When Facts Mean Nothing

This email to Andrew Sullivan from one of his readers struck a chord with me.

During the months that have passed since John McCain “tapped” Sarah Palin to be his running mate, I’ve had more and more trouble reconciling the obsessive adoration of Palin by so many in the GOP, including a lot of my relatives, (some of whom are very smart and successful people) with the obvious dangers of having someone like her as president. The bizarre behavior. The vapid thinking. How do they not recoil at the smug way in which she wears her ignorance like a badge of honor? It’s just amazing to me how every word out of her mouth is taken as gospel, and when she can’t even answer a softball question without struggling to form a semblance of coherent opinion, they set off against the liberal media.

Never mind the implications of her “word salad” responses. It’s quite sad actually, especially for me to see how my own family has changed. There’s been this kind of de-evolution from a thinking, reasoned, disinterested opinion, into an irrational, crusading, narrow banded thinking process...

My siblings back in Indiana are all bright and successful.  We can talk and argue intelligently at length on any subject whether it be science, economics, agriculture, music, you name it.  They are thoughtful about what they say and they will call you out when you say something that sounds fishy or illogical, but when it comes to politics or religion, their minds snap closed like a venus flytrap.  Everything is straight from Fox News and even when you confront them with obvious facts they won't back down.  Of course this has been going on for years in our family. It sounds like Andrew's readers family just caught the same disease.

--Trakker

Comments

[Dan D. Doty]

They have closed minds?

Need I remind you that it was you who stop any comments of the last two threads on guns.

Maybe you should look in the mirror for someone is closed minded.