The “Bubba Factor”…

You will note that I have briefly departed from my standard “fact based presentation format” to present some basic observations in conjunction with various elements I have come into close contact with recently.  Some of you may know me well enough to understand that I take great pride in performing the research, secondary validation steps and I paint the picture with opinion, while framing it with facts.

In doing so, I am providing my thoughts in conjunction with facts and events, history, action and reaction.  My opinion is exactly that and no more (or less) and as we all know, we each are entitled to have our own opinion (yes, I will finish the statement this time), but we are not entitled to have our own facts – this is where “The Bubba Factor” come into the discussion.

When we enter into a conversation at home, at a bar, at church or school, even over a telephone or on-line we are faced with an interesting dichotomy of differing opinions.  Generally speaking, people will not agree on everything, nor should we.  Discourse is part of how we learn from each other and how new ideas are presented.

How do we disassociate the opinion from the factual content?  Rather, how do we disassociate the fact from the opinion?  Either question forms a basis for a directed discussion and holds value within a given conversation, allows presentation of opinion where facts are to be consumed and vice versa where opinion is to be consumed.  All of this is said to present the following observations and to form a framework for my assessment of the “receptiveness” of others to facts or opinions that are meaningfully (or otherwise) within any discussion.

Again, as this is my opinion, I will speak in generalities, but will most likely hit upon some specifics for the purpose of defining my point(s) at various times.  My overall observation is that some “mindsets” are simply not receptive to new or different information and interestingly, this is a result of a lack of supportive background information (in support of their carefully held position).  One would think that a plethora of countering facts form the basis for disagreement, however I have found that this is simply not the case.

Here is the irony…  As a person forms an opinion, newly presented facts are (again generally) sorted between “in favor of” or “against” [the opinion that has previously been held].  A person that has a wealth of facts available understands MORE of the intricacies and interrelationships between seemingly disparate facts and thus more facts are retained within the “in support of” bin.  Whereas, a person that finds factual information sparsely available will both have fewer facts (by definition) and will retain fewer facts as “in favor of” because of the significant disparity that is perceived between the held opinion and the new fact.  This is a clear result of “Resolution” of the overall understanding or “Picture” (you have heard the term “big picture” before right?).

Let me illustrate a point.  If we look at the “presentation of facts” as a strobe light, we can easily draw a parallel between the frequency of facts and the understanding of the “whole picture”.  Obviously, if the strobe light is on a short cycle (on almost all of the time), the picture is clear and you can track with “changes” in the environment (think about moving your hand in front of the strobe).  Additionally, as the frequency decreases, the movement of your hand becomes more choppy and defined – your brain cannot determine where the next “plot” will fall, especially if there is a change in direction between flashes of the light.  If we draw the hard parallel, the more facts we have and understand, the more graceful the transition where a change in direction has occurred or an unexpected result happens.

Exacerbate this situation by controlling the input (looking again to the strobe light), one can actually time the flash and “perform tasks” while the light is off – with me so far??  This becomes an actual form of MIND CONTROL (Twilight Zone Music and all).

This is exactly the same phenomenon that occurs with the group of people that experience a significant and ongoing lack of facts within a given discussion topic, and is indeed exacerbated by a directed feed of psudofacts (information that has been manipulated to be “just off of the truth by a little bit”.  If you don’t believe that this can happen, I invite you to look up “Useful Idiots” on the web.  During the early throws of Communism and indeed the origins of the National Socialist Party (you remember who they were?), this was a calculated effort and this is also WHY it is extremely important that the credible news media remain within certain boundaries of factually based presentations.

I will offer that it IS our responsibility to research the truth in our current “world”, but Bubba doesn’t have the time, the inclination or in many cases the ability.  Am I condemning Bubba?  My response is this:  IF Bubba wishes to believe erroneous information it is one thing.  If Bubba wishes to provide this information as opinion it is marginally acceptable (as long as it is presented as OPINION ONLY (not likely), but IF Bubba presents his understanding of the topic as FACTUAL INFORMATION – he is a risk to NATIONAL SECURITY…

Useful Idiot:  “The term is now used more broadly to describe someone who is perceived to be manipulated by a political movement, terrorist group, or hostile government, whether or not the group is Communist in nature.”

Retrieved from:  http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/432647

At this point, I am sure that you think I am crazy or have been smoking something – I can only assure you, that is NOT the case.  It has been said “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.  To my roots, I cannot think of a case in history, where truer words have ever been spoken, especially where “Bubba” is a well meaning, well respected individual with a heart of gold and promoter of his small community values.

To elaborate on the trend that I refer to as “The Bubba Factor”, there ARE other well known elements that actually can enhance the lack of facts, reinforce inaccurate assessment of facts (by a group) of people and of course the purposefully misleading source of information will provide a very specific focus on what is exactly what “they” want you to both believe and to “feed” to others.  I call these elements “Fact by Inference” and there currently exists a very prominent news outlet that provides this type of “coverage” on a regular basis, as a rule, and as part of the STANDARD FORMAT.

Do not for one minute think that since we lived through NAZI German aggression, watched while it happened, and provided intervention to stop the spread of the philosophy, that we fully understand as a people HOW IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED – TO THE PEOPLE.  Yeah, this looks like “yet another freak telling tales”.  Perform your own research – as I said look up “Useful Idiots”, become conscious of the references “on the street” where Obama is being called a Muslim, Witchcraft was performed in College, but that is OKAY… Frankly, there are far too may OUTLANDISH “things” that are being promulgated in our “news” daily to find otherwise.

Rest assured, the acceptability of Witchcraft, the drive to create a Christian Theocracy in America, headless bodies in the desert, Terror Babies, and the general condemnation of people that are “different from us” – but ARE Americans, all come from The Bubba Factor!  If you watch any single channel for all of your news, you are comfortable but under the strobe light.

If you take the time to question and research what you have been told – you already have a stronger resistance to this “disease”.  Note also, that part of the effect of The Bubba Factor, is to make you uncomfortable with the facts that “they” really DON’T want you to know.  As ridiculous as this issue sounds, this is not fiction, it is a directed effort and yes, you may put the straight jacket on me now if you really think that I am wrong.

I leave it up to YOU to decide, but remember, the “normal” German population made a similar decision in the mid 1930’s… Perhaps you know someone that you could ask about this phenomenon.  I will leave you with this (if you still don’t think that this is a serious issue).  Please carefully consider the following:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007392

Change “Socialists” to “Hispanics”

Change “Trade Unionists” to “Gays”

Change “Jews” to “Muslims”

You have the Right Wing aspirations as openly expressed over the last 6 months in America…

Do you still think I am crazy??

Read the original story at American Soapbox