Appearance

ByHal Hammons

I think I’ve finally figured out what bugs me about selfies on social media.  It’s that attention is being drawn, almost exclusively, to the outward appearance.  Sometimes it’s our accomplishments, sometime it’s our misfortune, sometimes it’s our surroundings.  But usually it’s just our looks.  A new haircut, a cute expression — worse yet, the infamous “Which do you like better?” post, which literally begs for audience participation.  All of this is a 21st Century way of saying, “Look at me!  Look at me!”

1 + 1 = 2, therefore you are an idiot

ByHal Hammons

Facts are stubborn things, said John Adams.  But being stubborn does not always win you an argument.  We have all been in “discussions” in which we were correct and the simpleton on the other side of the table was not.  We laid out the facts as plainly as anyone could.  And they remained unconvinced.

Maybe they found comfort in character assassination, or muddied the waters with irrelevant information.  Maybe they just threw up their hands and left the room.  Maybe they even took a swing at you.  What they didn’t do, though, is change their mind.  Facts had nothing to do with their position, either before or after the discussion.