The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #123724   Message #2894362
Posted By: mousethief
25-Apr-10 - 11:45 PM
Thread Name: BS: A birther in the Court
Subject: RE: BS: A birther in the Court
Hardly a meltodown. Your proof that she was born in Indonesia is
probably about as convincing as your proof that he was born in Africa.

The problem is that all of the "proof" is really after the fact. Some people decided that Obama wasn't a real American, and then other people stepped up to "prove" it. When disproof was provided, the goalposts were shifted. From "he won't show us his birth certificate" it became "that's not a real birth certificate." At this point they won't accept ANYTHING as a real certificate; the game is really over. There is absolutely no evidence that will convince a birther that Obama is a natural citizen. It's not a matter of proof and facts any more; it's unshakeable faith.

There is an odd phenomenon where people who believe very strongly in something, when it is disproven, rather than ceasing to believe it, redefine what it was they believe. The classic case is the Jehovah's Witnesses and their various dates for Christ returning. Finally, well he didn't return to earth but something happened in heaven and that's what the prophecy was [i]really[/i] referring to. There are myriad others. I think it was Lord Acton who said, "A man who has bought a theory will fight a vigorous rearguard action against the facts." You can throw facts at a birther all day. They just bounce off.

I notice, by the way, that you didn't answer my question.