Answers

So here's the deal.

If something is complex, it takes a fair amount of documentation to describe it. It takes complex concepts to describe. In order to deal with the concepts, you have to be comfortable with that level of complexity.

But most of-- many of-- some -- okay, me -- have a rapidly shortening horizon of awareness. We not only like information in easily digestible bits, we get grumpy and confused when it's not. Our awareness can't handle the big thoughts. Heck, it can't handle the medium thoughts. And drawing logical conclusions at any but the most basic level -- FireBad. Don't stick hand in fire -- is beyond us.

Hyperbright or hyperglib people, on the other hand, are very good at jumping into complex situations and drawing conclusions, and making it sound easy and obvious. The economy is in tatters because gay people are allowed to marry in Massachusetts. Any idiot can see that. Which, as it goes by, makes you think Um, is that...right? I mean... But the speaker is calm and assured, nicely dressed, and very, very confident, so you think Well, maybe so.... And after a while, we don't even try to think. We just listen to the answers that the Calm Speakers give. Oh, some, maybe even a lot, get tossed aside as bogus -- I think that if Rush Limbaugh pronouced two and two to be four, I'd count on my fingers to be sure -- but as the questions become more complex, we get flummoxed. It hurts to think, so we .... don't. Its not that we don't want to think, its that things are so complex, so scary, so Hard -- we don't. Even a little bit. We pick our team -- people who think a certain way -- and thats it. We don't have to think any more. (That this is kind of what people said about those of us who were Obama Fans, that we would accept anything so long as he said it, has not escaped me. I don't agree, but theres truth to it. )

And I don't know what to do about that lack of thinking, of thought. Just me, you understand. But surely I'm not alone?

(I'd love to say I thought of this first, but I'm not that smart. It was inspired by, and is a very poor copy of, this, from Alas - A Blog. )