Showing posts with label Logical Fallacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Logical Fallacy. Show all posts

Monday, 9 March 2009

The Obama Mass Dissonance Effect.



“Nothing human is foreign to me”. Terence.



Now here’s a funny thing. Barry Hussein Sotuoro Barack Obama has NOTHING to do with hope and change by any definition. Everything he is, has said, done and believes in is as old as people and hey, [Left] Liberal Fascism. It’s as timeless as Logical Fallacy and Cognitive Dissonance. The same applies to his global mass of pop fan drones.

Except for his crony beneficiaries, all Obama lovers have two things in common: they know NOTHING about Barry Obama and they don't WANT to know anything.

The terrible truth is that nothing positive about Obama is true. Even the lies are unoriginal.

Here’s a great list of classic mental patterns with this caveat. The chap that put this logic reference list together appears to deal from a narrow Pavlovian range of references, and thus suffers from Logical Fallacy and Cognitive Dissonance himself! He may just be a er, Leftard?

"Oh, BushHitler! Here boy!"

No really. As far as I’ve seen, his memes are bog-standard liberal conceits to Marxist product sodden and atheistic ones. I thought hey, using Occam's Razor, he’s gotta compare “mass deception”, “wishful thinking” or the “Barnum Effect” at least to the uber-scam and super gravy train fraud of global warming. [GW merely equals global socialism.] But sadly no, he doesn’t. Go figure.

It appears that many similar academics, like technicians working in infectious disease but without gloves and a mask, are almost by default infected by their own environment and subject. Thus content still trumps form.

Funny, innit? And they pay these kinds of fatally flawed fellows?

But still it’s a splendid list. THESE are some of the defining mental delusions of Obamessianism today. Terrifyingly, there’s plenty more where these come from. Pathetic, trasonous, incompetent, ridiculous, sad, disastrous, stupid, ugly, fake, phony, boring, empty, dangerous, indecent, useless, creepy, fascistic and totally lacking in self-reflection or any sense of history whatsoever and entirely NOTHING NEW.

And that's the positive side.



Via skepdic.com: Wishful thinking.

"Wishful thinking is interpreting facts, reports, events, perceptions, etc., according to what one would like to be the case rather than according to the actual evidence. If it is done intentionally and without regard for the truth, it is called misinterpretation, falsification, dissembling, disingenuous, or perversion of the truth.


Hidden persuaders.

A term used by Geoffrey Dean and Ivan Kelly (2003) to describe affective, perceptual, and cognitive biases or illusions that lead to erroneous beliefs. Examples of hidden persuaders abound.

Self-deception.

Self-deception is the process or fact of misleading ourselves to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid. Self-deception, in short, is a way we justify false beliefs to ourselves.

When philosophers and psychologists discuss self-deception, they usually focus on unconscious motivations and intentions. They also usually consider self-deception as a bad thing, something to guard against. To explain how self-deception works, they focus on self-interest, prejudice, desire, insecurity, and other psychological factors unconsciously affecting in a negative way the will to believe.

A common example would be that of a parent who believes his child is telling the truth even though the objective evidence strongly supports the claim that the child is lying.

The parent, it is said, deceives him or herself into believing the child because the parent desires that the child tell the truth. A belief so motivated is usually considered more flawed than one due to lack of ability to evaluate evidence properly. The former is considered to be a kind of moral flaw, a kind of dishonesty, and irrational. The latter is considered to be a matter of fate: some people are just not gifted enough to make proper inferences from the data of perception and experience.



"There's no success like failure.." Bob Dylan Love Minus Zero.

Colonel Neville: Ah, Bob. The King of non-sequitur and alleged poetic meaning. I really like Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde etc though. Go figure.

Cognitive dissonance.

"Cognitive dissonance is a theory of human motivation that asserts that it is psychologically uncomfortable to hold contradictory cognition's. The theory is that dissonance, being unpleasant, motivates a person to change his cognition, attitude, or behavior. This theory was first explored in detail by social psychologist Leon Festinger, who described it this way:

Dissonance and consonance are relations among cognition's that is, among opinions, beliefs, knowledge of the environment, and knowledge of one's own actions and feelings. Two opinions, or beliefs, or items of knowledge are dissonant with each other if they do not fit together; that is, if they are inconsistent, or if, considering only the particular two items, one does not follow from the other (Festinger 1956: 25).

He argued that there are three ways to deal with cognitive dissonance. He did not consider these mutually exclusive.

1. One may try to change one or more of the beliefs, opinions, or behaviors involved in the dissonance;

2. One may try to acquire new information or beliefs that will increase the existing consonance and thus cause the total dissonance to be reduced; or,

3. One may try to forget or reduce the importance of those cognition's that are in a dissonant relationship (Festinger 1956: 25-26).

