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funWithHeadlines
funWithHeadlines
Sun, Dec 13, 2009 5:10pm

You probably already saw this, but David Poland commented on the same Manohla Dargis NYTimes article that you are talking about:

http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2009/12/women_looking_f.html

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Paul
Paul
Sun, Dec 13, 2009 6:33pm

I wonder if Carlson is the smoking gun I needed years ago. Back when Reagan was president, a friend of mine and I got into an argument. I said the GOP leadership had to be liars, because no one in their positions of power and levels of education could actually believe what they were saying, while he, as a long standing member of AA, argued that humans were quite capable of rationalizing falsehoods so that they themselves believed them. But if Carlson is playing dumb, then she must think her viewers are dumb, which leads me to believe she might know what she is saying is dumb.

As an aside for those of you who have read enough of my post to wonder, he won the argument by saying that not everyone was as well read and introspective as I was. At the time I just gave in and agreed, but two hours later I started laughing because I realized I’d given in because of my ego; if a sales rep or politician had said something like that, it never would have worked.

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Tonio Kruger
Tonio Kruger
Sun, Dec 13, 2009 10:08pm

I said the GOP leadership had to be liars, because no one in their positions of power and levels of education could actually believe what they were saying, while he, as a long standing member of AA, argued that humans were quite capable of rationalizing falsehoods so that they themselves believed them. But if Carlson is playing dumb, then she must think her viewers are dumb, which leads me to believe she might know what she is saying is dumb.

Unless you have psychic powers, you’re never going to know that for sure and anyway, “if you were smart, you’d believe the exact same things that I do so if you don’t, you’re either a liar or an idiot” is hardly the type of argument I would expect to hear from an enlightened person.

As noted on other threads by other people, posters on right-wing sites like Big Hollywood use the “if you don’t agree with me, you must be stupid” argument all the time and frankly, it’s gotten old.

Besides, how do I know that you really believe what you’re saying?

Your word?

Why should I trust that?

Act of faith?

Okay, but if I’m supposed to have faith that you really believe what you’re saying, don’t I deserve the same privilege–even if I disagree with you? Especially if I disagree with you?

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