Tag: exaggerations

The Danger of Bullshit: Revisiting Harry Frankfurt’s Classic Essay

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat) 
‘The liar is inescapably concerned with truth-values. In order to invent a lie at all, he must think he knows what is true.’ (p. 51)

The Danger of Bullshit: Revisiting Harry Frankfurt’s Classic Essay

Harry Frankfurt argues that bullshit is more dangerous than lying. At first sight, this seems counter-intuitive. Surely lying is worse than bullshitting? Liars are intentionally and deliberately trying to deceive us. Normally, doing something bad (e.g. deceiving someone) intentionally makes the action worse than if it is done unintentionally, for example accidentally or absentmindedly. If this is the case, how can bullshit be worse than lying?

The reason Frankfurt gives is that, whereas liars at least pay some respect to the difference between what is true and what isn’t, bullshitters completely disregard it. They simply don’t care about the difference. This, Frankfurt argues, means that compulsive bullshitters become progressively less able to tell the truth than compulsive liars. Liars and truth tellers are playing on opposite sides of the same game. Bullshitters are playing a different game entirely where the rules of truth don’t matter. This lack of concern, Frankfurt argues, is more corrosive of one’s ability to distinguish the truth than deliberately obscuring the truth. Once one gets into the habit of bullshitting, it is difficult to get out of it.

Related:

On Bullshit Booklet (PDF)Download

The “Human Rights Industry” and Nicaragua

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Why do United Nations human rights bodies focus on some countries, but not others? Why do organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International appear to ignore important evidence presented to them? And why do the media repeat stories of human rights abuses without questioning their veracity?

The “Human Rights Industry” and Nicaragua

Related:

Source.
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Translated by Apple iOS.

Actually, China’s military isn’t going global

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Yesterday, the New York Times published a guest essay by Craig Singleton, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, entitled “China’s Military is Going Global.” Singleton argues that Beijing is well on its way to building a globe-spanning network of “strategic strong points along China’s major trade, energy, and resource routes” that pose a dire military threat to the United States.

Actually, China’s military isn’t going global

NYT hypes China threat: They’re reading the internet

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

NYT hypes China threat: They’re reading the internet

That Beijing is mining publicly available information is not new or surprising but fear mongering about it in Washington is good for business.

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The Times was passing on findings from an analysis by threat intelligence company Recorded Future, which says a Chinese open-source intel company has been mining publicly available information from the Office of Net Assessment, a Pentagon think tank, and the U.S. Naval War College.

Related:

Exclusive: Google, CIA Invest in ‘Future’ of Web Monitoring

The investment arms of the CIA and Google are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future. The company is called Recorded Future, and it scours tens of thousands of websites, blogs and Twitter accounts to find the relationships between people, […]

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Chinese “Police Stations” and War Propaganda & “Overseas Police Stations?” : A clearer look

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The U.S. can shoot down balloons, call names, and claim that China has “police stations” in New York City. It cannot stop the decline of its own making as it engages in war propaganda theater.

Chinese “Police Stations” and War Propaganda

Related:

“Overseas Police Stations?” : A clearer look

Fundacion Safeguard Defenders has a registered CAGE Code [Commercial and Government Entity code] for doing business with the United States government [& NATO]

CAGE CODE 99Z5B/NCAGE Code 99Z5B
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Senator Warner’s RESTRICT Act Is Designed To Create The Great Firewall Of America

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)2 Comments

from the we-become-what-we-fear dept

Thu, Mar 30th 2023 10:49am – Mike Masnick

Earlier this month, we wrote about Mark Warner’s RESTRICT Act, mainly in the context of how it appeared to be kneejerk legislating in response to the moral panic around TikTok.

Senator Warner’s RESTRICT Act Is Designed To Create The Great Firewall Of America

America with Chinese Characteristics?! /sarcasm