Magical Thinking Has a Hold on Humans



People are falling over and over again for magical thinking. This human weakness has been present since our beginning. Perhaps our ancestors who fell for magical thinking were more optimistic and this trait helped them survive.

Magical thinking also harms people. It takes their money and gives them nothing in return. The link tells of the original "snake oil salesman" who actually sold the fat from boiled snakes as a cure for everything.

While religion, a form of snake oil marketing, has apparently be present since forever, what we know of it was written in the Bible. The Bible tells us we don't actually have to die. Instead, we can just do what we are told to do and give our money to those who tell us what to do.

While driving through the country side, I sometimes see crude hand painted signs which say, "An eternity in hell awaits you" and some Bible verse. These signs were made by local people who fell for a snake oil salesman.

We all know snake oil salesmanship is in politics too. Obama's first campaign featured "Hope and change." After eight years, a large minority of voters saw little hope or change for themselves and voted for Trump. Trump featured "Make America Great Again."

Now, it is dawning of those in rural areas of the Midwest who gave Trump his electoral majority agricultural prices have made them worse off, not better off.

Snake oil is a product people still buy.

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