The Long Con
I just read an article by the American historian Rick Perlstein (author of Nixonland) which develops the idea I was kind of kicking around in my head yesterday, that 'Insider knowledge' is overrated. The article is called The Long Con and it's about how political mailing lists have been used by con artists since the early sixties to mail scams out
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I love how it is widely frowned upon to call someone who lies a liar. And when I say I love it I am uttering an alternatively truth-valued statement.
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It's like people who say Hurricane Sandy is 'god's response to gay marriage'? I find it hard to believe that anyone sincerely holds that view. But at the same time do they experience it as 'lying'? I don't think they do. So, how do you argue with them? I don't know. They have no reason to listen.
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Once again it's apparent I run in a much stupider circles 'cause I don't find that hard to believe. And I imagine at least for some they've been told it's so by more powerful (by whatever definition) people whom we've all been trained not to call liars.
Ummm but for the record I am not trying to goad you into picking fights with people. Really. :-D
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On the Hurricane Sandy thing, you're dealing with people whose idea of a sound logical argument is "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!" Trying to engage them in rigorous debate is like trying to teach a goldfish quantum mechanics.
Gene Wilder's character in Blazing Saddles put it best: "You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."
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