Beyond Beyond the Fringe category archive
Lies and Lying Liars 0
(Not, mind you, that I think Washington, D. C., is some kind of paragon of purity. What place is?)
Breaking Wind 0
What’s with Donald Trump’s weird hangup with windmills?
“Facts Are What People Think” 0
At the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Patricia Murphy discusses a number of absolutely screwy proposals that have lately been introduced in the Georgia legislature. One, for example, would drop the requirement to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies, a requirement that has been validated by over a century of science and experience.
You can read the full story at the link. Indeed, I urge you do do so–some of these bills are completely unmoored from reality.
I point only to this telling excerpt to illustrate that some in our polity have chosen to live–and vote–in a fantasy world:
“Actually it’s well documented,” state Sen. Elena Parent responded.
“Well you have your facts, I have my facts, so that’s fair,” he reasoned.
Taking a beat, Parent responded, “Um, no.”
“But There’s No Other Possible Explanation,” Reprise 0
Psychologist Richard Lettieri explores factors that may predispose persons to fall for embrace conspiracy theories. He identifies five specific characteristics:
- Strong group identity.
- An authoritarian disposition.
- A narrow definition of masculinity.
- Low level of epistemic rationality.
- Insecure attachment.
Follow the link for a detailed discussion of each one.
“But There’s No Other Possible Explanation” 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Arthur Dobrin points out that conspiracies are, in a legal context, real things; persons can be charged with and convicted of conspiracies in a court of law. He suggests that these real-life conspiracies differ wildly from the many false conspiracy theories that litter our discourse and pollute our polity.
He goes on to offer some pointers for distinguishing between the two. Here’s one; follow the link for the others.
Going Bananas (Republic) 0
The small city of Oroville, located in the mountainous area of California about halfway between San Francisco and the Oregon state line, has declared itself independent of its state. In a long and fascinating article at the Sacramento Bee, Josh Gohlke considers the implications. A nugget (emphasis added):
While this measure might sound like a stray trickle from the town beneath the nation’s tallest dam, it’s part of a much larger atmospheric river of misinformation. For a variety of supposed reasons and one real one — namely, that majority rule no longer seems likely to put certain politicians in power — it’s become fashionable in certain circles to point out, as if it’s a crucial distinction, that “America is a republic, not a democracy.”
It is another indication that some of our polity have abandoned the concept of the common good (or, if you prefer, Will Bunch’s phrasing, the public good).
Happy Hallowe’en 0
And, yes, Hallowe’en is spelled with an apostrophe.
Image via All Things Amazing, an image site (some images NSFW).
(Broken link fixed.)
“But There’s No Other Possible Explanation” 0
Fly the Fiendly Skies . . . 0
. . . and meet the geriatric berserker.
Fly the Fiendly Skies 0
Just don’t forget to pack the duct tape.
A Strange Diagnosis 0
Nevertheless, I fear that it is an accurate one.
“Look! Up in the Sky! 0
Aside:
Personally, I am confident that any beings intelligent enough to master interstellar travel are also intelligent enough to avoid our pestilential precincts like the plague we are.
(I do, however, believe in UFOs. I am certain there have been flying objects that were not identified.)
