My main concern is not the ignorance, selfishness, or irrationality. It is the manipulation of those with influence that concerns me the most. I'm not referring to solely government leaders, but also those who have a louder voice than most who choose to abuse their charisma to push an abysmal idea for a multitude of reasons, most of which are out of selfishness.
They are the reason WHY some of us are irrational, ignorant, and selfish. I'll give an example of this - conspiracy theories. Have you ever talked to someone who is convinced that 9/11 was a government plot? They believe it so much that they'll give many reasons, no matter how uncited or inane they are, on why it was a plot, and should you even attempt to question the legitimacy of their claim, most likely they will try to quash your criticism with disregard and name calling (e.g., if you don't believe me you're just a government tool/sheep/zombie!). Why are they so inclined to defend an idea that is based on little evidence? Why are their minds closed to further research and education?
Manipulation.
Someone had manipulated them to believe in something that's irrational. They do this by fear-mongering, peddling an idea to a group and suggesting that if you even attempt to disagree, you are the enemy. The source of a manipulation has influence, so they use their charisma to force an idea, no matter how illegitimate a claim is, onto the public, and they succeed through antagonistic tone, and the use of pseudoscience. Why do they do this?
Personal gain. Whether it be monetary, fame, or otherwise, it is solely for personal gain. They don't care that these ideas are harmful to society. They don't care that people are uneducated, dimwitted, or irrational because of them. None of them matter. It's all for personal gain.
Manipulation is exploitable, and when in the wrong hands, destructive. There is one countermeasure to this however. There is a way to fight against this, and I know what it is. What is this method?
Knowledge.
They are the reason WHY some of us are irrational, ignorant, and selfish. I'll give an example of this - conspiracy theories. Have you ever talked to someone who is convinced that 9/11 was a government plot? They believe it so much that they'll give many reasons, no matter how uncited or inane they are, on why it was a plot, and should you even attempt to question the legitimacy of their claim, most likely they will try to quash your criticism with disregard and name calling (e.g., if you don't believe me you're just a government tool/sheep/zombie!). Why are they so inclined to defend an idea that is based on little evidence? Why are their minds closed to further research and education?
Manipulation.
Someone had manipulated them to believe in something that's irrational. They do this by fear-mongering, peddling an idea to a group and suggesting that if you even attempt to disagree, you are the enemy. The source of a manipulation has influence, so they use their charisma to force an idea, no matter how illegitimate a claim is, onto the public, and they succeed through antagonistic tone, and the use of pseudoscience. Why do they do this?
Personal gain. Whether it be monetary, fame, or otherwise, it is solely for personal gain. They don't care that these ideas are harmful to society. They don't care that people are uneducated, dimwitted, or irrational because of them. None of them matter. It's all for personal gain.
Manipulation is exploitable, and when in the wrong hands, destructive. There is one countermeasure to this however. There is a way to fight against this, and I know what it is. What is this method?
Knowledge.
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