ludsan • 02/20/2025

Credulity is a fine default for human interaction. It is gift of assumed sincerity.

Deciding at which point that gift was misplaced is a learned skill and one I cannot claim to have expertise in.

I may credulously assume that our poster friend is sincere. However, as I read replies that the poster has made to sincere responses, I observe:

  * a claim of mutual empathy via mutual distrust "I've criticized Musk!" ... "I've been contradicting DOGE on things since they became a thing"

  * a surrender of high-ground via tenuous appeal-to-authority "Bibi says he's not a nazi"

  * a veneer of emotional maturity over others: "we don't have to be so stressed about needing to trust DOGE's changes"

I've seen enough of on-line conversations to understand the "I'm just asking questions" type -- the kind who only grows in power as response after response is parried with "my goodenss, how rude?!" aplomb.

Buffeted yet calm, our poster friend claims the high-ground while having-and-eating cake.

Our poster is in an incredulous superposition of:

"So yeah, I don't trust him." and "I was shocked"

or

"I don't think they'd renege on it. I'm certainly not naive!"

I've wasted too much time discussing our mutual friend. I should not have done my drive-by, and I apologize to you both for the energy consumption of my this and my previous post. I shrink away cowardly from responding anymore.

I do not apologize for lacking credulity.