How's Your Bullshit Detector?

[unhappycamper]

How's Your Bullshit Detector?
by Stephen Pizzo | Jul 21 2007 - 10:14am


Most days lately I feel like a losing boxer in the 12th round of 15-round match. Each morning I stagger out of my corner fully expecting another beating, and rarely am I wrong. How did this happen? Less than seven years ago I danced like butterfly and stung like a bee. How did I (we) fall so far, so fast?

In a word -- "Bullshit." That's right, bullshit. I, and the rest of us, allowed ourselves to be bullshitted into weakness, hopelessness, fear and despair. I'm not kidding. It really is that simple - and just that depressing. And it's just that embarrassing.

For some months now I've had a link on my own site to a remarkable address given 38-years ago to a convention of English teachers. It was delivered by author and scholar, Neil Postman way back in 1969. The speech was quite long, and some of it dealt with teaching. Which is why I suspect many folks never cut through the whole thing. So I've edited out the extraneous matter leaving intact Postman's core message, which I would summarize as, "Citizens living in a democracy, if they hope to keep that democracy, need to learn how to tell the difference between facts and bullshit."

Clearly, too many of us didn't, and as a direct result tens of thousands have died in Iraq and now our own democracy is threatened. All because critical thinking took a vacation, and the price we've paid for that lapse is staggering -- and growing.

Which is why I figured it was time to bring this piece up front for further attention, in the hopes it will prompt everyone to dust off their crap-detectors. Postman saw the danger nearly 40 years ago, tried to warn us, we didn't listen, and the rest is history.

(PS: While this speech was given to teachers in 1969 it would be even more relevant if given to journalists today !)


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[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd. nt

[eleny]

2. I was just telling a friend about this last night!

Thanks so much. Now I can send it to her.

[Mandate My Ass]

3. my b.s. detector is completely overwhelmed

I knew they were stovepiping bad intel way before the invasion in 2003.

[FredStembottom]

8. I remember telling a good friend on 9-13-2001:

There gonna want to attack Iraq! Here we go!

(I was an avid Harper's reader which had tabs on the Bush cabal going all the way back to PNAC's founding and that insane letter to Clinton telling him to "finish the job" in Iraq.)

[zonmoy]

10. as was mine

had to turn it off ever since 911 since every time someone said something remotely political that wasn't a conspiracy theorist it would go off at max power.

[madokie]

4. I still have mine hanging on my cork board

I'm getting pretty good at filtering it out on my own now so I rarely have to use it. so its for lend if need be. only have one too since I have only one ear that works

[saltpoint]

5. I think it's sort of a roundabout tribute to Ernest Hemingway for

you to give us this post this morning. Today's his birthday, and it was Hemingway who thought that to be effective, writers had to have a built-in bullshit detector.

I don't know if there are prior references to a bullshit detector, and Heminway wasn't even talking about politics, but it's a hell of a useful construction.

I think DU and other sites have state-of-the-art bullshit detectors when it comes to the media. And you just know some of those slimey rascals read these boards.

[lazer47]

6. Due to standing to close to an 8" self propelled gun without

ear plugs, The VA has been kind enough to give me my own personal set, I don't have to listen to BS anymore, I just turn them off,,, this includes my wife,,,,,, but don't tell her

[baby_mouse]

7. My Bs detector is fine and dandy, thanks.

Acutely sensitive and getting more so each day...

[Octafish]

9. Hemingway: Writers need '' a built-in, shock-proof, crap detector.''

Neil Postman is great.

Pizzo's great, too.

Great post. Thank you for another must-read post, unhappycamper.

[EVDebs]

11. More limited hangouts to come.....

Maybe if Reagan's abuse of the savings and loan fiasco in order to fund Iran Contra era CIA activities had been REALLY investigated a lot of what's going on today would have been prevented. I remember seeing millions being funnelled into Panama by CIA connected S&L personnel but this never seemed to make it into the literature in the mop-up writings about what-really-happened.

If only Hustler, Playboy and Penthouse cover these items and that's the only media outlet for those who write about the real story, what are we to believe about the process and M$M's ties to "intelligence" ?

What haven't they been telling us ? What haven't the "investigators" been telling us ?

Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans
http://www.mslit.com/details.asp?bookid=fw00002072

"You could get a journalist cheaper than a good call girl, for a couple hundred dollars a month." CIA operative discussing with Philip Graham, editor Washington Post, on the availability and prices of journalists willing to peddle CIA propaganda and cover stories. "Katherine The Great," by Deborah Davis (New York: Sheridan Square Press, 1991)

Love that quote.

Here's the info on Glenn Dill Mann, ambassador Martin's adopted/foster son:

http://www.popasmoke.com/kia/inciden...incident_id=35

"Ambassador to Thailand Graham A Martin traveled from Bangkok to the battlefront of Chu Lai to attend memorial services for his foster son, 1stLt Glenn Dill Mann, who was killed in action at Chu Lai.

A Marine Observation Squadron Six (VMO-6) pilot, istLt Mann was hit with machinegun fire while flying an armed Huey helicopter trying to smash a Viet Cong attack on Thach Tru, a government outpost 35 miles south of Chu Lai. His was one of four Hueys credited with smashing two heavy machinegun emplacements which were pivots of the action.

After the Memorial Services, conducted in the tent-chapel of MArine Air Group 36 (MAG-36) ambassador Martin was given his foster son's Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, with Palm. Awarded for the lieutenant's valor during the strike, the nedal was presented to the Ambassador by Col Pham Van Phu of the 2nd Army Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)."

This was Nov. 1965, immediately after the Ia Drang battles show in that Mel Gibson movie and book with the similar name , We Were Soldiers Once, And Young.

Interesting to note that Frances Fitzgerald (daughter of CIA SE Asian chief) wrote a history of the war called Fire in the Lake. In the same tradition I guess, or policy directive, take your pick, you have Mary Fricker co-authoring Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans. It begs the question, what CIA involvements were 'covered for' in this possible agency-sanctioned limited hang-out ?

Mary Fricker was Glenn's wife in 1965.

Bullshit detectors, anyone ?

[Richard Steele]

12. Kicked and recommended! (and bookmarked)