Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirty F
(Post 19539167)
Truther are by far the saddest and most pathetic people on the internet.
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In Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) there is a great deal of discussion on "certainty" being the enemy of learning, where doubt and self doubt are critical to learning. After all, when you know it all or are certain in your views/understanding etc, you have nothing more to learn. Some people use certainty as a tool to allow themselves to continue to adhere to a inordinately distorted perception of reality where any evidence that may call that certainty into doubt is summarily rejected without consideration and where any evidence that can be distorted to fit or support their views, is. You ever notice how the more bizarre or absurd a view is, the more certain the person holds that view is that he or she correct?
It's comical when you read/listen etc to those sorts of lectures and books because you instantly think of conspiracy theorists on this board. Conspiracy theorists are usually 100% certain in their views. There is usually never any doubt. There is usually zero receptiveness to other viewpoints or ideas that might challenge their own and they've learned to mask a wide range of unhealthy emotional behaviors behind the age old self deception of "i'm just asking questions" ... as if they haven't already formed or reached a conclusion are are merely inquisitive folks with no pre-conceived notions. Even more interesting is that they almost always follow a wider pattern of general distrust of authority figures and then continue to express that when and where possible (as wehateporn does). The truth is that the questions usually rhetorical and used to exude a sense of "wanting to get at the truth" and discovering the truth and being accepting of the data no matter where it leads... when the intent is the exact opposite. It's also a tool used to establish some basic rapport to get someone to engage by suggestion "hey, like you, i'm just here to learn" but of course, it's always quickly clear that a conclusion was already reached and really, its about changing your perception of reality to fit their own.
This is also a fascinating thing about human behavior and the mind. From the standpoint of the human experience, there is no objective reality. Reality itself and what we experience is generally far more unique to the individual than we like to believe. Our brains process and insane amount of information everyday... and with that comes a great deal of shortcuts, information being ignored, deleted or even severely distorted when useful. After all, we are nothing more than containers for DNA which have no other purpose other than to survive and replicate. In other words, when crossing the street, its useful to glance at oncoming traffic and be aware of the speed and distance of the approaching vehicles but your mind will delete other information such as what is behind you, the color of a building behind you and a whole lot of information that is not relevant to the act of surviving crossing the street. The only information you need that moment is information relevant to survival (your DNA's survival). Most information we process each day is not relevant to that end, thus, not overly important. Your mind also distorts information to your benefit and often detriment. For example, you might be more likely to believe a car is farther away and going slower than it is if you are in a hurry and intend to dart out into the street. Something you believe in the moment and action you decide to take might seem very reasonable and safe but onlookers might view as a bit insane. Once completing that crossing, one would then further distort things with a satisfied sense of "see, i told you so" - to reinforce the idea in your own mind that you made a fine decision and your wiring is perfectly fine. At the end of that experience, what you are left with is both a distorted memory and understanding of what happened based on how you perceive and interpret everything around you, based on your own neurological filters, based on information you paid attention to or ignored, based on information you retained or deleted or distorted. A single event happened with a single set of facts, yet there might be many many interpretations and understandings of what happened - complicating that is that your mind will continue to distort memories. Memories are not records filed away that can be recalled as we think they are. Memories are memories of memories of memories and your unconscious mind is constantly filling in gaps as it goes with different information (usually information favorable to what you want to believe about that event), thus, further changing and distorting information and causing a much much different interpretation of those same events at later points in time. Consider that happening with every witness to the event and the combinations of interpretations of what happened and what they were distorted into... eventually become more or less, unlimited.
Everything that wehateporn and similar people on this board post tends to follow a common theme or thread. Generally, its all an expression of anxiety and an exaggerated distrust of authority. Some exhibit more severe symptoms than others (johnnyclips) and some clearly have other, much deeper issues and most often, these views are the symptoms of much greater emotional and/or mental problems. Their interpretations of events are severely distorted to align with the world as they see it, which has been shaped by these emotional and/or mental conditions so their daily experience is more easily reconciled with this distorted perspective of the world around them. Their interpretation of events are severely distorted from the outset and over time, those interpretations become increasingly distorted until they literally just can't reconcile their perceptions and interpretations with those of people around them. because of that, they have to then fall back on standard "go to" insults like "sheeple", "brainwashed" etc. Otherwise, what would the explanation be? If you are 100% certain in your views as being 100% correct and a lot of the world around you is telling you different, you either have to have a massive emotional breakdown as everything you know and are, suddenly evaporates and is filled with uncertainty, insecurity and the fear of having no real understanding of anything around you in that moment or you can resist and insist everyone else is the problem and have the benefit of feeling like everything is just fine as they go on with their day.
The internet has become a tool for people to find and interact with like minded people. I've always been interested in where this would lead. The problem of course with this relatively new medium of communication that makes it much much easier for a person with a exceedingly distorted perception of reality to remain "certain" of their views as they can then align with greater and greater numbers of people who suffer from the same problem. There is an old maxim in cult behavior "when more people that believe what you believe, the more right you become". This is why that in a somewhat perverse way, its also important to challenge those people, to speak up and to marginalize them to the greatest extent possible.
In this respect, you are doing the world a great service :)
Crush them every chance you get. Not because its the nice thing to do. But because its for the greater good.
