Truthers And Tropes

[Walter Ego]

It has been noted that truthers are often painfully literal-minded in the service of their cause. The concept of the simile in particular seems unclear to them.

For example, if a witness at the Pentagon said he saw a plane fly into the building ‘like a missle,’ this to the truther means ‘a missle hit the Pentagon.’

A post I read in the JREF archives yesterday said that Dylan Avery was perplexed when a British interviewer explained to him the difference between saying something is ‘like’ something else and saying something ‘is' the object of comparison. Apparently the actual word 'similie' was used and he was unfamilair with the term. (This was on the BBC Conspiracy Files show I believe)

Do you think this is willful obtuseness or just ordinary obtuseness on their part?

(And to mention another slightly different example of literal mindedness, a phrase like ‘pull it’ has one and only meaning to them which they hold onto like a dog protecting a treasured bone.)

[Loss Leader]

Do you think this is willful obtuseness or just ordinary obtuseness on their part?



It depends on the troother.

In general, you are talking about people whose psyche is more important to them than anything else. They are "willfully" obtuse in that their brains actually refuse to let them hear information which contradicts the conclusions that make them feel better about themselves.

Whether believing in a conspiracy makes them feel smarter, more special, more accepted or more secure, they will reshape the universe to keep that conspiracy true.

[T.A.M.]

I think for the vast majority of them it is simple ignorance of what the term means.

Plain and simple.

TAM:)

[johnny karate]

I'm always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt and consider their erroneous claims to be based in ignorance.

But when they are shown time and again the error of their ways, and there are ample sources for them to verify this information, I have to assume they are being willfully stupid.

ETA: T.A.M., is that tongue animation new? Because I've just now noticed it, and frankly, I'm a little disturbed.

[OldTigerCub]

I'm betting that right now a few dozen twoofers are googling "obtuse" to find out what it means.:p
None will ever admit to that, nor of being obtuse when presented with facts they don't like, however.

[twinstead]

ETA: T.A.M., is that tongue animation new? Because I've just now noticed it, and frankly, I'm a little disturbed.

Whew! I thought that was just me.

[leftysergeant]

A post I read in the JREF archives yesterday said that Dylan Avery was perplexed when a British interviewer explained to him the difference between saying something is ‘like’ something else and saying something ‘is' the object of comparison. Apparently the actual word 'similie' was used and he was unfamilair with the term.

I have read that Dylan was turned down for admission to a prestigeous film school, thwarting his ambitions to be a director. I think this may at least to some dgree, explain why.

A director needs to have something to say.

That this word is so foreign to him suggests that his verbal skills are even more limited than they would appear, as are his abilities to think abstractly.

If he wants a career in film, I would suggest he take up special effects.

[T.A.M.]

I'm always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt and consider their erroneous claims to be based in ignorance.

But when they are shown time and again the error of their ways, and there are ample sources for them to verify this information, I have to assume they are being willfully stupid.

ETA: T.A.M., is that tongue animation new? Because I've just now noticed it, and frankly, I'm a little disturbed.

Whew! I thought that was just me.

I am glad to see it had its desired effect...I wish it made a few of the truthers here feel that way...lol

Ya I put it in there about a week ago.

Sort of a mix between Mr. Smith, and the "V" Lizards.
TAM:)

[Walter Ego]

A post I read in the JREF archives yesterday said that Dylan Avery was perplexed when a British interviewer explained to him the difference between saying something is ‘like’ something else and saying something ‘is' the object of comparison. Apparently the actual word 'similie' was used and he was unfamilair with the term. (This was on the BBC Conspiracy Files show I believe)

I found it. It was on the BBC Conspiracy Files show and the sequence starts about 35:00 in on the Google video (link below).

Shankville corner Wally Miller had made a statement that there were no body parts visible when he first arrived at the crash and it seemed ‘as if’ the passengers were taken off the plane before it crashed.

The actual quote (from Dylan) was ‘it seemed as if the plane let its passengers off before hand.’ Dylan of course zoomed in on that quote to make it look like Miller had actually said there were no passengers on the plane because there was no crash.

The BBC interviewer explains to Dylan with some exasperation that the ‘as if’ was a simile Miller was using. The expression on Dylan’s face is priceless. He obviously has no idea what the BBC guy is talking about. (Though he probably looked the word up after the interview or after the show aired so he wouldn’t look so stupid if the term ever came up again in an interview.)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6680224505086911340