CSotD: Knaves, fools and the persistence of error
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Retail uses April 1 to focus on the obvious.
Today is the day you are permitted to play the fool and have it dismissed as "play."
But as Val correctly points out, it may be difficult to distinguish the people who are simply being fools in honor of the day from the large number who train for the task the way others train for the Olympics: With a rigor and constancy that seems obsessive.
I am particularly fond of the saying, "There is no fool like an old fool," because it takes persistence and dedication to remain wide-eyed and gullible year after year. But as much as the educator in me has faith in people's ability to learn, I have to admit some people just have a natural talent for being fools.
And by "some people" I mean "way too many people." Trying to counter the massive waves of gullibility and error on Facebook is, to use a technical term coined by noted psychologist Dr. Lucille Van Pelt, like bailing water with a pitchfork.
Another favorite phrase is fairly universal – "Is he a fool or a knave?"
I associate it with Carlo Goldoni's "Servant of Two Masters," a play I was in in college, in which at one point several characters discuss the title character and trickster, Truffaldino:
Signor Pantalone: What are we to make of this fellow? Is he knave or fool?
Dottore: I really don't know. Probably a little of both.
Brighella: I should say he was just a zany. He comes from Bergamo; I can't think he is a knave.
Smerldina: He's not such a fool, neither.
Truffaldino/Arlecchino/Harlequin/Scaramouche/Punch is very much the trickster, though, like Brer Rabbit and Oldman, he's not so clever as to avoid being hoist in his own petard from time to time.
But for a knave to prosper, he needs to find himself a genuine fool or two or three to practice upon.
Or, as the case of the Internet, several million.
And the question then becomes, who is the fool, the person who inevitably falls for the ruse, or the person who tries to keep them from being duped?
Because that character is also a common commedia figure, typically someone like poor, long-suffering Alice Kramden, whose attempts to save Ralph from his own idiocy are inevitably futile.
The reason is ancient — Wisdom is passed along arithmetically, while foolishness spreads geometrically — but new technology has markedly accelerated the process.
Thus a typical Facebook exchange looks like this, beginning with a "share" of a deliberate hoax:
Innocent and Gullible: Wow! Did you know Bill Gates has promised to give $5,000 to anyone who "likes" this page?
First response: Don't fall for it — that's an old fraud. Here's the proof: www.snopes.com/etcetcetcetc
Next response: That's great! Thanks for sharing!
Next response: Thanks!
Next response (same as first): No, read that link — it's not real. It's fake.
Next response: Sharing!
Next response: Can't wait to get mine!
(15 shares)
It's obvious that the knave is the one who knowingly posted a hoax in the first place.
But who's the fool — the person who shared it without checking it out, the people who shared from that point despite the clear warning in the comments …
… or the guy standing knee-deep in stupid with a pitchfork in his hands?
Mike Peterson has posted his "Comic Strip of the Day" column every day since 2010. His opinions are his own, but we welcome comments either agreeing or in opposition.
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