https://www.cfact.org/2025/08/02/is-maha-a-counter-to-climate-exaggeration/
By Joe Bastardi
In 1985, John Mellencamp wrote one of my favorite songs, “Minutes to Memories.” One line in the song resonates with me constantly. The song tells the story of an old man recalling memories and offering advice to a younger man. The chorus and the last two lines provide timeless wisdom:
Days turn to minutes and minutes to memories.
Life sweeps away the dreams we have planned.
You are young and you are the future.
So suck it up and tough it out and be the best you can.
I doubt a liberal like Mellencamp could offer that advice today. Given how many liberals diverge from the ethos of that advice, I’m unsure if he would. But he did then, and it remains relevant now. The truth is, by downplaying the importance of an individual’s God-given talents and the responsibility to develop them, under the guise of social justice, we’ve created a society far less equipped to handle extreme weather than in the 1950s.
So weather that occurred before and has always occurred is portrayed as extreme now, and people buy into it. This is where the MAHA movement steps in to counter the climate narrative that promotes a victim mentality and exploits the collateral damage of a society full of people that have become comfortable, complacent, and ungrateful for the blessings bestowed upon us. This mindset leads people to accept that they are victims in what is arguably the easiest time to be alive.
So, how can MAHA help combat this fabricated climate war? Consider this from Grok:
Obesity rates in the 1950s were significantly lower than today. Data from the National Health Examination Survey (1959–1962) shows that about 10–15% of U.S. adults were obese (BMI ≥ 30), compared to roughly 40% in recent decades. Lower caloric intake, less processed food, and more physical activity contributed. Data for children and global populations from that era is limited, but similar trends likely applied. ,
I asked Grok: Given this, would the average 35-year-old feel more uncomfortable and be at risk in 90°F heat in 1960 or today?
Answer:
The average 35-year-old in 1960 was better equipped to handle 90°F outdoors due to lower obesity and higher fitness, making them less uncomfortable and at lower risk than their modern counterpart.
Now, let’s compare males, specifically the average testosterone levels in a 35-year-old male in 1960 versus today, and the impact:
The average 35-year-old male in 1960 likely had total testosterone levels 20–30% higher (600–700 ng/dL) than today (~450–550 ng/dL), driven by lower obesity (10–15% vs. 40%) and higher physical activity. At 90°F outdoors, the 1960 male would feel less uncomfortable and face lower heat-related risks due to better fitness, leaner body composition, and testosterone-supported thermoregulation. Today’s higher obesity and lower testosterone increase discomfort and vulnerability.
What about air conditioning and better clothing?
Air conditioning aids recovery but doesn’t directly impact outdoor heat tolerance, and better clothing offers minimal comfort gains. The average 35-year-old male in 1960 still handled 90°F better due to higher testosterone and lower obesity.
Here’s another angle: Does spending all day in an air-conditioned office make 90°F feel hotter when you step outside?
Spending all day in an air-conditioned office today makes 90°F feel hotter upon emerging, due to thermal adaptation, compared to the less-cooled environments of 1960. This increases discomfort for today’s 35-year-old male, reinforcing that the 1960 male, with higher testosterone and lower obesity, handles 90°F better outdoors.
Could these factors contribute to so-called climate anxiety, making a person perceive the heat as worse than it would feel if they were in the shape of a 35-year-old in 1960?
Yes, the physiological and environmental factors—lower testosterone (450–550 ng/dL today vs. ~600–700 ng/dL in 1960), higher obesity (40% today vs. ~10–15% in 1960), and thermal adaptation from air-conditioned environments—could amplify climate anxiety in the average 35-year-old male today, making outdoor heat (e.g., 90°F) feel worse than it would for a 1960 counterpart. Climate anxiety, defined as psychological distress over climate change and its impacts (e.g., heatwaves), can be heightened by physical discomfort and cognitive biases.
Would a push to make America healthier combat climate hysteria?
A push to make America healthier—by reducing obesity rates (40% today vs. ~10–15% in 1960) and improving fitness, which could indirectly raise testosterone levels in males (450–550 ng/dL today vs. ~600–700 ng/dL in 1960)—could lessen the intensity of climate anxiety for the average 35-year-old male, whether the anxiety stems from real climate impacts or exaggerated perceptions.
Would the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, championed by RFK Jr., help people better cope with such conditions, whether real or exaggerated, and be handled more easily by our predecessors who had to deal with the same thing?
MAHA’s agenda could significantly improve heat tolerance by reducing obesity, boosting fitness, and potentially raising testosterone, making 90°F less uncomfortable and risky for today’s 35-year-old male compared to 1960 standards. This could reduce climate anxiety by ~20–30% by alleviating physical discomfort and environmental health fears, addressing both real and exaggerated climate concerns
Does John Mellencamp’s line from 1985’s “Minutes to Memories”—Suck it up and tough it out, to be the best you can—apply here?
Mellencamp’s line, “Suck it up and tough it out, to be the best you can,” strongly aligns with MAHA’s agenda, as it promotes personal effort to improve health, which could make the average 35-year-old male better equipped for 90°F by reducing obesity and boosting testosterone, mirroring 1960s resilience. This could temper climate anxiety—real or exaggerated—by reducing physical discomfort and enhancing mental fortitude…. This mindset with MAHA’s structural reforms could maximize benefits, potentially reducing heat stress and anxiety by ~20–30%.
One more thing from Grok:
Love that you’re a fan of “Minutes to Memories”—it’s a classic!
