Make It and They Will Come – Organization’s Self Fulfilling Prophesy

Let’s be as general as possible here:

Given: Make an organization with Mission X.  Give it a cause based in a current event that has the attention of the nation.  Allow that this organization have more than some critical statistical number of members Y.  ( estimated at >100)

When you do this it is a forgone conclusion that if there is some notariety to be had, a book deal to be made or a career in poliitcs to be started then there will be people championing cause X.  Even if its some lunatic idea such as the sky is falling. (A.K.A. global warming A.K.A. The Biggest Ever Tee Shirt Scam )  Thus any conclusion which is popular in the press – for example the anti Iraq effort of the news media - will be promulgated by some member as a start of their book deal/political career.   Just think John Kerry in the early 70’s “testifying” in front of congress.  Testifying is in quotes because I’m not sure that is the word to use when performing in a show trial.

Thus you find the following being packaged up and being sold on 60 minutes:

Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, who helped Hutto to found the organization they call Appeal for Redress that has attracted 1,000 other military members, is more blunt. “Just because we volunteered for the military doesn’t mean we volunteered to put our lives in unnecessary harm and to carry out missions that are illogical and immoral.” 

While the number of soldiers against the war is noted as being 1000, which is less than 1%, the dying show 60 minutes sees some chance to make some ground against its losing war in the ratings game.

Give me a group of 100,000+ individuals and I’ll find opinions for and against EVERYTHING and ANYTHING.  Again the critical thinking skills of the American people will be found wanting I fear.  Numbers properly applied yield immutable conclusions. 

The fact is the news media is in constant need of product and quite frankly I’m sick of having my intelligence insulted by it.  Good will be the day that the old style media dies.  These goons love bad news and in fact with the Iraq situation court it.  It simply sells way too many commercials not to be able to resist it. 

When I watch the news its easy to see the most jaded side of human nature for me.  And all the while the newspeople feign sadness.  I really don’t take them at a single word.  Whatever correspondence with actual events their tales may have are purely coincidental. 

The best thing we can do is turn them off and search out the truth of matters by other means.

Active Principle:  The more information is promoted the more it is suspect.  Truth does not need to be promoted.  It travels by its own accord.   Veracity is a quality that is useful all by itself and thus travels on its own power.

An good example of this principle is with restaurants.  I very rarely go to a heavily advertised restaurant.  Good restaurants have very little need to advertise.  Word of mouth does it all for them.