February 12, 2009

The Bullshitter in Chief


Widely seen and commented upon, this clip of Obama giving away a house (Much as Oprah once gave away cars [Piker!]) showcases the man-O's central skill -- bullshitting. People love bullshit much more than truth since bullshit allows them to continue believing in vampires, angels and unicorns. All of which seem to be popular contemporary religions. Don't think this is a religious moment? Watch and listen to the woman who's just hondled a house. She is on the verge of looking at Obama and saying, "Thank you, Jesus!" The woman in white to the left of the President probably does say that but there's no mike to record the orgasmic eructation she's experiencing.

I've seen a lot of comments about the mysterious packing of this homeless gal into the front row of the Obama Revival Meeting for the laying on of the hands and the miraculous curing of homelessness that followed. I've seen less of the kind of breathless admiration that should be given Obama for his relentless bullshitting. Why does he continue throwing out bullshit? Because the people who listen to him love to eat it. It's kind of a loaves and fishes sort of deal.

In his essay, "On Bullshit," Harry Frankfurt sketches a theory of bullshit,

defining the concept and analyzing its applications. In particular, Frankfurt distinguishes bullshitting from lying; while the liar deliberately makes false claims, the bullshitter is simply uninterested in the truth. Bullshitters aim primarily to impress and persuade their audiences. While liars need to know the truth, the better to conceal it, the bullshitter, interested solely in advancing his own agenda, has no use for the truth. Following from this, Frankfurt claims that "bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are." - On Bullshit

Posted by Vanderleun at February 12, 2009 10:01 AM
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(hondled?)

That woman in white, yikes - she's the very image of all those fantasizers in that NYT article linked earlier.

Now I understand why you posted the insanely cute little dormouse; you were just buttering us up before sharing something deeply disturbing ;)

Posted by: Julie at February 12, 2009 11:56 AM

So I guess everytime I've been yelling "BULLSHIT!" while listening to BHO speak, it has really been a complement?

Posted by: Milwaukee Mike at February 12, 2009 12:22 PM

Ah, I'm glad you have that book, Gerard. I would've recommended it to you eventually, although I should've known you'd have that one cornered. It's one of my favorites.

Unfortunately, I liked that book so much that I lost no time in lending it out to someone who didn't return it. Can't remember who. I think it was a bullshitter.

That's a seriously amazing piece of work there. A hardcover book...containing 3,650 words. It's inspiring. Surely, I can pump out four thousand words about bullshit. Maybe that's my retirement plan. Anyway, it does my heart good seeing you and Frankfurt helping each other out.

Posted by: Morgan K Freeberg at February 12, 2009 8:16 PM

Who do they think he is? The Russian Czar? Santa Claus?

This will not end well...

Posted by: newton at February 13, 2009 2:54 AM

the bullshitter is simply uninterested in the truth

Wow. Someone actually wrote an essay about Joe Biden?

Posted by: physics geek at February 15, 2009 7:55 PM