Your ability to identify the core issues continues to amaze me. At the same time, I struggle to understand why so much of the country seems to be brain-dead. Are our schools that bad? Is the constant flood of lies, conspiracy theories, and nonsense on the Internet consumed with no rational thought? Has 50 years of Republican propaganda been that persuasive? Or are so many people ignorant of what's happening?
I asked around, too few people to be an accurate sample, and what I heard was, "I'm not affected by..." Then I inquired where they got their news. Revealing answer: "I don't pay any attention to the news." What that apparently means is that they don't actively pursue news, but rather absorb it from conversations, TikTok, Fox News, what they overhear, etc. I suspect that's a defensive position that defaults when the world becomes too confusing or too frightening to understand, and I find it terrifying. Ignorance is only bliss for a limited period...
Thanks, Roger. A lot of it is a lack of belief in expertise and genuinely authoritative sources; I think a lot of it, as you suggest, is also about going into a defensive crouch. The result is avoiding information, or seeking that which confirms your pre-existing views.
I discuss some of this in the sections which will run tomorrow and Wednesday, although Thursdays installment bearson it as well. The problem you identify is central to our overall problem.
I think a lot of people voted for Trump as if he were a quasi-religious authority figure, and then stopped paying attention and told themselves everything was fine. Now that daddy was back in charge. All of that is antithetical to a healthy democracy. Best, Ric
Observation: I previously did some research into the anti-science nonsense and found that a key component was complete denial of statistical probability. To a scientist, a 95% degree of confidence is incredible and just about as high as possible with human subjects. Conspiracy theorists turn this into "it's not 100% so it's dangerous." This is RFK Jr. discussing vaccines, where one self-reported adverse incident (without context or supporting evidence) is sufficient to negate the very high confidence levels required for FDA authorization of a drug or other medical treatment. And that's why measles, once considered eliminated in the U.S., is spreading so rapidly and killing 1-3 of every 1,000 infected children.
Wow, could not have articulated better what we’re facing. But I believe and know that underneath, there is a great core of decency in this country. Perhaps we needed to walk to the edge of the cliff to find out what really matters.
I sure hope you're right, Nancy. That is certainly the premise for my last section, which tries to address what we need to restore democracy. A major point of emphasis is addressing economic inequality of the last 40+ years. Best, Ric
Your ability to identify the core issues continues to amaze me. At the same time, I struggle to understand why so much of the country seems to be brain-dead. Are our schools that bad? Is the constant flood of lies, conspiracy theories, and nonsense on the Internet consumed with no rational thought? Has 50 years of Republican propaganda been that persuasive? Or are so many people ignorant of what's happening?
I asked around, too few people to be an accurate sample, and what I heard was, "I'm not affected by..." Then I inquired where they got their news. Revealing answer: "I don't pay any attention to the news." What that apparently means is that they don't actively pursue news, but rather absorb it from conversations, TikTok, Fox News, what they overhear, etc. I suspect that's a defensive position that defaults when the world becomes too confusing or too frightening to understand, and I find it terrifying. Ignorance is only bliss for a limited period...
Thanks, Roger. A lot of it is a lack of belief in expertise and genuinely authoritative sources; I think a lot of it, as you suggest, is also about going into a defensive crouch. The result is avoiding information, or seeking that which confirms your pre-existing views.
I discuss some of this in the sections which will run tomorrow and Wednesday, although Thursdays installment bearson it as well. The problem you identify is central to our overall problem.
I think a lot of people voted for Trump as if he were a quasi-religious authority figure, and then stopped paying attention and told themselves everything was fine. Now that daddy was back in charge. All of that is antithetical to a healthy democracy. Best, Ric
Observation: I previously did some research into the anti-science nonsense and found that a key component was complete denial of statistical probability. To a scientist, a 95% degree of confidence is incredible and just about as high as possible with human subjects. Conspiracy theorists turn this into "it's not 100% so it's dangerous." This is RFK Jr. discussing vaccines, where one self-reported adverse incident (without context or supporting evidence) is sufficient to negate the very high confidence levels required for FDA authorization of a drug or other medical treatment. And that's why measles, once considered eliminated in the U.S., is spreading so rapidly and killing 1-3 of every 1,000 infected children.
Super interesting, Roger – and scary. A good compliment to Thursdays installment on the GOP’s war on science. Best, Ric
Wow, could not have articulated better what we’re facing. But I believe and know that underneath, there is a great core of decency in this country. Perhaps we needed to walk to the edge of the cliff to find out what really matters.
I sure hope you're right, Nancy. That is certainly the premise for my last section, which tries to address what we need to restore democracy. A major point of emphasis is addressing economic inequality of the last 40+ years. Best, Ric