For example, people who smoke know smoking is a bad habit. Some rationalize their behavior by looking on the bright side: They tell themselves that smoking helps keep the weight down and that there is a greater threat to health from being overweight than from smoking. Others quit smoking.

Most of us are clever enough to come up with ad hoc hypotheses or rationalizations to save cherished notions. Why we can't apply this cleverness more competently is not explained by noting that we are led to rationalize because we are trying to reduce or eliminate cognitive dissonance.

Barnum effect.

The Barnum effect is the name given to a type of subjective validation in which a person finds personal meaning in statements that could apply to many people.

For example:

You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. At times you have serious doubts whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.

If these statements sound like they came from a newsstand astrology book, that may be because they did. Such statements are sometimes called Barnum statements and they are an effective element in the repertoire of anyone doing readings: astrologers, palm readers, psychics, rumpologists and so on.

If the statements appear on a personality inventory that one believes has been especially prepared for you alone, one often validates the accuracy of such statements and thereby gives validity to the instrument used to arrive at them.

If Barnum statements are validated when they have originated during a psychic reading, the validation is taken as also validating the psychic powers of the medium.


"Barnum effect" is an expression that seems to have originated with psychologist Paul Meehl, in deference to circus man P. T. Barnum's reputation as a master psychological manipulator who is said to have claimed "we have something for everybody."

Collective hallucination.

Where belief in miracles exists, evidence will always be forthcoming to confirm its existence. In the case of moving statues and paintings, the belief produces the hallucination and the hallucination confirms the belief. --D.H. Rawcliffe
A collective hallucination is a sensory hallucination induced by the power of suggestion to a group of people. It generally occurs in heightened emotional situations, especially among the religiously devoted. The expectancy and hope of bearing witness to a miracle, combined with long hours of staring at an object or place, makes certain religious persons susceptible to seeing such things as weeping statues, moving icons and holy portraits, or the Virgin Mary in the clouds.

Those witnessing a "miracle" agree in their hallucinatory accounts because they have the same preconceptions and expectations. Furthermore, dissimilar accounts converge towards harmony as time passes and the accounts get retold. Those who see nothing extraordinary and admit it are dismissed as not having faith. Some, no doubt, see nothing but "rather than admit they failed...would imitate the lead given by those who did, and subsequently believe that they had in fact observed what they had originally only pretended to observe....(Rawcliffe, 114).

Not all collective hallucinations are religious, of course. In 1897, Edmund Parish reported of shipmates who had shared a ghostly vision of their cook who had died a few days earlier. The sailors not only saw the ghost, but distinctly saw him walking on the water with his familiar and recognizable limp. Their ghost turned out to be a "piece of wreck, rocked up and down by the waves" (Parish, 311; cited in Rawcliffe, 115)

Communal reinforcement.

Communal reinforcement is the process by which a claim becomes a strong belief through repeated assertion by members of a community. The process is independent of whether the claim has been properly researched or is supported by empirical data significant enough to warrant belief by reasonable people. Often, the mass media contribute to the process by uncritically supporting the claims.

More often, however, the mass media provide tacit support for untested and unsupported claims by saying nothing skeptical about even the most outlandish of claims.

Communal reinforcement explains how entire nations can pass on ineffable gibberish from generation to generation. It also explains how testimonials reinforced by other testimonials within the community of therapists, sociologists, psychologists, theologians, politicians, talk show hosts, etc., can supplant and be more powerful than scientific studies or accurate gathering of data by disinterested parties.

Communal reinforcement explains, in part, why about half of all American adults deny evolution occurred and believe that God created the universe in six days,* made the first man and woman out of clay, and a snake talked the woman into disobeying an order from God thereby causing all our problems. It also explains how otherwise rational and intelligent people can be persuaded to accept such stories as true when they are provided by a comforting community in a time of great emotional need.


Every cult leader knows the value of communal reinforcement combined with isolating cult members from contrary ideas.

See also confirmation bias, selective thinking, testimonials, and wishful thinking.


Moses syndrome.

(1) A delusion characterized by uncritical belief in the promises of others to lead one to the Promised Land, e.g., to beauty, youth, wealth, power, peace of mind, or happiness. (2) A delusion characterized by the belief that one has been chosen by God, destiny, or history to lead others to the Promised Land, e.g., some goal such as "putting the sciences on a firm foundation" (Descartes) or belief in such things as "the eternal law of nature that gives Germany as the stronger power the right before history to subjugate these peoples of inferior race, to dominate them and to coerce them into performing useful labors" (Hitler).

