Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
Everybody arguing likes to think they’re arguing rationally with facts, logic and reason, and it’s the other guy getting hoodwinked by his hysteria and his emotions. Everybody gets more excited about it when we’re arguing about medicine, and this is understandable. We all understand how precious health is and what a life-changing event it would be if health were to go away so that we can’t get it back again.
Well, here’s something else people need to understand:
“Just wait ’til” arguments are emotion, not reason.
This may not be evident to the people who need to know; the people who go around using them, with varying degrees of frequency. It is abundantly apparent to those of us who have been continually on the receiving end of them for the last sixteen to nineteen months. “Just wait ’til you catch the ‘vid.” “Just wait ’til you’re on a ventilator.” “Just wait ’til you suffer permanent lung or organ damage.” “Just wait ’til it’s your family members who have it, and they caught it from you.”
These are not rational arguments. They feel like they are, to the person who is making them. That’s the problem. Feel.
“Future events will prove me right” is something you say when all other maneuvers have failed. If all other maneuvers have failed, there’s a reason why. Also, it is a tacit admission that present events, and past events, have not provided foundation for what you’re saying. By now, we have a certain depth of history behind a viral infection that, last year, was truly novel. If an argument is strong, it is reasonable to expect some past events should provide support for it, so there’s no reason to go delving into the future unless your argument is weak.
In addition to all that, it’s a turn-off when someone who’s trying to convince you to do something, is looking forward to your death or serious injury. It doesn’t close the sale. It doesn’t inspire reasonable, normal people to do what the other fellow wants them to do.
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