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Aug 20, 2004 By definition, stupid people accept poor arguments. That makes them stupid, instead of merely wrong. We all follow wrong arguments at times. We’re human. We can’t always see the weakness in the argument. The flaw may be hard to see. Stupid people, however, fall for arguments where the flaw is easy to spot. That's what makes them stupid. Sometimes, we allow experts to guide our opinion. We trust that they know more about the topic than we do. When ill, I follow my doctor’s advice. Of course, I follow my doctor’s advice only because I trust he studied anatomy and chemistry. I further trust that my doctor knows which chemical will relieve my illness. His diploma gives me reason to trust his medical knowledge. I may not know the answer myself, but I have strong reason to believe that my doctor knows it. So far, so good. Of course, if I discover that the doctor’s degree is not in medicine, but in medieval history, that changes things. I now distrust his medical advice. His advice would suddenly have no more weight than my butcher’s or sister-in- law. Now suppose another “patient” decides to follow the doctor’s advice anyway. When we ask him why, he argues that the man is a doctor. Obviously, the doctorate only has weight if it’s within the field of medicine, but the other patient simply ignores this. The title “doctor” is all he cares about. This other patient, then, would qualify as stupid. The transparency of the argument’s error measures the stupidity of its follower. We come, then, to Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen and friends intend to tour the country. They hope to persuade their fans to vote against President Bush. Let’s not kid each other. The “stars” are not going to stand at the microphone and display Power Point slides detailing the budget deficit. They aren’t going to give policy analyses on marginal tax rates. They aren’t distinguished military historians and diplomats hoping to outline strategies in Iraq. These are musicians. These are not classical musicians who create four-movement symphonies. These are rock musicians who write two-minute catchy tunes. These are rock musicians in the quick-cut video world of MTV, where deliberation on anything cannot last more than a second or so. Nothing wrong with that, of course. There’s a place for all that. Music entertains, and in a dangerous world, a touch of humanity is a needed respite. Yet by any rational standard, rock musicians are not political experts. Therefore, anyone who follows their advice, simply based on celebrity, is publicly declaring themselves stupid. It’s a public service, I suppose, for all those stupid people to gather in one, highly visible place. From city to city, these concerts will attract only the people who are willing to place their political judgments in the hands of rock musicians. We should have trained medical personnel nearby, since with so many stupid people gathered in one place, serious accidents are inevitable. It’s like having a convention for the Clumsy Society; they are likely to hurt themselves. Then again, we must be careful. By gathering such people in one place, we make them easy targets for criminals who target stupid people. No doubt, within the arenas, there will be prominent advertisements for products that stupid people are likely to buy. Study them carefully. If you find that you have bought such products, discretely dispose of them before you are exposed. As for the people within the arenas, I suggest we tag them, like wild animals, before setting them free in the wild. We can then create maps and charts of their movements. I hope that our best scientists can offer them hope for a better life. Now we should be clear. The musicians have every right to express their political opinions. Further, it’s a free country, and you can vote for anyone you want, for whatever reason you want. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. You can vote for someone for stupid reasons, if you want. If you want to vote for Kerry because he has better hair, go right ahead. If you want to vote for Bush because you find his shoulder- jumping laugh is cute, that’s your privilege as an American. Thousands upon thousands have fought and died for your right to vote using whatever rationale you want. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for why you vote. On the other hand, if you want to vote for someone because a rock star advised you to, it’s also my sacred right as an American to consider you a complete moron. Your right to express yourself doesn’t oblige us to agree with you. If you vote against Bush for his conduct of the war in Iraq, fair enough. There’s a bundle of arguments there. No one thinks the aftermath in Iraq has gone smoothly. On the other hand, anyone who thinks war and its aftermath should always go smoothly is being unreasonable. It’s a question of degree, and it’s up to each individual. If you want to vote against Bush because of the economy or the environment, you might have plenty of reasonable arguments. Voting for president on the advice of rock musicians, however, is hardly reasonable. In this wall-to-wall pundit world, it seems hard to believe that anyone feels they need more information about the candidates. Still, not everyone believes the information the pundits give out (wisely so). Therefore, perhaps many voters are waiting for the debates, hoping to hear from the candidates themselves. We all know, however, that the candidates are the chief spinners about themselves. That should go without saying. We all know that the candidates spend tremendous time trying to discover what voters want to hear, and tailor their words accordingly. So basing one’s vote on the debates may be just as stupid. One might hope that we can perceive something true and reliable despite the spin, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for too long. Finally, we wonder about the musicians themselves. No one questions their right to express themselves. Every citizen has that right, and we ought to encourage it. Yet the celebrities feel they have a responsibility to exploit their celebrity to persuade others to their point of view. That’s a nasty stretch of illogic. Exploiting one’s celebrity is plain manipulation. The musicians aren’t trying to persuade through reason. They’re hoping to trade their popularity in music for expertise in politics. Sane people know that one can’t be traded for another. How can one claim a responsibility to manipulate a voter? ------------ Email Michael Mulville: kcmulville@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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