Thanks for the additional info on Sunstein. I was familiar with his general politics and aware that he wrote “Nudge” but I did not know about this. Not surprised.
It seems that the much of the general public is susceptible to this sort of thing, but perhaps, like drugs, a tolerance builds up. I think even some of the Kool-Aid drinkers are catching on. People who were swooning over 0vomit 6 years ago and ridiculed me for daring to ask pertinent questions or point out his flaws are now starting to ask me to fill them in. They are shocked to see what’s behind the curtain.
When Santa promises a pony every year and every year fails to deliver, eventually even a small child figures things out. It’s so sad that it takes an adult so much longer. (There’s some psychological phenomenon that makes it hard to admit you are wrong about something you invested so much into, whether it’s a vote 0vomit or an abusive spouse or a dud employee that you hired. People try to hang on far too long because they don’t want to admit they were wrong.)
Yes, it's nigh unto impossible to expect someone to reason themselves out of a position that they used emotion, not reason, to arrive at.