I think it's fair to say that sometimes people don't need facts; they simply need a self-invented, idiotic excuse of a reason. It reminds me of that case where some readers of a ghastly redtop went after a paediatrician, after getting the word confused with 'paedophile.'
May this poor guy rest in peace
I remember that, Tom. The trouble is rationality is not something we are necessarily born with and some people never acquire the skill, so do things like this. It could be put down to substandard education but really I think it is coping mechanism. Hear me out, and I am not defending these people, no chance, but people believe in things without evidence because of our chronic fear of death, and the 'no more' when we cease to be. I maybe wrong but we could be the only species that understand our ultimate fate, how it occurs, and have it in the back of our minds every waking moment. It is quite a disturbing idea. I have a thought experiment. Someone hands you two sealed envelopes. One is marked Date, the other Cause. You can only choose one, the date of your death, or how it happened. What would you choose?
Sorry, went a bit off topic there.
Beet
Hmm, I'm not entirely in agreement with you there. I don't believe that in the case of the paedophile/paediatrician that they were motivated by anything as noble - nor as fundamental - as either a fear or an awareness of death. I think they just wanted to have a go at someone, anyone, who even in the most casual of ways fitted their 'target profile.' Mob mentality. And I DO think that education comes into it to a degree; I speak only from my experience but people who have had more education seem to be able to think more for themselves, to have confidence in their own ideas and beliefs, whereas those who've perhaps not been so fortunate as to receive that level of education, may well swallow what they're told in the newspapers far more willingly. Those brash, partisan campaigns about issues tend to originate from the red-tops to their audiences....
Today, I was driving behind a hay wagon and it was haring around like a mad thing, so mad in fact that its load hit a telegraph pole which splintered, broke in two and one of the pieces came hurtling towards me. I had to swerve in order to miss it coming through my windscreen and if there'd been a car coming the opposite way, I'd be either dead or severely injured tonight. So, I'm just grateful I have another day
TC
