By David Brin
ENCINITAS, California–The brilliance of Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, Prince Waleed and their clade really impresses me. Twenty years ago, they were subsidizing Rush Limbaugh and the neoconservatives to spread what’s become the core notion of today’s right. (Though it also crops up on the far-left!) The notion that assertions can trump facts.
Ridiculing the “fact based community” — of academics, professional diplomats, soldiers, civil servants, scientists etc — the party line has become completely untethered from any need for consistency or reference to evidence. Indeed, the list of knowledge castes under attack at Fox is now almost complete. Only Wall Street has been left out. (Find the exceptions!)
Not even Marxists ever found so perfect a way to insulate their followers from dogma-dilution. Is there any way to get past the nostrums recited by Limbaugh listeners and climate denialists and so on?
I found one. And it works. It works very, very well.
Make it a matter of money. Stone cold hard cash.
I have found that no amount of facts or evidence will shift an “ostrich” republican back to the old ways of Goldwater and Buckley, back in pre-Fox days, when conservatism respected knowledge and facts. Back when the average education level of republicans was higher than democrats, when 40% of scientists were in the GOP, instead of less than 5%. When knowledge and intellect weren’t the openly declared enemy.
Nevertheless, I found a bullet! When faced with absolute denial and perfect assertion-addiction, one thing cracks the turtle shell. Demanding a wager!
“You are absolutely certain about your list of assertions, even those that sound cockeyed and totally over-the-top. So certain are you, that you’re willing to stake our nation’s future on them, even putting back in charge the idiots who ran America off a cliff in the first decade of this century. So certain that you’ll demonize every opponent, despise all educated people, and trash any talk of negotiation or compromise.
“Fine. Only then, if you truly are that certain, make a bet! Take my money! Back it up with cash that we’ll both deposit with some agreed-neutral party. I’ll even give you odds. If I am the fool, for disagreeing with you, take money from this fool.
“This matters. You are willing to help ignite the latest phase of the American Civil War, convinced that facts back up your side. Then show some guts. Put money on it!”
Here are just a few of the matters I have offered to lay on the table, at various times.
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You have your panties in a twist over illegal immigration? Well I will bet you illegal immigration is always worse under Republicans, who upon taking over savagely cut the Border Patrol. Democrats reinforce it. In any event, illegal immigration across the Mexico-U.S. border has now, under Obama, reached net-zero. If you don’t believe it, put it in a wager and take my money! Or else, stop ranting about this!
(Side note: white males are instinctively noticing that the USA is no longer theirs to control, alone. Some react viscerally against this new era and blame illegal immigrants. But in fact, America’s demographics have been changed far more by LEGAL immigration, a matter the GOP never ever raises. One has to wonder.)
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You claim we’re in steep moral decline, especially in Blue America. Red America is more moral and knows better how to raise kids up, wholesomely and right? Okay, let’s assume we’ve shaken on a wager? Here’s just one example of a clear-fact refutation. Teen pregnancies are highest in states with abstinence-only policies. (In fact, get Crazy Uncle to bet on every point of “immorality” from divorce rates, teen sex, STDs, domestic violence to almost every type of crime. He’ll lose on all counts. Take his cash.)
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Taxed enough already? That’s the outraged mantra. So make a bet on how high taxes really are in the U.S. today, especially for the rich, compared to any time in the last 80 years. Blue America pays more taxes, gets fewer benefits, but… key point… whines much much, much less.
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Obama the socialist? BHO got his own party to pass the Republicans’ own health care proposal (circa 1994-2004). “Obamacare” is essentially the Gingrich Plan, later adopted by Mitt Romney. Don’t let them weasel by claiming “We changed our mind!” Sure, they have that right.
But you do not have a right to change your mind AND scream”socialist!” at those who implement YOUR plan.
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Here’s one that always works. Offer to bet him that Rupert Murdoch’s top partner and co-owner at Fox News is a Saudi Prince. He’ll deny it in screeching outrage… then refuse to make it a wager. Nail him with that hypocrisy.
I could go on and on. Indeed, many of you regulars are tired of hearing these same things recited here. (Well, you knew it would happen in an election year!) But that’s not the point, this time.
Sure, I know we won’t change many minds with this tactic. Negotiation and mind-changing isn’t in the cards. Not during outright Civil War.
But at least this’ll arm you to help get the nut-jobs to shut the f$#& up! Because they care, above all, about their money.
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Hence this OPEN CALL!
Come to the comments section (below) and offer your own favorite crazy uncle bets, parsed to go to the heart of a right wing “frame” and easily disprove it. Offer it up as a clear wager… and provide citations for devastating proof/evidence. Keep them short n’ punchy and focused on crystal clear FALSIFIABLE STATEMENTS or wagers subject to potent proof. I’ll publish the best ones here.
Oh, and just for fairness sake… you contrarians or republicans are welcome to offer up ways to bait your dogmatic-leftist crazy aunt, too! They may not be as numerous or dangerous as the Beck-ite loons, right now, but I consider them fair game. Only dig this… try to stick to actual unbiased assertions that real liberals actually say, not things Glen Beck claims they say.
I’ll post the top ones on CONTRARY BRIN.
Even better, I hope someone will become convinced to run with this concept and create a web site devoted to Big Political Bets. As contributions to sanity go, you could do much worse.
Brin is a scientist, acclaimed science fiction writer and son of the late poet and publisher of the Jewish Heritage newspapers Herb Brin. This column initially appeared on his personal blog, Contrary Brin, at http://davidbrin.blogspot.com