Anecdotal beliefs

I photographed this display yesterday in the Oak House, an old manor house. That would be where the Lord of the Manor lived while the common people lived in squalor. I find it amazing that elitism is still popular in the 21st century. We have computers, the internet and smart phones, but people still worship royalty and celebrities. They turn out in droves to wave their little flags, when prompted to, by their betters. It seems once it gets going, it’s infectious. We are social animals though and so we like to do things together. I’m surprised public orgies aren’t more popular.

We can get brain washed into believing all sorts of things. Celebrities send their trillions of pounds of wealth overseas to avoid paying tax and people turn out to scream, cheer and want to become greedy bastards just like them. We are like chickens, there is a pecking order with royalty at the top followed by political leaders and the clergy. Everyone wants power and that desire for power promotes greed and sells lottery tickets. I don’t read newspapers or watch too much television and so I don’t really get caught up in the fervour.

I admit that I will buy a lottery ticket or two for the Euro-millions on Friday and hope to win the millionaire raffle. A million quid would be handy, I could have my garden landscaped and put the rest away to pay for the nursing home, for when I finally go completely senile.

What we believe is about evidence. There is empirical evidence, the stuff we see and witness first hand and then there is anecdotal evidence, hearsay evidence that is often bull shit, but people believe it. It’s right though, it’s in the newspaper. The fact that the newspaper is owned and controlled by an Aussie geriatric doesn’t seem to matter. If it’s on the television people believe it. They even believe what they see in porno videos. They don’t tell you that some nasty infections are caught copying some of that behaviour or that those nasty infections can lead to cancer. They tell people what they want them to believe and people believe what they want to believe. The country is broke, so we need austerity, everyone must cut down. They fail to mention the trillion quid the rich have sent overseas to avoid their taxes.

We need to observe more, give empirical evidence more credence. If the rich tell us the country is broke and then go to Ascot swilling champagne down their necks or go to Wimbledon scoffing strawberries and cream at a fiver a time. We should believe what we observe, not what the Prada clad élite tell us. We should wake up and smell the Coco Chanel.

If you are interested in how evidence, both empirical and  anecdotal influences us and can make us anxious, depressed and ruin our lives. You might like to pop over to a Zillion Ideas and read today’s blog; How to talk to your (inner) self. You will find that helpful, if you get nervous and especially helpful if you have a phobia like agoraphobia.

If you found today’s blog informative, entertaining or whatever. Please click like and share with your friends on LinkedIn or Facebook. I need more readers and subscribers, especially for a Zillion Ideas. You could even comment and give me a little feedback, so I know what to write next time. Tomorrow it will be Neodigital Art, I might use pictures from that Manor House.

Related articles

• The Propaganda Society (mike10613.wordpress.com)
• This week – the sun came out (mike10613.wordpress.com)
• You Should Downvote Contrarian Anecdotes (thobbs.github.com)
• Beecroft: I didn’t do any real research (morningstaronline.co.uk)

Advertisement