There are none so blind as those paid to see only what they want to (Wizbang)

I really, really shouldn't read Oliver Willis. While he's usually good for some laughs, sometimes I fear the stupidity might be contagious.

Now, to assure myself that I haven't succumbed yet, I'm going to cite a concrete example.

Yesterday, Cousin Oliver (a nickname in honor of Cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch, one of the most annoying characters in television history) put forth his "thoughts" on Judge (soon to be Justice) Samuel Alito and blogs. Ollie just blithely states that Alito needed to be stopped from assuming the bench, but never bothered to spell out why -- not even a cursory link to a previous piece where he or someone else made the case against him.

But that's just the appetizer.

He says that the Democrats need to stop seeing "blogs as an ATM and not yet a part of their message machine." Apparently he missed the wet, sloppy kiss Massachusetts' senators gave the blogosphere when they tried to pull of a filibuster on Monday.

But the really, really fun part of the meal is when he draws his conclusion:

Why? For the same reason the national Democrats have been getting rolled - they're fat and dumb and playing the game by the rules of the ancient.

Mr. Pot? Mr. Kettle is on the line.

Look back just one entry on Mr. Willis' site, and you will see him virulently denouncing an invitation to a GOP fund-raiser. Ollie is incensed that people would even consider using Jesse "Shakedown" Jackson as inspiration for a pinata.

But the funny thing is, it was a scam. A gag. Utterly bogus.

Let's see. Oliver Willis works for Media Matters, Media Matters (funded by convicted felon George Soros) proclaims itself as a media watchdog, looking for lies, misrepresentations, incomplete stories, and signs of bias in the press -- as long as it's from the Right. Ollie is one of their prize employees.

And he himself got rolled on this one. Even more delightful, he posted this at 3:30 on Monday afternoon -- most likely while sitting at his desk at Media Matters. He fell for a lie while getting paid to expose lies.

One of the earliest lessons I learned was that the more a story seems to fit your own beliefs, prejudices, opinions, or preconceived notions, the more you need to check it. Because it's human nature to accept that which supports you, and to suspect that which contradicts you. It's the core of most scams -- tell people what they want to hear, and they'll be more likely to believe it. It's a truism that our opinion of someone's intelligence is often influenced by how much they agree with us.

In one area, though, I have to give Ollie credit. He didn't pull a Kos and try to bury his mistake, like the infamous "screw them" incident. He owned up to it -- sort of. He now says that it "may be a hoax."

Cue the "fake, but accurate" meme in 3, 2, 1...

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Comments (22)

One of the earliest less... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by OregonMuse | January 31, 2006 11:12 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

OregonMuse:

One of the earliest lessons I learned was that the more a story seems to fit your own beliefs, prejudices, opinions, or preconceived notions, the more you need to check it.

..and the more the likelihood that you will not check it. Hence the expression "this story is too good to check." I think this is what did in Mary Mapes and Dan Rather in Memogate. They thought they finally, after five years of poking around, had the smoking gun to nail George Bush -- and right before the election, too! How perfectly sweet. Of course, it didn't work out quite the way they'd hoped.

This is why we need ideological diversity in the newsroom. One side checks the other side.

Posted on January 31, 2006 11:12

Damn, I'd almost forgotten ... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by Matt | January 31, 2006 11:23 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Matt:

Damn, I'd almost forgotten that Ollie existed. Why don't you give me a papercut next.

Posted on January 31, 2006 11:23

And then pour lemon juice o... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by SilverBubble | January 31, 2006 11:51 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

SilverBubble:

And then pour lemon juice on the papercut.

Posted on January 31, 2006 11:51

Sort of like how you consis... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Oliver | January 31, 2006 12:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Oliver:

Sort of like how you consistently write things on this blog verified only by your pre-existing biases without the need to simply ask a question or two.

Posted on January 31, 2006 12:01

Sort of like how you con... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by JohnAnnArbor | January 31, 2006 12:33 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

JohnAnnArbor:

Don't wear yourself out providing an example or two.

Posted on January 31, 2006 12:33

OK Oliver - to what story a... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by tblubird | January 31, 2006 12:43 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

tblubird:

OK Oliver - to what story are you referring to? C'mon man - speak up! Do the proverbial s**t or get off the pot.

Posted on January 31, 2006 12:43

And what is a "pre-existing... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by tblubird | January 31, 2006 12:44 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

And what is a "pre-existing bias?" Isn't that pretty much an oxymoron?

Posted on January 31, 2006 12:44

And what is a "pre-exist... (Below threshold)

8. Posted by JohnAnnArbor | January 31, 2006 12:46 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

More of a redundancy; bias is there beforehand by definition.

