Mocha Express
Commentaries
Thought provoking commentary on
Business, Technology, Organizations, and Organizational Dynamics
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2.11 The Game is Rigged: Attacking with Speculative Analysis

January 06, 2008

There are many tools that can be used to "compete" against others. It is one thing when there is a frank discussion on issues but it is another when less than honorable approaches are used.

The current elections provide an ongoing opportunity to watch how devious people can "attack" others under the guise of "reasonable speculation".

In this commentary, I'll look at how a person can pretend to have "reasonable speculation" that, since it is based on nothing, is simply another way to attack someone.

Method

The basic approach is:

  1. have someone you want to diminish/attack/cause problems
  2. identify something that many people, who might be friends/supporters wouldn't like
  3. speculate on how the victim *might* do/benefit/... from that "something"

Even if the "something" is totally bogus, known to be bogus, etc, it will still prick at the minds of the recipients as a question. The source and, likely, even "what" the question is will likely be forgotten, leaving the "little red flag" that there is something amiss.

Example:

On CNN;
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/04/justice.clinton/index.html

Bill Mears speculates upon whether a President Hillary Clinton would appoint her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to the supreme Court.

If you read the article, you find there is ZERO data behind this inflammatory speculation, it is completely "raw" imagination at work. He also seems concludes, deep into the article, that it is likely to be nearly impossible.

So, why the long piece?
So, why delay the answer ("no") until after the point most people stop reading?

One might conclude that the goal of Mr. Mears is a nefarious, smear of Ms. Clinton.


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Elucidate
      Chapters

1   Clever, but not very Smart
  January 01, 1997
1.1   Mayberry Rules
    February 20, 2012
2   Random Elucidatons
  January 01, 1997
2.1   Stifle Free Speech
    November 16, 2012
2.2   Rewarding Accomplishing Goals
    February 17, 2013
2.3   Banana Slugs:The Law of Unintended Consequences:Protect and Lose
    August 02, 2009
2.4   Computer ate my Sbx Reward
    February 03, 2013
2.5   The End Of Innovation or How To Lie With Statistics?
    July 02, 2005
2.6   Lying With Statistics:CNN Article that Organic Food is Not "more nutritious'
    August 22, 2008
2.7   Everything Old is New Again
    June 28, 2011
2.8   Topical:just like Sub-Prime => Commodity Greed
    April 19, 2008
2.9   Tools:Spreading Knowledge That Can Hurt:
    April 14, 2008
2.10   Tools:Trying to Help While Still Selling Corn
    February 27, 2008
2.11   The Game is Rigged:Attacking with Speculative Analysis
    January 06, 2008
2.12   Getting your "Eyes On" to see ATV Damage
    November 26, 2007
2.13   US Forest Service - "Leave No Trace... or you will do Trail Maintenance with a Trowel!"
    October 13, 2007
2.14   Act Locally, Destroy Globally:Cultivate Disease Resistance
    March 04, 2007
2.15   Joisting with Self-Glorifying Windmills
    March 03, 2007
3   Analysis
  January 01, 1997
3.1   Analysis of Medical Insurance Discussion
    April 06, 2013
3.2    Degrees of Risk
    April 24, 2013
3.3   Qualifying Experts
    January 25, 2014
4   Finches:Urban Ones Smart??
  March 23, 2016
5   BBC - Propaganda
  June 10, 2016
6   BBC Propaganda, again
  June 15, 2016
7    Why did Agriculture Start 13,000 years ago
  June 23, 2016
8   Ice Core TimeLine Munge
  September 22, 2016
9   Ice Age Survival
  December 29, 2016
Carpe Diem: What you can envision, you can achieve!sm
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