Comments on: Facts Are Stubborn Things http://www.oliverwillis.com/2006/04/27/facts-are-stubborn-things/ Like Kryptonite To Stupid Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:12:30 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: SaveFarris http://www.oliverwillis.com/2006/04/27/facts-are-stubborn-things/#comment-32345 SaveFarris Fri, 28 Apr 2006 13:04:40 +0000 http://improveman.com/ow2008/?p=1877#comment-32345 Turns out Drudge was wrong about WLIB's ratings too. They're <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/04-27-2006/entertainment/story/412376p-348760c.html" rel="nofollow">even worse</a>! Turns out Drudge was wrong about WLIB’s ratings too. They’re even worse!

]]> By: Repack Rider http://www.oliverwillis.com/2006/04/27/facts-are-stubborn-things/#comment-32344 Repack Rider Fri, 28 Apr 2006 01:04:29 +0000 http://improveman.com/ow2008/?p=1877#comment-32344 Crunching numbers has not typically been a Republican skill. For them, actual counting is so...liberal. That's why they like to count votes themselves. Crunching numbers has not typically been a Republican skill. For them, actual counting is so…liberal.

That’s why they like to count votes themselves.

]]> By: Rheinhard http://www.oliverwillis.com/2006/04/27/facts-are-stubborn-things/#comment-32343 Rheinhard Thu, 27 Apr 2006 21:04:34 +0000 http://improveman.com/ow2008/?p=1877#comment-32343 Considering the lightning speed with which Drudge's BS was accepted as gospel truth throught the right wing online echo chamber, and apropos of your mention of Glenn Greenwald's book, I thought I might point out Glenn's analysis of the right's <a href="http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/04/anatomy-of-thought-process-of-bush.html" rel="nofollow">imperviousness to facts</a> in general. Now, in the end, all this Sturm und Drang is about a pretty insignificant issue, really; numbers of sales of politically oriented books in the USA. But when confronted with numbers that show Drudge's blurb was out-and-out wrong, the response of the right blogosphere is totemic of its response to pretty much ALL data contrary to the policies of the Little Emperor, to wit: <blockquote><i>Kos claims that Drudge s numbers aren t on the up and up. <b>What-ev-eh.</b></i></blockquote> One can substitute pretty much any data for the first sentence in that quote. As Glenn observes, <blockquote>Doesn't that pretty much capture the whole sickness? "There are facts that suggest that what I am saying is not actually true. What is my response do that? '<i>What-ev-eh.</i>'" As in: "Some people claim there are facts that show that things in Iraq are not going really great. Something about civil war, sectarian hatred, anarchy, widespread violence, a total lack of security. <i>What-ev-eh.</i>"</blockquote> Considering the lightning speed with which Drudge’s BS was accepted as gospel truth throught the right wing online echo chamber, and apropos of your mention of Glenn Greenwald’s book, I thought I might point out Glenn’s analysis of the right’s imperviousness to facts in general.

Now, in the end, all this Sturm und Drang is about a pretty insignificant issue, really; numbers of sales of politically oriented books in the USA. But when confronted with numbers that show Drudge’s blurb was out-and-out wrong, the response of the right blogosphere is totemic of its response to pretty much ALL data contrary to the policies of the Little Emperor, to wit:

Kos claims that Drudge s numbers aren t on the up and up.
What-ev-eh.

One can substitute pretty much any data for the first sentence in that quote. As Glenn observes,

Doesn’t that pretty much capture the whole sickness? “There are facts that suggest that what I am saying is not actually true. What is my response do that? ‘What-ev-eh.‘” As in: “Some people claim there are facts that show that things in Iraq are not going really great. Something about civil war, sectarian hatred, anarchy, widespread violence, a total lack of security. What-ev-eh.“

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