Quote:
Originally Posted by fargon
Maybe that will at least tone down the corruption.
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Corruption and decisiveness exists for one reason. Most adults do not know how to know something. The fewer among us (called moderates) learn facts long before having an opinion. The emotional (adults who are still children) know what is right or wrong by simply consulting their political (emotional) biases. It is why so many knew communists were running the State Department and US Army. And why so many do not even know that socialism and communism are massively different.
Why do we see the rise of hate, KKK, White Supremacists, Nazis, tribal partitioning, Fox News, mockery and disparagement of our closest allies, ethnic cleansing of Kurds, Saddam's fictional WMDs, an excessively bloated military that is now routinely wasted even to the detriment of American interests, a crumbling infrastructure, demeaning of teachers, a completely unnecessary Iranian crisis, the imposition of people's religious beliefs on all others, and a president that openly touts hate and economic demise?
One must always learn facts with numbers long before having any opinion. Bernie Sander supporters openly claimed the Fed is a private corporation - and therefore corrupt. Even claimed free college educations will eliminate the problem. Even believe tariffs will make jobs. And who openly despise what made America powerful and wealthy - an open world economy and immigrants.
Once upon a time, the kids got 5 minutes of news every hour on every rock and roll station. Today, most get their news from hearsay, soundbytes, and other lies - also called social media. Where no facts with numbers are provided. Where only subjective propaganda somehow becomes a fact.
We even observe massive disinformation in the stupidity that claims generic crops are evil (when that was even what made possible the first farms). Or that foolishly blames heat for computer failures - because observation without any knowledge proves it. Even claim that global warming is a hoax and not created by mankind - using same rhetoric that denied destruction of the ozone layer.
We were all taught what is necessary to have knowledge. A hypothesis based in well proven science. But even that is insufficient. Also necessary is experimental evidence tempered by numbers.
Numbers clearly showed that Saddam did not and could not have WMDs. How many were so easily manipulated by those lies and extremists? Most of us. Because most today do not know and (I fear) know even less what is required to have knowledge. Somehow social media (subjective hearsay) has replaced well respected sources of knowledge. The dumbest among us even believe immigrants are massing at the borders to murder American citizens. That myth can only exist when one is easily brainwashed. When one forgets (or never knew) how to separate lies from facts. So many today, do not even know what is required before knowing something.
Like so many 1930 Germans, what they were told and then believed emotionally must be the truth. It explains Trump supporters. And so happened the holocaust, millions of deaths in the name of a superior people, and destruction that took 30 years to undo. All because so many believed Hitler - since he appealed to emotions of a child and not to intelligence of an adult.
We have a severe shortage of adults who know how to separate junk science, myths, and outright lies from well proven facts and honesty. A problem made worse by propaganda (lies) routinely touted in social media.
Why is Facebook such a problem? So many do not know how to see the difference between brainwashing and fundamental science concepts (or even lessons from history).