By Donald B. Ardell – April 11, 2010
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and those
are the ones you have to concentrate on.
President George W. Bush (Joking at the 2001 Gridiron Club
Dinner.)
Are you among those on whom the former president might have
concentrated? I would include nearly all supporters of the Tea and Republican
parties.
About ten years ago, a freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High in
Idaho Falls, Idaho won the top prize at a science fair by demonstrating how
easy it was to fool people. He collected signatures on a petition demanding
strict control of dihydrogen monoxide. He listed the hazards:
It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.
It is a major component in acid rain.
It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.
Accidental inhalation can kill you.
It contributes to erosion.
It decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
It has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.
He also asked respondents if they would support a total ban
on the use of this chemical. Forty-three of fifty favored that idea, six were
undecided and the other, recognizing that chemical dihydrogen monoxide is water
(H2o), declined.
The title of the prize-winning project was How Gullible Are
We? The answer to his question, I submit, is quite. And not because of a
willingness to ban something needed for life or failure to recognize the
chemical name of water, but because of the nature of politics in contemporary
America. We are becoming an intellectual third-word country with regard to the
development of our capacity for reason and critical thought in the vital sphere
of economics and public policy choices.
Consider the extent to which Republicans and Tea Party
activists seem genuinely worried about socialism, tyranny and the like. Bizarre
issues, like Obama's birth certificate, alleged secret government plans to kill
grannies and countless other conspiracy theories constitute an endless pile of
rubbish, served up by mountebanks (e.g., Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Ann
Coulter, Sarah Palin and nearly all Republican leaders), embraced by otherwise
normal citizens - by the millions. How can so many be so easily fooled by comic
book characters? I submit it is only because their decision-making processes
have gotten flabby from disuse or lack of development. America
desperately needs a stimulus package to provide massive aide for mental fitness
training. Vigorous exercises for the mind could boost the effectiveness
of the public's capacity for clearer, more rational thinking. Reason is in
desperately short supply. If things get worse, the kind of Republican message
we hear 24/7 on Fox News could sweep the demigods into power - and that would
be the end of REAL wellness based on reason, exuberance, mental athleticism and
liberty.
A lot of the irrationality in plain view is due to economic
and other fears brought on by massive unemployment, the wave of foreclosures,
the depleted retirement accounts and much else. A large segment of the
population has been fed a story line that explains everything from a hard right
Republican perspective. As a result, people are thinking back-asswards, seeing
solutions in buying ammunition, hoarding gold and/or stocking up on survival
food. Mass insanity is not such a stretch. Instead, it is a phrase that
describes and explains the over-the-top opposition to health care reform and
other programs that sensibly address national problems.
The nation is in desperate need of critical thinking
lessons, reminders, tips and resources. Too bad these elements were not in the
health care reform package just passed. All are needed much more than greater
access to and payment plans for pills, potions, prescriptions and providers of
medical care.
So, what do you think about your vulnerability to being
taken? Are you easy prey, or do you view Tea Party petitions, labels,
advertising and conspiracy theories with doubt, skepticism and reason?
How can this country's leaders who are not focused on
scaring people into voting Republican persuade consumers to empower themselves
with reason? How can we persuade more Americans to learn effective decision
making principles and develop a greater resistance to purveyors of simple
solutions for complex problems?
I'm sure you agree that effective decision-making, the
"reason" in REAL wellness, is an invaluable skill area. For
supporting positive lifestyle in democratic societies, it a quality that must
be shared if high life quality is to be widely valued and realized.
Be well and look on the exuberant, skeptical, ethical,
responsible and enjoyable REAL wellness bright side of life.
Don Ardell is the Well Infidel. He favors evidence over faith, reason over revelation and
meaning and purpose over spirituality. His enthusiasm for reason, exuberance and liberty are reflected in his
books (14), newsletter (528 editions of a weekly report) and lectures across
North America and a dozen other countries.