You are entitled to your beliefs, but not to your facts.

So I was having a heated discussion earlier today with someone and it got very lively indeed.  The exact subject wasn't important and was actually very trivial. My opponent kept insisting what he was saying was true and I kept tossing out those pesky little things called “Facts” and even cited where the facts came from. The argument ended with him throwing his hands and saying, “Well, I don't care what you or anyone else says. I know what I know and no one can tell me different.

That statement in a nutshell (and I do mean NUT) is basically what is wrong with the US today. The whole world for that matter. People “know what they know” and refuse to listen to anything that contradicts what they know. The mentality is very much like the old story of a Country Hick who got off the plane in Australia and saw an Ostrich for the first time. Despite the fact the massive bird was standing less than five feet away from him, he just shook his head and said, “There ain't no such animal” and moved on.

The vast majority of people are like that country boy. They accept something as fact and will generally ignore any information that conflicts with their facts. Conspiracy Nuts are a good example. Someone will put forth a “theory” like Inoculations cause Vampirism and cite some obscure researcher from Outer Fredville who did a study on the subject and “proved” that is was true. They will then gather together a coven of like minded individuals who share the same beliefs. Once this is done, no matter how much actual evidence is turned up by pretty much every other researcher on the planet, they will ignore all of this and even insist that it is all part of some grand conspiracy to turn the whole world into Sparkling Blood Suckers. (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)

Like I mentioned in previous blogs, my Daddy always told me, “Bobby, the moment anybody starts an argument with an EBK, they have already lost the argument.” EBK stands for Everybody Knows. For the most part, people don't want to hear the truth and avoid it as much as possible. When others try to force the truth into a discussion, you often hear, “Well everybody knows (insert idea here).” The simple fact is, even you are actually telling the truth, Everyone does not know it. It is an even safer bet that everyone who does know the basic facts do not agree on what they mean.

I keep telling myself every single day that people aren't really getting dumber. I reassure myself that the easy availability of the Interwebz just makes it easier for the stupid people to be heard and to find other stupid people that think like them. I tell myself this over and over again every time I see the latest posting about Obama secretly being a Klingon spy sent to overthrow the US or that Republicans are all fat old white men who cook and eat poor peoples' babies for dinner. I try to keep the faith that the bright outnumber the dim, but it is never easy.

Folks I hate being proven wrong. It annoys me to no end. However, unlike many people out there, if someone shows me the facts that prove me wrong I will accept it, albeit grumpily and move on with my life. If we are ever going to fix the problems that are facing the nation and the world, we are going to have to start thinking and accepting the truth even when it sucks. So how about we all make an effort to stop the EBKs and start listening. Who knows, you may just learn something.

End of Rant