Fool People

“It’s easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.”    Mark Twain

      The more I think about this quote, the more sense it makes.  It is not a joke.  The human personality defends past beliefs long after they should have been abandoned.  We hate to admit when we have been fooled.  Saying we were wrong, or saying we are sorry, or admitting we made a mistake can be worse than having a tooth pulled without Novocain.

   If any of you remember the TV series Happy Days, you will remember that the Fonz could never say that he was wrong.  His mouth could not form the word.  We all are like the Fonz to some extent. 

        Once fooled it is very hard to accept that we were so naive or stupid.  It is hard to question our knowledge, judgment, and intelligence that may have been wrong. 

        In my book, Business Fits, I have a chapter titled “Myths about Starting a Business”.  These myths about business are widely accepted as fact.  They are not true and can cause a business venture to fail.  

        In business, politics, and our personal life, we often continue down the same path long after we know it is wrong.  In business, we see many people continue with the same business system and management long after it is obvious that it has no chance of success.  Large corporations often get so top-end heavy with management that they have little chance to be profitable in the long run, but they won’t admit they were wrong and correct the situation.   

        Politics gives us some great examples of fooling or manipulating the public.  If a political ad presents a lie often enough, many people will accept it as true. 

        Our current education system seldom teaches civics, or accurate political history.  History is revised to fit the current political agenda.  The youth of our country accepts this altered history and agenda because they trust their teachers.  

        The climate change controversy is a great example of people not wanting to admit they have been fooled.  Some people say this is the greatest threat to our world.  Others think it is a hoax perpetrated for financial and political reasons.  History will show which is true, but there are people who will defend their position far beyond the facts. 

        Our federal government is the worst offender.  As President Reagan said, “Government is not the solution.  Government is the problem.”  The government continues to grow, hoping that government spending will of solve problems.  This only works in the short-run, and makes the long-run problems worse. 

        It is interesting that when the government spends money, the stock market does well for a while.  When government is reined in, the stock market normally takes a temporary dip.  As in business, government must control expenses in order to be solvent in the long-run.  People must be willing to wait for the long-term good of the country.   

        The federal government continues to add more departments and increase budgets for programs that have failed, because politicians don’t like to admit they have been fooled.   As a result, government growth is totally out of control.  It will be painful to admit we have been fooled by the Progressive movement, but if we don’t, the USA will eventually become a socialist country.

        We must admit we have been fooled or we will lose our

freedoms and children will not have the same opportunities we had.