The Moses syndrome should not be confused with the baby Moses syndrome (the hope-in-a-basket fallacy), a kind of defense mechanism whereby one deceives oneself into inaction by the wishful thought that somebody else will eventually come along to solve your problems for you and save you from disaster’.


Apophenia.

There is currently a controversial debate concerning whether unusual experiences are symptoms of a mental disorder, if mental disorders are a consequence of such experiences, or if people with mental disorders are especially susceptible to or even looking for these experiences. --Dr. Martina Belz-Merk.

Apophenia is the spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness of unrelated phenomena. The term was coined by K. Conrad in 1958 (Brugger).
Soon after his son committed suicide, Episcopalian Bishop James A. Pike (1913-1969) began seeing meaningful messages in such things as a stopped clock, the angle of an open safety pin, and the angle formed by two postcards lying on the floor. He thought they were conveying the time his son had shot himself (Christopher 1975: 139).

Peter Brugger of the Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Zurich, gives examples of apophenia from August Strindberg's Occult Diary, the playwright's own account of his psychotic break:

He saw "two insignia of witches, the goat's horn and the besom" in a rock and wondered "what demon it was who had put [them] ... just there and in my way on this particular morning." A building then looked like an oven and he thought of Dante's Inferno".

Friday, 2 January 2009

Derek And Clive Tackle a Conundrum.

















Clive: "From beginning to end, the Soviet product of political correctness sodden left liberalism is one big 'effing suicidal contradiction, Derek. It's such a very old load of unbelievably back-dated bollocks, that most lefties have to take enormous amounts of bleeding drugs to not only understand any of it which can't be done, but to believe and personally act on even a single shred of it. Thus their greatest wish is to convince every dissenter by force and state controlled conformity via intimidation and violence. Such phony baloney and moral vanity driven fraud can only be swallowed whole, if like a drug addicted whore in a toilet, one disguises the true flavor of morally and rationally going down, with ample helpings of cough syrup. This dear Derek, is the true face of left liberal smiley faced fascism".

Derek: "They're all arseholes!"

Clive: "Exactly, Derek".





Derek [on piano]: “Oh, John Pilger came into the lav to film his latest doc. ‘Ee said I need more bleeding funding, so can I suck your cock!”

Clive: “It’s a funny coincidence that you should mention John Pilchard, the avid fan of all things Marxist and nihilist thus deemed er, “progressive” Derek, because I never think of him. A progressive is someone who develops ever more acceptable versions of the exact same thing by simply changing the name.

The non-religion that is trying to kill us all and invariably is offended or threatens violence at any criticism of their murderous antics, is a religion of er, peace. Conversely the Judeo Christian faith that is the basis of our enormous free flow of ideas, choice and innovation, freedom and prosperity of capitalist democracy, free speech and natural rights [and ironically your homosexual right not to be killed by Islam] is called intolerant. 
Thus as they say at the peoples cube, truth telling is now hate speech and hate speech = sensitivity training. Targeting terrorists = indiscriminate murder of civilians, indiscriminate murder of civilians = resistance to imperialism.Destruction of the family = social progress. Clinical paranoia = outstanding film making. Free country = oppressive regime, oppressive regime = workers' paradise. Electoral process = failing democracy, Socialist dictatorship = will of the people. Export of capitalist democracy = imperialist war for oil, export of communist revolution = true democracy.  
Terrorists = freedom fighters, freedom fighters = imperialist occupiers, rapists and murderers. Rambling communist thug = idealistic romantic dreamer, hard-working productive individual = corporate fascist. Lowering standards = raising awareness, degeneracy = striving urban culture, and so on ad nauseum, Derek”.
Derek: “What if I said comfortable, unchallenged, phony, leftist radical arsehole?”

Clive: “Pilchard!”

Derek: “Oh, George Negus came into the bog to interview Hamas, they had a lot of inane laughs and George Needless kissed some arse!”

Clive: “Very good. You’ve finished. Now don’t call us, and we’ll never call you.

Now I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed the latest conundrum regarding the mentality of the average dhimmie leftard arsehole prick vomit bag, when it comes to the utter joy and light of Islamic terror, Derek?

As you know, I would never be so un-pc as to call a thing exactly what it is. No, circular wanking and denial is the way to go. Anyway Derek, have you had any contact with the people of whom I speak?”

Derek: “You mean your bog-standard apologist and Jew-hating mob loons of the left? All the fucking time, mate! They're always in my fucking bog! Always raving about "I need more government funding! More taxpayer gravy! Where are my bulging checks from the Melbourne Age, Green Left Retarded Socialist and the New York Times? And please cut my fucking head off cos’ I love it! They're 'orrible!”

Clive: “Exactly. There’s a curious contradiction that shows that their entire allegedly tolerant position regards Islam is an irresponsible fraud”.

Derek: “They’re all full of shit, mate!”

Clive: “Positively bursting. Well, this it how it works when you are stupidly determined to tolerate the intolerant vis a vis Islam. Anyone who says they are a Muslim is ipso facto a Muslim and their faith, Islam is untouchable by mirth or critique of any kind by us Infidels and filthy Kafirs, except in the er, positive”.

Derek: “I love the light hearted cheer and the good will to all, the most!”

Clive: “Who doesn’t? And the screaming. Then as if by magic, the same people who we must be ever vigilant never to offend, can be deemed as “not real Muslims” by the same Left pricks who say they will then arrest you for saying something they don't like or on behalf of Muslims everywhere, for something they don’t like, from only a moment before. This is the pure joy of left liberal fascism today, Derek”.

Derek: “Bloody ‘ell! It’s all a little fucking neurotic and complicated innit? What kind of things offend many Muslims around the world then, Clive?”

Clive: “The things that offend many Muslims around the world today Derek, can be narrowed down to everything and nothing”.

Derek: “Lovely. Er, how can a Muslim go instantly from being a Muslim, to not being a "real" Muslim, Clive?”

Clive: “It’s surprisingly easy and there in lies the conundrum of the politically correct loser, as it were. A Muslim just has to act appallingly or kill someone and they are no longer a Muslim. At least until they stop killing and start complaining about people screaming as they're beheaded. And oddly, neither terrifying behavior nor murder is always seen as bad, per se. There are many er, "conditions" that can apply at any time to the religion of peace or else, but not really for anyone else. And they can change back again without any notice whatsoever too. Thus, it is technically impossible for a Muslim to ever set off a bomb, behead or murder someone, because..."

Derek: "They're naturally not real Muslims!"

Clive: " Exactly, Derek. So even if you don't know you're offending Islam by your mere Infidel or Jewish existence, you probably are.

Thus what happens is, that even though someone has been a Muslim all their life, and their entire family is Muslim going back generation after generation, and they go to the Mosque, they live in a Muslim community or state, they read the Koran, they dress and look like Muslims, they speak and eat like a Muslim and they say they are Muslims and may want to spread Islam globally by any means, exactly as Mohammad and the Koran clearly proscribes, no, no. The moment one cuts off a head and sets off a bomb, hey presto! The Western media, academia, governments, church leaders, celebrities and pop stars all decree as one “...but they are not real Muslims!” Amazingly, these people are yet to say this on a street corner in say Tehran, Riyadh or Cairo”.

Derek: “Why not, Clive?”

Clive: “Because many of the local Muslims would be real Muslims only up to a certain point. And I believe that exact point would be where they become not real Muslims as if by magic, and cut the real Infidels heads off”.

Derek: “That's a real puzzler, Clive! So, I guess Taoists, Hindu’s and Christians are not real whenever they do anything naughty then, too?”

Clive: “Oddly no. Taoists, Hindu’s and your cargo cultists, don’t really fit into the current lefts paradigm, so are largely invisible, though Christians do fit nicely. Just remember, when a Christian does something bad, they are always a real Christian, unless they do something good. Then they don’t exist. Yes, it’s a real conundrum, as you say”.

Derek: “Unless the conundrum cuts the heads off Christian school girls in Thailand because they're Christians and not Muslims, Clive?”

Clive: “Nope, such an orgy or relentless violence can be and is simply ignored. Remember they’re not real Muslims who have murdered over 150,000 people in Northern no-go zones of Thailand over the last twenty years”.

Derek: “Who did it then?”

Clive: “Oh, random and anonymous people who shall remain nameless, even though they look, sound, act, walk, talk and appear exactly like Muslims. It could have been Hawaiian Anglicans or animists from Toronto. Nobody knows, Derek, nobody knows. Even though not real Muslim jihadist groups have repeatedly declared it was them and they want to kill all non-believers. This is a mere incredible coincidence spread over decades. According to our elitist betters, its hate speech churned up by Asian journalists reporting the empirical facts. Facts are no excuse for speaking the truth, Derek. So remember, there are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world, but none of them are doing any of the mountains of atrocity you can see everyday”.

Derek: “Who is?”

Clive: “Someone else, Derek, it’s always someone else. And it pays to remember that. Or else”.

Derek [on piano]: “Oh, Steve Bracks came into my room and sat upon me bed. He said I’ve passed a fucking anti-free speech law and now you’ll end up dead, oy!”

Clive: “Bravo! All together now! The natural totalitarian fascism of the left and Islam is always all for our own good! Now once more without the music and lyrics!”




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