Reality on a Stick

3 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

1. Nice collection of links. The Guardian article on the Kansas Board of Education (and it seems only the best/smartest get their US news from, erm, British newspapers) suggests that the “change of heart” is purely political, or for purely political reasons. Altho there are definitely a few crazies who actually believe this fundamentalist stuff, there are some who don’t believe it but actively, cynically, exploit it, and think they are super clever for doing so. For that reason, I think your tangential anecdote is a red herring, as it suggests the problem is just a few crazy individuals. For some, the purpose is not “notoriety”, but something rather more sinister. The Vatican story suggests that, as Goebbels well knew, it’s not about being right, it’s about how many times something is repeated and how much media coverage it gets; i.e. the one who shouts loudest gets to be right. It’s all perception, you see. That’s the world for you!

   1. Marco Polo on February 15th, 2007 at 12:38 am

2. The thing is, calm and rational assessment of facts doesn’t really engage people (non-specialists). Like good social apes, we only really get going when we can bring it down to some form of tribal politics.

   That’s why intelligent design and climate change denial do so well. Those that start these myths are of course doing so for their own deeply cynical ends, but most of the people who get involved do so not because they actually want to defy science and/or destroy the earth but because they see an ideological battle and are compelled to take sides.

   As soon as an issue starts to involve the public and the media, all debate on it degenerates from a search for the truth into a slanging match between two camps, fors vs againsts, reform vs conservatism, blue vs red, even when there is actually very little doubt on the matter.

   The media loves to stir this up even further, and frames everything as a two-sided debate.

   2. Dave On Fire on February 15th, 2007 at 11:02 am

3. Marco Polo: Yes, that’s the point I was fishing for! Thanks for takin’ it to the goal line:-) I agree that the closing anecdote brings about a distraction from the most important issue(s). I was hoping that someone would jump in with some deeper commentary as you and Dave have kindly done. I guess I’m just conscious of not letting this blog become too self-indulgent=Reality On _Steve’s Soapbox_, so I’m trying to maintain a tone that’s provocative, but not too preachy. It’s really helpful to have a number of thoughtful contributors from the beginning, though. Thanks!

   Dave On Fire: Well said, again. Thanks for adding another layer of depth to the discussion. I really have nothing left to add on this one. You and Marco have nailed it. Cheers.

   3. realityonastick on February 15th, 2007 at 6:36 pm