chrismohr
Master Poster
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2011
- Messages
- 2,080
"I am aware that there are persons posting who find Gage a pleasant person to speak to and a person who seems genuine."
Well, Oystein, that can be only me; to my knowledge no one else in JREF-land knows Gage personally. And yes, I have told him repeatedly that I am baffled that he believes in something so completely unbelievable to me. The JREF consensus seem to be that he is either insane or profiting from known lies. I know he is sincere. Using this paradigm means he must therefore be insane. He doesn't seem insane. He's very likable.
Maybe this one-or-the-other thinking doesn't really explain it. If you talk with Democrats and Republicans, you tend to get a whole worldview, and people's beliefs and reasons all tend to support their core values and world view. If you're at all openminded you know that people can be conservative or liberal, and have good reasons... but still, their worldview governs what they see. A worldview that sees extreme evildoing as an endemic, structural reality of the U.S. government generates a series of beliefs around stolen elections, 911 CD, the building of concentration camps for dissidents, inoculations being horrifically destructive and created solely for the profiteering drug companies, bin Laden and al Qaida not existing at all, etc etc etc.
I have a way of liking people with completely different worldviews. My wife both complains and praises me for seeing the best in people. I am certain Richard believes as he does sincerely and passionately. I've met insane people in prison and Richard is not insane, though his worldview is much darker than mine. And he says things like that steel frame buildings are made indestructible by fireproofing. Of course that makes NO sense to me. Richard's passionate advocacy of 911 CD is a mystery. I can understand someone disagreeing with me on military philosophy, the balanced budget, abortion, a philosophy of governance, etc. Not 911 CD. People are a mystery.
Well, Oystein, that can be only me; to my knowledge no one else in JREF-land knows Gage personally. And yes, I have told him repeatedly that I am baffled that he believes in something so completely unbelievable to me. The JREF consensus seem to be that he is either insane or profiting from known lies. I know he is sincere. Using this paradigm means he must therefore be insane. He doesn't seem insane. He's very likable.
Maybe this one-or-the-other thinking doesn't really explain it. If you talk with Democrats and Republicans, you tend to get a whole worldview, and people's beliefs and reasons all tend to support their core values and world view. If you're at all openminded you know that people can be conservative or liberal, and have good reasons... but still, their worldview governs what they see. A worldview that sees extreme evildoing as an endemic, structural reality of the U.S. government generates a series of beliefs around stolen elections, 911 CD, the building of concentration camps for dissidents, inoculations being horrifically destructive and created solely for the profiteering drug companies, bin Laden and al Qaida not existing at all, etc etc etc.
I have a way of liking people with completely different worldviews. My wife both complains and praises me for seeing the best in people. I am certain Richard believes as he does sincerely and passionately. I've met insane people in prison and Richard is not insane, though his worldview is much darker than mine. And he says things like that steel frame buildings are made indestructible by fireproofing. Of course that makes NO sense to me. Richard's passionate advocacy of 911 CD is a mystery. I can understand someone disagreeing with me on military philosophy, the balanced budget, abortion, a philosophy of governance, etc. Not 911 CD. People are a mystery.