will believe it — even against all logic.
The Moral Vacuum: Why Carnies Are Winning
In earlier eras, societies shared a basic moral framework, mediated by institutions like churches or governments. Today, morality is individualized and politicized — trotted out during election seasons or Twitter wars, but absent from broader public life. This leaves room for expertly-wielded fear to take over and drive the narrative.
Michael Every, Global Strategist at Rabobank Singapore, noted on Nate Hagens’ The Great Simplification podcast last year:
“Government planning everything is the road to hell… but if you give everyone complete freedom of choice and free will, you will achieve nothing if you don't have morality. And the only way you can have a purely free market is if everyone in the economy has a completely moral sense of what are we here for, what's GDP for, rather than just I'm going to screw the next guy to try and get three or four basis points more for the next month.”
Without a shared moral compass, society defaults to survival of the loudest. The loudest right now are often those willing to weaponize fear, spectacle, and division. Carnies succeed because they:
Undermine trusted sources.
Flood the information space with noise.
Make identity contingent on allegiance — "if you disagree, you’re a traitor."
Fear is primal: it paralyzes thought and freezes progress. As professor and political ecology expert James Greenberg observes: "Trump doesn’t need a governing vision. He just needs the wreckage. Because in the wreckage, rules disappear. Oversight vanishes. And billionaires buy what’s left.This isn’t governance. It’s liquidation. So don’t be fooled by the chaos. It’s not a distraction. It’s the business model."
The same can be said in the climate space, where the fossil fuel industry, an overall minority, is wielding the largest megaphone.
Fear isn't just a byproduct of narrative warfare — it's the product itself. Fear distracts, weakens, and ultimately usurps the future for private gain of a tiny minority.
Without a shared sense of purpose, the loudest showman wins.
How We Can Reclaim The Narrative
Hope is a counter-strategy: Storytelling that emphasizes agency, solidarity, and beauty disrupts the fear cycle. Yes, we’re facing one of the most delicate and divisive times in our democracy. Yes, climate change is too big to be solved by any one person, company or technology. Yes, it’s scary. It’s not a popular topic, especially right now.
But there’s a way through. We have to focus on the world we want to build, and keep telling that story. We have to align our business interests with the reality of a fragile, finite plant. We have to acknowledge that we are part of and the biggest beneficiary of functioning ecosystems. We’re all in this together.
For example, there’s a major tequila brand running ads in the heart of oil country supporting pollinators — planting the idea that even your margarita depends on bees.
The war of narratives knows no boundaries.
Will drinking a margarita solve the bee crisis? On its own, certainly not. Will it remind people to plant flowers, to protest forever chemicals, to remember that an airport drink is directly tied to the natural world that we try to tame? Maybe.
Even small, joyful reminders of interconnectedness can punch through a wall of fear or apathy — and build brand success.
Fear freezes change. Storytelling moves it.
How To Acknowledge Reality
Climate change is here — not a future threat, but an escalating reality right now.
On a recent flight, I (Kate) overheard a well-dressed woman in first class say frankly to her husband, “there was too much water at the house, they can’t open the doors, so they have to cancel.” She seemed resigned.
In April alone, powerful storms have killed 24 people and led to flooding across the midwest. Last month, over 40 were killed by tornadoes sweeping across the country.
People are alarmed. They’re taking notice.Businesses have two choices: a) Tell the story of denial and delay, or b) Tell the story of resilience, innovation, and connection.
Back Market, an electronics reseller, is running an ad riffing off of Apple’s well known “shot on iPhone” campaign. The Back Market version shows side-by-side pictures of how far glaciers have declined and seas have risen recently. It’s a simple, stark, effective way to show how much has been lost in the span of 2 iPhones.
To succeed, business narratives must:
Be relatable (start with daily life impacts, like health, security, or savings).
Be transparent (show stumbles as well as successes).
Focus on action and agency, not helplessness.
The future will be shaped by those who keep telling the story — even when it's hard.
Choose Joy, Choose Future
Jonathan Foley (Project Drawdown) reminds us: "All jobs are climate jobs." Every role can be part of the solution. Again, the majority of people want to do something about this, and are looking for a way forward. They are looking for a new story.
This world is a miracle — and building a better one isn’t just possible, it’s the only thing worth doing. Fear is profitable for the wreckers. Joy, connection, and solidarity are revolutionary acts against despair and chaos.
A Quick Update on Tell The Future:
We started with the intention of laying out practical guidance on how to tell better climate stories at work, for both startups and established organizations. That’s still our mission. With the recent governmental upheaval, we are regrouping along with everyone else, and refining research for our upcoming book on the same topic. We’ll be back with updates later in the net month or two.
In the meantime, keep telling the story of what’s possible — in your company, your community, your campaigns. And keep enjoying this beautiful life!