Posted on January 31, 2006 12:46

John's right. The oxy moron... (Below threshold)

9. Posted by McGehee | January 31, 2006 1:59 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

McGehee:

John's right. The oxy moron is Ollie.

Posted on January 31, 2006 13:59

Ask him about the truth... (Below threshold)

10. Posted by Brandon | January 31, 2006 2:15 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Brandon:

Ask him about the truthiness of the charges.

Posted on January 31, 2006 14:15

We will be in a full... (Below threshold)

11. Posted by Fred Dawes | January 31, 2006 2:35 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Fred Dawes:

We will be in a full Civil\race war within 2 years. its all coming apart and isn't it fun to watch.

Posted on January 31, 2006 14:35

We will be in a full Civ... (Below threshold)

12. Posted by JohnAnnArbor | January 31, 2006 2:37 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Irrelevant AND wacky. Two-for-one.

Posted on January 31, 2006 14:37

Oliver, care to cite an exa... (Below threshold)

13. Posted by Jay Tea | January 31, 2006 2:39 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Jay Tea:

Oliver, care to cite an example where I got the fundamental facts of a story completely, verifiably wrong? I can think of two, and I apologized fully at the time.

More to the point, I thought you were the PROFESSIONAL at this sort of thing. Are you saying that you hold yourself to the same standard as I, a rank amateur, am to be held? If so, then perhaps I oughta apply for your job. I can apparently do it just as well as you can, and I'm a better writer.

No, on second thought, I don't think I can handle your job. I got bad knees, and I couldn't spend all day kissing Soros' ass.

Posted on January 31, 2006 14:39

And as Ollie does on his ow... (Below threshold)

14. Posted by Hoodlumman | January 31, 2006 4:54 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Hoodlumman:

And as Ollie does on his own blog and other comment threads, it's one drive-by, irreverent comment and gone.

Posted on January 31, 2006 16:54

Good old Ollie - like a lod... (Below threshold)

15. Posted by BlogDog | January 31, 2006 5:09 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

BlogDog:

Good old Ollie - like a lodestone to stupid.

Posted on January 31, 2006 17:09

I thought you were the P... (Below threshold)

16. Posted by Oliver | January 31, 2006 6:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

I thought you were the PROFESSIONAL at this sort of thing
As I don't get paid to blog, once again something I've told you a thousand times, but you yank it from yer rectum.

Posted on January 31, 2006 18:01

As I don't get paid to b... (Below threshold)

17. Posted by JohnAnnArbor | January 31, 2006 6:07 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

As I don't get paid to blog, once again something I've told you a thousand times, but you yank it from yer rectum.

Um, he was referring to your work at Media Matters. Duh.

Posted on January 31, 2006 18:07

I am so glad you suggested ... (Below threshold)

18. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | January 31, 2006 7:22 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

SCSIwuzzy:

I am so glad you suggested the knees would be aggravated by kissing Soros' ass, not something a little more "up front" and personal.

Posted on January 31, 2006 19:22

Here's what I just saw; Oll... (Below threshold)

19. Posted by JimK | January 31, 2006 11:55 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

JimK:

Here's what I just saw; Ollie making wild accusations, Jay calling him to back them up, and Ollie ignoring the call completely because he's an intellectual midget trapped in a giant bloated gasbag of a mouth.

Posted on January 31, 2006 23:55

Yup, that's what I saw as w... (Below threshold)

20. Posted by Son Of The Godfather | February 1, 2006 2:38 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Son Of The Godfather:

Yup, that's what I saw as well.

Man, this Oliver character seems to be a coward of extraordinary magnitude. Mighty Mighty Keyboard Warrior.

Posted on February 1, 2006 02:38

Yeah, and Ollie's cut and r... (Below threshold)

21. Posted by Jay Tea | February 1, 2006 5:00 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Yeah, and Ollie's cut and run from a more direct, more profane challenge over on Rob Port's site, too.

Typical. He can toss around his little bombs, but at the first sign that his target won't just roll over, he goes and hides back on his own page, where he's safe and he can freely delete the words of those who don't kiss his ass.

Posted on February 1, 2006 05:00

Well, jeez kid, when you're... (Below threshold)

22. Posted by Oliver | February 2, 2006 2:53 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Well, jeez kid, when you're running around yelling about "jizz"... Sorry, I don't sit around in every comment section that has people making stuff about me and reject charge after made up charge, but I'd be spending all day doing that.

Posted on February 2, 2006 02:53

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