Justifiably Paranoid

  “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was the colloquial term for official U.S. military policy from 1993 to 2011.  What was that all about?  Americans born on or before about 1973 probably remember—it concerned the armed forces approach to what then unapologetically was termed “homosexuality”.  Actually, the entire policy was “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue, and don’t harass,” and it was President Bill Clinton’s and the Legislature’s way simultaneously to both address and avoid the issue. The policy is one obvious example of questioning and answering influences on human psychology and interpersonal relationships.  All people personally are inclined to ask about some issues and to avoid others.  Knowing those inclinations of your own can empower you to make good decisions.  For instance, given the current toxic social environment, most of us have learned to be very circumspect about what formerly would have been casual, harmless political questions and...

  "Follow the science" is the premier attention-grabbing meme used by popular media to inspire confidence in whatever is presented next.  The phrase amounts to a slightly more nuanced version of the renowned "evidenced-based science" appellation.  How might those characterizations affect you and your decisions?   You probably do sit-up and take notice, especially if the information promotes your preexisting confirmation bias. But perhaps that is understandable, since, after all, the media reports proceed from "science" and/or "evidence-based science." Let's, for this posting, restrict our considerations to research that is reasonable science and that truly is evidence-based.  I specify that because much widely disseminated media-promoted research eventually is revealed to be illegitimate research.  For instance, many of us vividly remember reading or hearing about bogus Cornell University research suggesting that you will eat less food if it ...