Great read, I enjoyed it. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Cognitive dissonance simply means most brains cannot see past their own narrow ideologies. They dismiss any data that contradicts their old ideologies. Whether you're a conservative Republican or liberal Democrat, you only hear what you already know is "true." All else is tuned out.</div> This is soooooo true. Ideologues, as I call them, are often square pegs in round holes (or just a-holes)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Jul 25 2008, 08:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Great read, I enjoyed it. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Cognitive dissonance simply means most brains cannot see past their own narrow ideologies. They dismiss any data that contradicts their old ideologies. Whether you're a conservative Republican or liberal Democrat, you only hear what you already know is "true." All else is tuned out.</div> This is soooooo true. Ideologues, as I call them, are often square pegs in round holes (or just a-holes) </div> Cognitive dissonance reminds me a bit of confirmation bias & denial. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases It makes me wonder what ideologues are called on Fox News? lol.
If you get a chance, watch Penn & Teller's Bullshit program this week on the green movement. Hilarious as usual and an interesting look at ideologues. One of my favorite parts was about a woman who runs a carbon credit WWW site. People actually give her money for these credits that she just makes up out of thin air. She has a carbon footprint calculator on her WWW site that may as well be random numbers. Another good bit had one of Penn & Teller's employees working a parking lot. She wore a vest with CCC on it, Carbon Credit Coalition, and she had a clipboard and a calculator. She'd walk up to people as they were coming and going from the stores in the shopping center and ask them "how far did you drive to get here?" or "is that coffee light or dark roast?" Then she'd punch in a bunch of numbers in the calculator and tell them "your carbon footprint for driving here or drinking that coffee is $1.75" and the people actually forked over money to her. One woman at the end of the show asked if she could write a check for $20 to make up for all the carbon she produced in the last week. What utter morons. Ideologues.
I'm anxious to see the aforementioned doofus would charge me for getting a 24 oz low carb Monster every morning driving a pickup that gets 17.5 MPG in the city. The sheer idiocy of Carbon credits and cap and trade make ill and is a great idea for another thread. Don't get me started about those who pay this lady. If you feel so guilty; conserve rather than get scammed. After reading Liberal Fascism & then this article, its appears we are slowly & sadly making this transition towards socialism.
P&T did another one about recycling that revealed some things. It costs more to use recycled than it does to make from scratch. Another thread idea...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Jul 26 2008, 07:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>P&T did another one about recycling that revealed some things. It costs more to use recycled than it does to make from scratch. Another thread idea...</div> And that is the problem with society - people worry more about the internal costs (i.e. money and benefit etc) rather than the external costs to the World and community. It might cost more money, but it is better for the environment and is therefore worthwhile. Obviously it does depend upon the exact price difference but as far as I am aware it is not that great.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (chingy0007 @ Jul 26 2008, 12:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Jul 26 2008, 07:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>P&T did another one about recycling that revealed some things. It costs more to use recycled than it does to make from scratch. Another thread idea...</div> And that is the problem with society - people worry more about the internal costs (i.e. money and benefit etc) rather than the external costs to the World and community. It might cost more money, but it is better for the environment and is therefore worthwhile. Obviously it does depend upon the exact price difference but as far as I am aware it is not that great. </div> Using common sense & cost effective approach, when you shop (for anything), will somewhat minimize IMO the whole recycling/conservation movement.
As for recycling glass, I really don't see the point. They make glass from sand. Sand is everywhere. We aren't going to ever run out of sand. If it's cheaper to make glassware brand new, then that is exactly what should be done.
More importantly: China becoming Democratic? The world is changing rapidly, and it's getting quite scary to be honest.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Main Event @ Jul 27 2008, 01:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>More importantly: China becoming Democratic? The world is changing rapidly, and it's getting quite scary to be honest.</div> I agree. Though, what about France "reforming" and moving right of Center? In the book Liberal Fascism, it talks about a "third way" of government. Initially, I perceived this as a blending of democrat and repblican philopsophies into a populist approach. Then, it dawned on me yesterday, what if by "third way" if its meant a hybrid of socialism and capitalism? Does that mean the social democracies of Western Europe are harbingers of things to come?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thoth @ Jul 27 2008, 02:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Does that mean the social democracies of Western Europe are harbingers of things to come?</div> Yes.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thoth @ Jul 27 2008, 12:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Main Event @ Jul 27 2008, 01:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>More importantly: China becoming Democratic? The world is changing rapidly, and it's getting quite scary to be honest.</div> I agree. Though, what about France "reforming" and moving right of Center? In the book Liberal Fascism, it talks about a "third way" of government. Initially, I perceived this as a blending of democrat and repblican philopsophies into a populist approach. Then, it dawned on me yesterday, what if by "third way" if its meant a hybrid of socialism and capitalism? Does that mean the social democracies of Western Europe are harbingers of things to come? </div> It's basically what we already are. All the modern nation states are some sort of Social(ist) Democracy. What's really great about socialism is I can sit on my ass and drink iced tea by the pool while getting everything I need for free as a public service. At the same time, ROTR can work his ass off so I won't have to. Neat. It's effectively what's happened in Europe, where they traditionally have had 10%+ unemployment rates even in the best of times. Something to think about. The USA has a population of ~300M and a workforce of maybe 120M. That means 180M people in the US don't work. Not that I think everyone should work, it does mean those 120M are carrying a lot of the load.
Just watch the video in my signature. The world will eventually be ruled by one leader. Currently there are plans being drafted to make Mexico, USA, and Canada one whole country, and likewise with Europe and the EU. I know this sounds far-fetched but just wait and see.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Main Event)</div><div class='quotemain'>The world will eventually be ruled by one leader. Currently there are plans being drafted to make Mexico, USA, and Canada one whole country, and likewise with Europe and the EU. I know this sounds far-fetched but just wait and see.</div> What in the name of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & Hulk Hogan do you mean? I know The new world order is gaining ground. Don't tell Glenn Beck; his head might explode. On 2nd thought, let me go find some way to contact him. Denny has a point about only 40% of the US working. Though, can you really count kids (junior high & younger)? I guess I'd could see the transition ramping up here especially after the housing and Wall St bailouts, but, now I'm discouraged as Denny pointed out we already are a semi-socialist country. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thomas Jefferson)</div><div class='quotemain'>The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thoth @ Jul 27 2008, 03:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Main Event)</div><div class='quotemain'>The world will eventually be ruled by one leader. Currently there are plans being drafted to make Mexico, USA, and Canada one whole country, and likewise with Europe and the EU. I know this sounds far-fetched but just wait and see.</div> What in the name of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & Hulk Hogan do you mean? I know The new world order is gaining ground. Don't tell Glenn Beck; his head might explode. On 2nd thought, let me go find some way to contact him. Denny has a point about only 40% of the US working. Though, can you really count kids (junior high & younger)? I guess I'd could see the transition ramping up here especially after the housing and Wall St bailouts, but, now I'm discouraged as Denny pointed out we already are a semi-socialist country. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thomas Jefferson)</div><div class='quotemain'>The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.</div> </div> Consider in 1900, 95% of the population worked, including kids - on family farms or in coal mines for $.10/day. I think you absolutely can count kids. Even so, there's maybe 30M or 40M kids, so still a huge % of people who don't work.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thoth @ Jul 27 2008, 05:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>What in the name of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & Hulk Hogan do you mean? I know The new world order is gaining ground.</div> You forgot Hollywood Hogan, and his beard that seemed to be drawn on with a sharpie.
