I suppose everything is relative. I can’t be absolutely sure. But I believe there is a conspiracy against us conspiracy theorists brewing.
The word “conspiracy” – found on dictionary.com which may or may not be as reliable as the OED – but that is too heavy to port to work… is defined as “an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons…” A conspiracy theory is a guess that a conspiracy is afoot. And a conspiracy theorist would be one who articulates those guesses.
The fact that these are done “in secret” make them inherently hard to prove. I mean if I was conspiring outright to undermine the faith of the government (which I’m not) I probably wouldn’t get very far. And yet some feel the need to show their superiority by bashing those who would take a stab at the truth.
In a recent article on seeking Alpha , Jeff Miller wishes to pooh-pooh those who cite secret governmental manipulations in the media. First by ad hominem attack – these fools, none of which, “…has ever developed a quantitative model, and many cannot construct or interpret simple tables or regressions with statistical controls.” and rambling on for a couple more paragraphs.
And second by… well he really doesn’t have another point.
I think the reality of the situation he offers was summed up quite neatly by Sam Langhorn Clemmens years ago – “lies, damned lies, and statistics…” The fact that I cannot properly construct a regression table with statistical precision or even imprecision for that matter, doesn’t mean that those who are calculating them are doing it with a pure heart.
What the naïve – that’s right, I called him naïve – Mr Miller seems to forget is that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And that when you spend $10 million campaigning for a gig that pays about $200K a year you’re doing it for a reason. Because it’s worth it. Because the power you assume in office will get you on TV, probably laid more often that the regular schmuck on the street and on the inside of some of the best conspiracies that will keep you cashing that paycheck.
And the fact that you have access to virtually limitless cash via taxation, borrowing, deficit spending and, hell printing money, makes it that much easier to carry out your devious plans..
His suggestion that those who proffer the “voice in the wilderness” point of view have never taken “…the beginning classes in government, economics, statistics, or research methods…” implying that theory offered by texts in these disciplines is somehow relevant to what’s going on in the real world. But they are just that. Theory.
I might point out that an entire discipline of economics and psychology known as “behavioral finance” has evolved to explain the incredible failure of economic theory to explain why the “rational man” – as real economic theory posits – acts anything but in the face of financial matters. No matter. I guess you still have to understand the theory first.
I suppose if we were living in “blackboard world” Mr. Miller’s arguments would have some merit. But we’re not, and they don’t. Yes Jeff – “J’accuse!!!” You are participating in the greatest red herring – conspiring to debunk conspiracy theorists who could be preaching the truth. Government tool!!!
Actually he does attempt to offer some other proof of his argument, that those who try to conspire will be found out and publicly humiliated or sent to bed without milk and cookies or something. A Washington Post article he mentions indeed shows that tampering with official information can A) be reported on page 12 of a national news daily, B) not read by a majority of the populace and C) then promptly forgotten in the communities’ collectively short memory span.
But the other problem with that is when you get found out the conspiracy ceases to be and morphs instantly into a rogue employee. Second, the fact that this was uncovered, I think(?), sufficiently proves that shit is going on behind the scenes. How many, oh how many, cover ups has the mighty Washington Post failed to uncover?
Abandon your conspiracy Jeff Miller – you have been found out. Now off to bed without milk and cookies…