What Bill Maher fails to correctly identify here is that there is a key element of willful ignorance, where these people make the CHOICE to ignore all the evidence to the contrary in forming their opinions, to conform to their ideology instead. This is a phenomena reported on by author Chris Mooney, a well-regarded science reporter and author, who has documented in his books, including "The Republican War on Science" and "The Republican Brain: the Science of Why They Deny Science and Reality" the scientific studies that SHOWS how those who are conservative and well educated, and intelligent, tend to believe they are SO intelligent, that it justifies them ignoring all of the factual information that SHOULD direct and inform their opinion. It is the bizarre phenomena of "I'm smart so I can ignore facts - WHEN I WANT TO" thinking.
This is not uniquely an observation from Bill Maher for comedic purposes; this is REAL, and it is a very REAL problem, of odd and dangerous combining of fact/fiction, reality conflicting with belief/ideology on the right.
This is not uniquely an observation from Bill Maher for comedic purposes; this is REAL, and it is a very REAL problem, of odd and dangerous combining of fact/fiction, reality conflicting with belief/ideology on the right.
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