Americans are gullible

[Politruk]

Americans are optimistic. Because history has been good to us.

Optimism is sometimes useful. It helps keep up morale in times of crisis.

But the downside of optimism is credulity. Americans will believe anything. Only in America could a transparent charlatan like Joseph Smith or L. Ron Hubbard have found enough followers to start a church.

A very good source here is Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen.

 

[Philthy_Phil]

Shut the fuck up.

 

[TrailerHitch]

Americans are optimistic. Because history has been good to us.

Optimism is sometimes useful. It helps keep up morale in times of crisis.

But the downside of optimism is credulity. Americans will believe anything. Only in America could a transparent charlatan like Joseph Smith or L. Ron Hubbard have found enough followers to start a church.

A very good source here is Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen

And you are a hard core cynic that has a jaded negative outlook about the United States.

.

 

[Typo Fu Master]

Americans are optimistic. Because history has been good to us.

Optimism is sometimes useful. It helps keep up morale in times of crisis.

But the downside of optimism is credulity. Americans will believe anything. Only in America could a transparent charlatan like Joseph Smith or L. Ron Hubbard have found enough followers to start a church.

A very good source here is Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen.

You're like a left leaning, more articulate Busybody. You appear to have nothing better to do than spam the PB. I suspect the root of this thread is to bitch because Trump won.

Whether someone is gullible or not is up for debate. Calling Americans "gullible" is painting with a pretty broad brush. You are also implying you're gullible.

 

[Politruk]

I suspect the root of this thread is to bitch because Trump won.

Irrationality is objectionable anywhere. On the left side, there are anti-vaxxers, anti-GMOs, hard greens, 9-11 truthers, and all kinds of fuzzy-brained New Agers.

But that's pretty much all. RW irrationality would make a much longer list.

 

[Typo Fu Master]

Irrationality is objectionable anywhere. On the left side, there are anti-vaxxers, anti-GMOs, hard greens, 9-11 truthers, and all kinds of fuzzy-brained New Agers.

But that's pretty much all. RW irrationality would make a much longer list.

In other words, you're mad that Trump won and that in that much longer list is the fact that more people voted for Trump and you view that decision as "irrational."

Trump is a horrible person. Yet more than half the country thought he was a better choice than Kamala. We are entering a golden age or a dystopian hell depending on who you talk to.

But this is about people who happen to live in America, being gullible no matter what their political affiliation is, right?

 

[Politruk]

But this is about people who happen to live in America, being gullible no matter what their political affiliation is, right?

Exactly. It's something we need to work on. We need a lot more cold, scientific rationality in our culture. A lot more of skepticism and critical thinking. A lot less of religion -- and a lot less of "spiritual but not religious" feeling more broadly. A lot less tolerance of or patience with vague, fuzzy thinking, even in the form of seemingly harmless deepity and New Age bullshit. We need a society where all of that is excoriated and ostracized as harshly as open expression of racism is now.

In Star Trek terms, we need a Surak.

 

[Politruk]

In Star Trek terms, we need a Surak.

For those ignorant benighted unfortunates not blessed with nerdhood, Surak was a sort of philosopher-prophet who taught the Vulcans to discipline their emotions and live strictly according to logic.

 

[Politruk]

At present, a lot of American gullibility is manifesting in readiness to believe conspiracy theories like Qanon, or the Deep State.

 

[Politruk]

And then there's the medical crankery RFK Jr. apparently believes.

 

[SgtSpiderMan]

And then there's the medical crankery RFK Jr. apparently believes.

Does he really believe it?

 

[dmallord]

Exactly. It's something we need to work on. We need a lot more cold, scientific rationality in our culture. A lot more of skepticism and critical thinking. A lot less of religion -- and a lot less of "spiritual but not religious" feeling more broadly. A lot less tolerance of or patience with vague, fuzzy thinking, even in the form of seemingly harmless deepity and New Age bullshit. We need a society where all of that is excoriated and ostracized as harshly as open expression of racism is now.

In Star Trek terms, we need a Surak.

I thought voters selected an Orange man–a Superman character like Mxyzptlk not a rational Vulcan like Surak.

 

[Politruk]

I thought voters selected an Orange man–a Superman character like Mxyzptlk not a rational Vulcan like Surak.

Americans will believe anything.

 

[Politruk]

Only in America could a transparent charlatan like Joseph Smith or L. Ron Hubbard have found enough followers to start a church.

On the other hand, Sun Myung Moon was Korean.

But it is astonishing, isn't it, how many American converts the Unification Church has made?

 

[Boat1]

Americans are optimistic. Because history has been good to us.

Optimism is sometimes useful. It helps keep up morale in times of crisis.

But the downside of optimism is credulity. Americans will believe anything. Only in America could a transparent charlatan like Joseph Smith or L. Ron Hubbard have found enough followers to start a church.

A very good source here is Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen.

Carlin summed it up well, IMHO...

 

[AceDesSpades]

Aren't we the newly-minted PT cruiser...

 

[SgtSpiderMan]

I thought voters selected an Orange man–a Superman character like Mxyzptlk not a rational Vulcan like Surak.

Don’t know how many people will get that 5th dimensional reference.

 

[Politruk]

Carlin summed it up well, IMHO...

Sadly missed, he is.

 

[Politruk]

Don’t know how many people will get that 5th dimensional reference.

This?