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Always thought this was a prime example of the reality of the overriding moonbat agenda of "change."

If someone is using something, or doing something, or earning money, or creating a product, the first instinct of a moonbat is that that must be "changed," which usually translates to a ban by the nanny state.

Companies are using dihydrogen monoxide in products! Quick, CHANGE it! Sign the petition!11!!1

Facts and logic come a distant second to CHANGE!!!11!!!!!

This is sad. I would love to laugh at these moonbat drones, but i'm just disappointed in my fellow Americans. These people must be pushed back into the realm of invisibility, where they can smoke weed and be left absent of "hope" for "change". They're far too stupid to be trusted to vote, ever again. I know this video had nothing directly to do with Obama, but we all know they voted for Obama.

Dont you get a little tired of all those stupid BRITTA and PUR ads? their absolutly annoying and rediculous one must wonder what the producers were smoking before they made these stupid and brainless ads SAVE THE EARTH RECYCLE A ENVIROMENTALISTS

Classic Milgram experiment. People, all people, will tend to agree with a person they feel is an expert. Failure to think is tragically common to the human condition.

This particular "ban dihydrogen monoxide" experiment has been run hundreds of times in various settings, and this is ALWAYS the result. This isn't a conservative/liberal thing, this is a HUMAN thing.

This isn't a conservative/liberal thing, this is a HUMAN thing.

Posted by: Anonymous at February 18, 2009 12:19 AM

Perhaps you're right, but are you telling me that nobody ever bothers to ask a follow-up question? Not one?

When I've seen breakdowns, somewhere around .5-.7% of respondents in this type of experiment actually ask questions of sufficient depth that they realize that the petition is about water.

When I've seen breakdowns, somewhere around .5-.7% of respondents in this type of experiment actually ask questions of sufficient depth that they realize that the petition is about water.

Thanks for the answer. Does this mean were all succeptable to drone like behavior? If so, how come we didn't all fall for the Obama shit?

Yes, everyone is susceptible to this kind of behavior.

The reason you didn't go for Obama? Multifold:

You're listening to different experts and authority figures then liberals. (surprise)

Obama isn't right in front of you asking you to do something, you're at a few removes.

Time; in a Milgram experiment people are pressured for an immediate response, whereas an election is a long-term process.

What snopes.com calls "slacktivism", since with a petition or something like that you tend to assume the person doing the asking has cared enough to do the actual research and knows what they are talking about. That way, you don't have to do any actual work.

All this feeds into information gathering: you're given more time and resources to realize in depth what is going on and compare it to your own biases. (Yes, you have biases, everyone does; another human thing.)

So, in short, looking at this video and going "ha ha silly hippies" is just a misunderstanding of human behaviour.

"When I've seen breakdowns, somewhere around .5-.7% of respondents in this type of experiment actually ask questions of sufficient depth that they realize that the petition is about water."

Bullcrap. When I've seen breakdowns, 67% of statistics like this are made up on the spot, particularly if the person quoting them doesn't even know what a Milgram experiment is.

Looking at this video and going "ha ha silly hippies" [sic], shows that the person laughing is laughing at the knee jerk reaction of ill informed simpletons who, unfortunately, are the products of an educational system royally screwed up by decades of leftist teaching philosophies, and which are woefully short on teaching facts, and critical thinking.

No anon, we understand human behavior and so do liberals who are masters at manipulating masses of people who want to "join" and "revolt"

"Thanks for the answer. Does this mean were all succeptable to drone like behavior? If so, how come we didn't all fall for the Obama shit?"

Because you fell for the Palin shit. The size of her mammary glands may have had an influence on you as well.

I suppose someone could start another petition to "save the plants" by saying that politicians and bribed-scientists are in the process of trying to restrict a nutrient vital to plants. The scientists have been bribed to say that this nutrient harms the environment, when in truth it is only a minor atmospheric gas.

It is vital that we stop these efforts as every major ecosystem is plant-based, i.e., plants for the foundation of the food web and without this important nutrient, the plants will weaken and die.

The nutrient? Carbon dioxide.

Oops. That is "plants form the foundation"...

Blinding flash of the obvious,

did you just make up, and admit to making up, that statistic?

I think this is a human problem, I have watched a documentary about THE miligram experiment and it was quite interesting. I highly recommend it.

I love this Penn and Teller piece, but you must realize one thing, these people are being deceived by actors who are prepared. It was all done for television, so the people, like myself, who have heard the "dihydrogen monoxide" ruse before are NOT going to be in the show.

The point is that _some_ people were fooled, don't fool yourself and assume nobody in your group gets fooled by an illusory expert or crafted propaganda.

mandible claw wrote
"If someone is using something, or doing something, or earning money, or creating a product, the first instinct of a moonbat is that that must be "changed," which usually translates to a ban by the nanny state."

So if I was using air, or breathing, or breathing in the act of making money, or distilling oxygen and bottling it for better breathing, you claim that the first instinct of a moonbat is "change" is necessary, and that usually the nanny state will end up banning breathing or my use of air?

You sure about that statement? I am saying your statement is pretty clearly a fallacy.

I$rael did 9/11.

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j100402.html

Posted by: Blindin Flash of the Obvious at February 18, 2009 5:28 AM

It is you who is foolish!

A Milgram experiment focuses on the reaction to people who are considered to be experts. THE Milgram experiment is the best example, where people were willing to administer potentially deadly electric shocks when told to by a man in a white coat. This is a simpler version, where you're asked to agree with someone with a petition. The degree of severity is different, but it measures the same thing.

There's another interesting variant that deals with group norms; one subject is put in with three plants and asked to answer a series of obvious questions. The plants keep giving wrong answers, and the subject starts to answer correctly more slowly until they start to agree with the group. Less then 1% of people manage to buck this experiment as well.

It's a basic human reaction to try to be agreeable and sociable.

People voted for Obama. They believe Al Gore. Of course they will ban water. Your average lemming would consider them stupid. If you want to become extremely and profoundly depressed, try to teach them anything--I mean anything.

We live in a world of technical wonders with incredible scientific advances and the people who use this technology everyday are so ignorant of the basis for how it works they might as well be from ancient Persia.

fine ahht, you just cut loose the final frayed stitch holding together any thin veil of credibility you were clinging to.

To Anonymous of Feb 18 11:51
Nice try.

This statement "I$rael did 9/11.

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j100402.html"

was not posted by myself. Look, I'm going through the comments here, I think I've identified an honest to goodness troll. I fear that if nothing is done he will discredit many of the posters on this site, and this site itself, as some kind of echo chamber where ideas are anathema and only bullying and subterfuge can win the argument. That would hardly be a success of the conservative movement I think, although it would certainly mimic a certain "unity" and thus present an image of cohesiveness however manufactured and coerced that might actually be.

How do you feel NOW about the final frayed stitch holding together a thin veil Anonymous? Are you posting under the name fine ahht?

I'm under no illusion, the logs of Van Helsing could determine the truth here. is anyone interested in the truth?

suuuure we believe you. wink wink.