Letter to the Editor: My two cents
There are two words: “Anticipatory acceptance” and it’s what soldiers learn in boot camp, so when their commander says “Go! Go! Go!” his soldiers follow the order without question. Or it could be your mechanic; your engine light comes on, and you trust his word as to why and what needs to get fixed.
Enter a dishonest commander or mechanic and the trust involved in anticipatory acceptance gets abused.
There are two more words also, compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and conformity, which is behavior to match the majority.
I understand that a lot of people liked what the current president said during his election. But it seems to me that the initial acceptance of his words became anticipatory acceptance, so no matter what he said it was accepted by many of his followers, which led to compliance and conformity by others.
When you see people screaming the same words of their leader, without so much as a single fact to back up their words, we should wonder why. Anticipatory acceptance is dangerous in a democracy.
I’m thinking the news medias need to stop reporting on the negativity of the past. They need to cut off that voice completely. Once that is done people’s attention spans will naturally shift to other topics of news. Paying attention to negative theories is stopping real existential issues from being addressed.
Everyone who is able should speak intellectually about truth, and stop arguing about what isn’t truth. We are all allowed our own opinions, but no one should say they have facts they cannot provide proof for.
Facts without proof are theories and theories are not facts.
Everyone who can must speak up for the truth. This is not the time to avoid the truth. Let’s meet ignorance with facts, and arrogance with intellect.
The mean streaks many of us have need to be gotten under control. Your side is not better than my side, and my side is not better than your side. And really, there should be just one side.
It should be called America.
Peter Skeels
Lake Almanor