1829 Belies Belief

We believe what we want to believe. A great philosopher once said we seek out facts to support our beliefs, not the other way around. The internet age has made it so much simpler to do just that. Hey, technology is supposed to make everything easier, right? Why not supporting our hard-earned prejudices?
So it's no surprise a recent study concluded that at least one-third of the "consumer" reviews of products found on the internet are fake. The third party reviews are written by marketers, retailers, authors, friends of the sellers, and even third party companies paid to churn out positive reviews.
Hmmm... A third party company paid to churn out positive statements. Why does that sound familiar...?
Sometimes, they just lead you by the nose of your own desire. Like the story of a researcher who took an iPhone 4S and told subjects it was the new iPhone 5. When asked to compare it to the 4S, subjects said they loved it. Said it was thinner, faster, and lighter. They thought the screen was larger and had better resolution. All things hyped about the iPhone 5.
As the friend who related this true story from the internet supposedly not churned out by a paid competitor said, "Apple can tell people it cooks spaghetti and they would believe it."
Yum. iPasta.
Then there's the political documentary of Dinesh D'Souza, which purports to show how Obama was raised by Marxists and anti-whites. The same folks will believe it who don't believe his birth certificate. And thanks to the high-tech web, they can find others just like them to support their beliefs.
Me, I'm going to buy that invisibility cloak I read about on the internet. It's made by the Emperor New Clothing Company.
It's getting great reviews.
America, ya gotta love it.