I often wonder how close-minded some people are. Once they arrive at an opinion about something, it seems unassailable from that point on. I used to think that this type of arrogance only applies to unintelligent and ignorant people and that anyone who's even slightly enlightened will always be able to at least consider an opposing view. I was wrong.
Whenever I find some free time, I like to read and browse through resources on the web, exploring my favorite subjects. Some of those subjects are quite controversial. For example JFK or 9/11 or even Ancient History or New Physics. Since I acknowledge to myself that the amount of knowledge I have so far amassed in each of those areas can still be increased, I find it difficult to take a decisive stand on any issue I'm still researching. I may lean one way or the other, but for me the argument stays open until I reach a critical mass of arguments. And even then I leave my brain open for a new counter-argument. I was sold on the Big Bang Theory for years. But now I'm not so sure, all the new developments in physics considered.
Still, to my eternal amazement, many people don't think that way at all. Sometimes, this makes me feel angry, other times stupid. I feel angry when I think "can't they see?!", and I feel stupid when the people with whom I disagree are ones I otherwise respect and admire. They must know something I don't! But I want to know what it is. And yet, when I probe and ask questions, I encounter an even bigger puzzle. In a huge number of cases, those otherwise hugely intelligent people DON'T have very much knowledge on the subject of a given controversial topic, but they DO have an abundance of self-confidence and "just knowing" that I'm not only wrong, but that they don't even need to hear any alternative points of view to be certain that they're right.
Having seen this time and again throughout my life, I can't help but think that there's more to this than just ignorance or arrogance on their part. It's got to be some sort of a defense mechanism...
Many people in my family are medical doctors. My first cousin is an accomplished doctor and also a scholar. She's a professor at a large univeristy and when we grew up together as kids she was always very open and curious. I remember running into her many years ago after not seeing her for years, I started talking to her about some interesting things I was reading at the time regarding alternative cancer therapies. Even before I had a chance to tell her what specific type of therapy I found particularly interesting, she interrupted me with "that's bullshit!" I remember immediately thinking "what the hell did I say? Did I phrase my sentence in a way that made me sound like some wishy-washy ignoramus or what?" After replaying it in my head I concluded that my question was inoffensive and rather well-put. I simply asked "hey, did you hear about some of those very intriguing alternative cancer therapies...?" And that's when I was cut off with that BS quip. I remember trying to push the topic just a bit further. Even as she let me speak about the particular therapy I was interested in, I could sense that her whole being was constantly cutting me off, wishing that I'd just shut up. I wanted to know if she'd heard about vitamin B17 and the whole Laetrile therapy. By the time I finished explaining what specific topic was holding my attention, I heard her make another arbitrary pronouncement "It doesn't work, Paul. It's all just quackery." When I asked if she'd ever investigated it, she said she glanced at some literature about it and was quickly convinced that it was just rubbish. I then took out the big guns and started naming names. You gotta do this sometimes! I rattled off a whole list of medical doctors who endorsed this and I also cited G. Edward Griffin's extremely well-researched study of this subject ("The World Without Cancer"). She shrugged "You'll always find some people who think they know better. But they simply don't. It's nonsense. Take it from me!"
(See what you think.)
I've encountered this attitude many times since, among family and friends as well as on the public forum. Some people, once their mind is made up, simply WILL NOT accept any alternative views, even to the point of rude and arrogant pronouncements.
Hey all you who believe that the Illuminati control the Earth - you don't need a tiny ruling elite to enforce an unwritten agenda. All you need are masses of people who are "right"!
Another example. Just the other day I ran into an old friend of mine who happens to be a popular talk-show host. As such he interviews hundreds of famous people every year and gets to learn about all sorts of things from their perspective. Very cool. So, when we met, one of the first things he did was talk about some of his most recent guests. A few of them, he said at one point, were telling him about the nuisance that is the so-called "911 Truthers" movement. Utter conspiracy nuts and idiots. I listened to his quick summary of the key points that the "Truthers always get wrong" and I was bemused. While I'm still not quite decided about many details of what transpired that sad day in September 2001, I've done lots of research and quite careful study of all the available evidence and I'm convinced of one thing: the government is covering up "a lot" (for whatever reasons), and many of the popular explanations (including the ones my friend cited) are simply unconvincing (not to say outright "wrong"), and occasionally fly in the face of easily testable physical laws. Don't get me wrong. I don't buy into the whole "Bush did it" thing, but it doesn't take a very high intelligence to understand why the "Truthers" want a new investigation. I support anyone who just wants to know! The original investigation was clearly, almost offensively incomplete. No wonder they want another one! So I said to my friend "well, you know some of the things these Truthers bring up do merit at least a glance..." To this my friend cut me off and said "Don't tell me you buy into that bullshit, Paul! These idiots don't know what the hell they're talking about! Let's not even talk about it!" So we didn't talk about it. But once again I had time to reflect on the workings of the human mind.
9/11 & American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out
(See if you think these people are idiots)
It's one thing to research something thoroughly and then have a strong opinion on it - even one that aggressively defends itself and rejects the views of others. But it's a whole different thing to have done little to no research, have little to no facts, and yet speak and act as if you're the alpha and omega on the subject! Am I wrong?
The thing that fascinates me is when those dogmatic opponents of new and "alternative" views, be it in science or politics, medicine - whatever, when they're (often) eventually proven wrong they fall into two distinct groups. There are those who insist that they "never" disagreed with the given point of view. Instead, they were just healthy sceptics, not close-minded dogmaticists. And then there are those who go to their graves convinced they were right all along. The first flight of the Wright Brothers wasn't covered by their local newspaper because the editor didn't believe in flight. Right up to his death, years later, his paper still didn't give the Wright Brothers any coverage simply because heavier-than-air flight was impossible after all.
Now write a song about that...!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment