I took a look in on the Freeper Birthers this morning. They were trying to puzzle out why there were 2 versions of their Obama Kenyan Birth certificate. I just glanced at the 2 versions and could have told them why.
But they had "Zotted" me for my very first post on their site a few years ago because I'd told them the truth (politely) as I was answering a question that a hundred of them had already asked without ever receiving a reply. I even posted a couple of pics by way of support for my reply.
It wasn't a truth they wanted to hear or see. For that they "zotted" me. Denied me posting privileges. Ever since then all I can do is watch, and learn.
I checked in again this evening, and they were still at it. It seems they had spent all day and hundreds of posts, (perhaps over a thousand,) convincing themselves that people from Democratic Underground or even the Obama administration itself were flooding the web with minute variations on the "original" Kenyan BC in an attempt to discredit it.
It was painfully funny to read the nonsense these folks were babbling on about - which letters had been changed to what - web research on the new words - etc. An entire day of scurrying about on the web for nothing. As a fellow human being I was embarrassed for them in their blind ignorance. I would have felt it an appropriate act of human kindness to have posted an explanation for them if I had been allowed to do so. But it was indeed their own desire to remain in uncontaminated ignorance all this time that has kept me from ever posting there again. And I believe they have a right to that ignorance, so long as long as it doesn't interfere with my reality.
Finally, late this evening, one of their "regulars" showed back up and acknowledged loudly that he was the source of the "new" BC. He'd been playing with Photoshop, examining the "original" image and had inadvertently reposted one of his own copies instead of reposting the original. Something I had seen immediately, it was so obvious. The copy wasn't even the same size as the original. But no other changes had been made to it. Just saved in another format at a slightly reduced resolution, causing some characters to appear to be other characters.
Such a simple thing. Yet it was something a thousand Freeperz could not see all day long for one simple reason - they didn't want to see it. They would all rather believe in an evil conspiracy.
I'm not saying there are no evil conspiracies in this world. There are. I believe there are more than a few of them out there. Hell, I'm not even saying this isn't one of them! But what I am sure of is that as long as Freeperz refuse to listen to anyone other than each other they will never learn a damn thing, buried forever in their own little echo chamber, as evidenced by both their determined ignorance of a few years back and their continuing ignorance of today.
Even as they cry out loudly for answers, demand them in fact, they don't want to hear them, will block them, ignore them, and they will refuse to believe them when they do hear them. They are, and will continue to be, of their own choice, loserz.
I bring this up because unfortunately I see the same sort of thing happening on the left of political center, not nearly so bad, no, not nearly. But I do see it happening. And when I see it, I worry. I don't ever want us to wind up like them. So I'm asking all those who read these words, to listen to the other side. Pay attention. Think.
Think of it as reconnaissance. Think of it as a tedious education in what not to believe. Think of it however you must. But listen, learn. Please, don't be like the Freeperz. It's just not pretty.