It is surprising to me -- perhaps it should not be -- that this vicious myth survives; as recently as 2005, some 20 members of the Russian Duma presented it as fact.
Interestingly, similar sweeping libels are still applied against other minorities and are still promoted as absolute truth by people who one would expect to know better.
There's a very simple yardstick for determining the truth of such talk: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof." Not to mention an extraordinary degree of skepticism in evaluating. Remember, the simplest (and most directly personally beneficial) motive is usually the actual motive for people's actions, and vast conspiracies are only the stuff of spy novels. (Sorry, Mrs. Clinton!)
Is the NRA fomenting insurrection? Are homosexuals out to destroy your marriage? Is every swarthy cabdriver a mad bomber and lying to you as a matter of religion? Does Rush Limbaugh run the Republican Party? Probably not. On the other hand, George Soros and the Koch Brothers are indisputably political activists with their own agendas and if money talks, they're plenty loud. See how this works?
(Edited: I had typed "poof" instead of "proof," with the expectable result in Comments. Extraordinary, indeed!)
Update
3 days ago
8 comments:
I nominate Richard Simmons for extraordinary poof.
Rush Limbaugh is using the blood of children to bake his bread! The NRA is out to destroy your marriage! George Soros runs the Republican Party! (Well, ok, maybe that last one...)
Bob,
Everybody in the restaurant just looked at me funny...
Kudos, Bob..not normally a spelling grammar a$$h0le, but it took a lot of restraint on my part. I was typing "Liberace" when I hit "esc"
*grins*
Extraordinary opportunities require extraordinary restraint - - and I couldn't. ;-)
12 million+ Joos in the entire freakin' world of 8 billion souls. I can't for the life of me figure why 5 centuries worth of losers can continually be successful blaming everything on them. But it works...every time...nuthin' up my sleeve...it's the Joos.
Extraordinary poof? Tiny Tim.
But there's not a whole lot we can do about blood libels except sing a few more choruses of "Ain't that a shame" and put those responsible in Coventry. Preferably during a Luftwaffe raid. Le Boche might get lucky.
However, Georgy's brand of absolutist propaganda is a lot louder than the Koch's. About $105 million a year worth of louder.
Stranger
George is louder, but do as many people listen to him? It takes two to tango; even the glitziest ad-blitz or PR campaign needs a receptive audience.
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