I've decided to start selling worthless crap to Americans

Posted by Bouncy Ball

Why? They'll buy it.

I'm now understanding how companies can sell worthless, sometimes even dangerous "diet pills" in infomercials. And make tons of money doing it.

I'm understanding how America fell for the war in Iraq.

I'm understanding JUST how EASY it is to whip Americans up into a fear-filled frenzy over just about ANYTHING.

I'm understanding why crazy mass-forwarded emails with scary but untrue urban legends are so popular and why they don't die when rational people respond with factual rebuttals.

I've seen, in the media and in real life, TONS of people say that someone with no cerebral cortex can get up, walk around and talk with the proper "treatment." I've seen and heard people saying the brain can be re-grown.

Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of what the cc is responsible for in humans has got to have a mind-boggling moment to discover that people in the year 2005 actually believe that. And would ARGUE it, no less.

I have finally and completely decided that people will believe ANYTHING.

Which means they'll buy anything and fall for anything.

It explains wealthier than God televangelists and megachurch preachers. It explains the cheap crap that keeps getting manufactured and SOLD, despite being nothing more than cheap crap. It explains the snake oil salesmen of the days of old, but I guess I thought humans had evolved a bit since then. I was wrong.

I will never again be shocked at the level of ignorance in human beings. Ever. As far as we've come, most people still don't have a basic grasp of facts. And even when that lack is pointed out, they don't seek out information to learn more.

I received a forwarded email a while back about how deoderant causes breast cancer in women. The woman who sent it to me was completely panicked. She had forwarded it to fifty other women, including me. I sent the debunking of it to her entire to: list.

Instead of reading it, instead of saying "whew, glad to know THAT!" she GRIPED ME OUT. Not for hitting reply all, but apparently for destroying her fun little fearful fantasy. How DARE I introduce FACTS into this fear fest? FEAR IS FUN!!!!

BUT. I have been encouraged. I've noticed lots of DUers in the last week or so who have gone from believing the MSM lies about Schiavo, to learning about it for themselves and coming to their own conclusions.

Via Democratic Underground