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OKIsItJustMe

(20,863 posts)
8. Sadly, it's not because the topics are complex
Thu Sep 26, 2024, 11:51 AM
Sep 26

Last edited Thu Sep 26, 2024, 01:30 PM - Edit history (1)

Take, for a notorious example, the fact that the Earth is (roughly) spherical. We joke about “flat earthers,” but they exist, and they will go to great lengths to support their beliefs.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/flat-earthers-what-they-believe-and-why/

Eratosthenes was able to calculate the circumference of the Earth and the tilt of its axis quite accurately more than 2,000 years ago without a rocket ship to carry him into orbit. (No, Columbus did not come up with the idea that the Earth was round.) — It’s not a terribly complex concept.

Donald Trump works on the assumption that if he just tells people something, they will believe him — and he’s not wrong, he’s been doing this his entire life. It does not matter if he lost dozens of cases which were heard by judges, he can simply say that they were dismissed because the judges falsely claimed he had "no standing” and people will believe him.

It’s not some really complex issue, or some unknowable truth which has been lost in history. You can look it up. Or, you can read all about them in an analysis by serious conservatives.

He can claim that the rains held off for his inaugural address (they didn’t) or that his crowds were the largest ever (they weren’t) these are not complex issues.

The problem is “confirmation bias.”


🎵All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
🎶
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