1. Those blindly and faithfully following the misleading “head ram” to the slaughterhouse, and laughing loudly baa baa baa, have never struck me as the “brightest” of animals.

   The same applies to the nasty ones kicking and trampling on the weak ones not keeping up with the bullying, but they are an even more dangerous kind.

   Yes, what can we expect. People who have no imagination, who cannot add logically placed dots together, they will never solve any riddles, will not even have any idea, that there may be something to the clues.

   Mind you, the quality of the rest of the MSM and what we are served via television, radio and online does not enhance the learning of analytical, deep thinking and rational action.

   • Mind you, the quality of the rest of the MSM and what we are served via television, radio and online does not enhance the learning of analytical, deep thinking and rational action.

     Interesting you say that, Marc. I was chatting with some folk (non-political) about some issue or other, and the subject turned to popular culture and the MSM and how it seems fairly lame on many occassions.

     The discussion turned to the movie, Idiocracy and how “energy drinks” were so popular because they “contained electrolytes” – even though none of the dumbed-down citizens of the future actually understood what “electrolytes” were…

     (I think this vaguely links to the issue we’re discussing here…?)

     • It starts with the very young ones, who are already inundated with not only light hearted, silly stuff (in moderation perhaps appropriate for kids), but also targeted by advertisers.

       So associations between what they see and hear and products are created in the subconscious. The whole approach will also “shape” perception and the workings of their minds.

       Hence McDonalds have Ronald McDonald and their playgrounds, and giveaway toys, to “bond” the human child to the brand and food (rich in sugar, fat and flavour enhancers), so they get hooked, and come back as teens and adults, later to “hand over” their own offspring, to go through the same initiation rites.

       Other retailers and service providers do the same, in slightly different ways.

       That is what it is all about, and the same “light-heartedness” and lack of critical awareness, that is what we are sadly dealing with, in large portions of the population. It is bred into them, they are brainwashed from infantile ages, so they are not even aware of being conditioned almost like robots.

       And as politics is viewed not much different to a “product” people want to “use” or have some “advantage” from, they treat it the same way as any other offered and consumable product or service.

2. One sometimes hears the term “trendy lefty intellectual (liberal)”, a derogatory term for a left-leaning liberal who happens to have a few brains. Why is there no right-wing equivalent term? Seems the answer lies in your article Frank. It doesn’t require many brains to be a greedy right-wing troll, but it does require a few brains to be a liberal.

   • Indeed.

     There is a tendency in this country to despise difficult thinking and those who do it – easier to admire glib talk and clever political manoeuvring, especially if it involves some lying. In fact, an obvious lie or two are needed for some people to respect a ‘skilful’ politician. If they can’t see him doing some clever lying, they see no political ability. Good politicians are meant to be good at this – it makes them good leaders!
     A bit like some people have to actually see the man slip on the banana-skin before they find him funny.

   • Such insufferable smugness only affects those on the left. This fact alone turns me off left wing ideologies

     • Yet you’re here. On a left wing blog site. To suffer? Isn’t that Interesting!

   • I just call them Wrong-wingers.

3. Congrats on creating a strawman to successfully knock over and confirm your intellectual superiority in your own mind. It must rip your undies that the right can beat the left even though it doesn’t have the same level of collective smarts.

   • Yeah. Nah.

     • Why is the left not able to consistently defeat the right then considering the right is full of what you imply are Forest Gump clones whilst the left is the natural home of the creme de la creme of the intellectual elite?

       • Forrest Gump was versatile – the Gnats can do nothing without a foreign bankroll and an army of consultants – to do the thinking for them.

       • Why is the right not able to consistently defeat the left?

         The right seems to be for consolidation and status quo, leading to stagnation and entrenched ideas. As de Bono explained: “rigid categories and point-scoring arguments”. (‘I am right, you are wrong’)

         (Yes, I KNOW that’s where Labour was in the 1980s – copying daffy notions from overseas. And it’s where it is now. I grieve with you.)

         In fact, as Bertrand Russell put it: “Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do”. (Which partly explains why people vote for retention of conservative rule.)

         However, for Big Hairy Audacious Goals you need people who aren’t averse to thinking differently.

         They can be of the ‘compassionate Tory’ brand, or the wild-eyed lefty lot, but they are thinkers, and they shake things up, and most people can’t stand it so good so they vote for a bit of conservative breathing time.

         Change can be inching-slow most times. Sad, eh?

4. This post should carry a hashtag of #Politicalhubris

   • What’s the matter Gosman? Truth hurting a bit?

5. Frank is quite correct.

   One comment from an anonymous Facebook poster qualifies as irrefutable evidence in my mind that the left have superior intellect.

   • Not at all, Matthew.

     Even ACT’s new leader, Jamie Whyte made the inference that right wingers aren’t the brightest in the night sky.

     On 6 June he said,

     “One of the unusual things about the ACT Party is many people in ACT actually voted against MMP, even though the ACT Party obviously depends on MMP…”

     http://www.3news.co.nz/Epsom-voters-a-minority-group—Whyte/tabid/1607/articleID/347356/Default.aspx

     Speaks volumes, huh?

6. ….. Maybe ‘jack peters” is Gosman ??? :0

   right wing troll and all ……

   But then maybe he fools the stupid.

   Who created the GCSB Gossy ????? hehe 🙂

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