The Digital Storm, Part 3: The Cost of Admitting a Mistake
In the age of AI, Deepfakes, and petulant willful ignorance, those in the wrong often "triple down" on glaring mistakes. Why? Because admitting to one error is a gateway to admitting multiple errors. People aren't just afraid of being wrong; they are afraid of the reality that follows.
The Intelligence Analyst in the Room
As a Senior Intelligence Analyst, part of my job was to train officers and speak "truth to power" to the brass when they fell into a bias silo. In the military, as anywhere else — traps are designed to snare you with ease, making the correct answer feel counterintuitive.
Technology exacerbates this exponentially. Instead of an "angry-8" Senior Chief "landing your plane" back into reality, modern algorithms lead people into echo chambers. I have seen classified conversations where an officer’s perception of reality was dictated by what their algorithm fed them. Often, a "red line" exists where objectivity is overwritten by a deeply held, exploitable bias — religion, politics, or wedge issues. We have a proclivity to deny attention to anything we deem "adversarial," which is exactly how algorithms divide communities into tribalism.
The "Sunk Cost" of Identity
Consider the 2014 debate between Ken Ham (founder of the Ark Encounter) and Bill Nye. When asked what would change their minds, Nye said, "Evidence." Ham said, "Nothing."
Regardless of your religious stance, let's look pragmatically at the Intel. Why would someone say "nothing"? Because they have too much to lose. For someone whose entire identity, business model, livelihood, and reputation are predicated on one specific interpretation, changing their mind is terrifying. It would mean everything they’ve done is meaningless — or worse, it could lead to financial and legal ruin.
In contrast, the scientific method is predicated on trying to disprove itself. It is okay to improve what was "old." We used to have rotary phones; they worked, but even the staunchest traditionalists prefer the smartphone today. Because we are supposed to improve, not stagnate.
Willful Ignorance as Tacit Consent
Willful ignorance is a choice to let someone else control your life. When an audience becomes obedient enough, the lies told to them become shoddier and shoddier. Why? Because if you are willing to believe a "stupid" lie to support your "team," the con artists will keep lowering the bar.
Those conned aren't as mad at the person pointing out the truth; they are mad at themselves. Most humans have a "right or wrong" meter that we override for the objects of our affection. Yet the easiest way to manipulate the naive is to make them feel superior to those they are taught to distrust. We'll write more about this in a future article - because technology exacerbates this vulnerability.
Critical Thinking vs. Intellectual Honesty
Critical thinking is useless without intellectual honesty. Without it, you just get cynicism. People who are demonstrably wrong often become smug and aggressive because they feel "intellectually disrespected." They don't just want to be right; they "need" to humiliate the "adversary" in an - often failed - attempt to inoculate themselves form a reality that would destroy their worldview.
Technology, through anonymous avatars, has made this easier than ever. Especially feeling emboldened to start keyboard fights with total strangers. This is a prevalent catalyst in theology and politics. If a person can be convinced of a particular allegory, it isn't a bridge too far to convince them that a flawed "emissary" is the only path to follow. And double down if and when challenged.
Opportunistic con artists hijack your virtues and turn them into am exploitable bias. If your faith is a bias, they will exploit it. If a narrative is built on "Us vs. Them" and uses redacted truth, you are being conned. This will be hard and painful to accept. It takes more courage to admit it than to double down.
Why I Am Writing This
I respect you enough to be forthcoming. I might tell you something that sends you through the stages of grief, but when you get to the other side, you’ll find the greatest gift of all: freedom from bias manipulation. Also, because we at BZV refuse to accept projects that are in any way divisive or could constitute a con. Therefore, it makes sense to bring additional clarity as for why.
In the next part of this series, we will discuss Rage-Baiting and the "Pick-Me" crowd — how our emotions are hijacked to isolate us from the truth. BZV
About the Author: J. Marcelo "BeeZee" Baqueroalvarez
🔗 Connect & Learn More: Visit Marcelo's comprehensive landing page for his extended bio, social links, consulting form, and more.
J. Marcelo "BeeZee" Baqueroalvarez is the Founder of Half Life Crisis™, a unique father-daughter collaboration dedicated to the relentless pursuit of intellectual honesty, critical thinking, geopolitical strategy, and meaningful art. Marcelo is the recognized author of the essential reads, Authoritarianism & Propaganda and Woke & Proud, driving challenging conversations worldwide. When not publishing, Marcelo utilizes his strategic insight in technology and business as the founder of BeeZee Vision, LLC™, which includes BZVweb™ Automated Web Services and Info in Context™ strategic consulting.
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