Bryan Caplan points to an eyebrow-furrowing 1-star review of an anti-Obama book he hasn’t read:
I guess the reviewer is serious, but you tell me:
There will always be skeptics and nonbelievers. In “The Obama Nation,” Dr. Corsi makes clear he is no believer and harbors suspicions about any messianic figure that appears out of nowhere and builds a fervent following. He warns that misplaced hope is naive and dangerous. He has doubts about any unifying movement that is galvanized by a cult of personality. He has doubts about connections, backgrounds, associations, hidden agendas, oblique messages, word origins, trust faith dreams peace hope change . . . Dr. Corsi certainly is full of doubt.It’s understandable to show doubt in the face of forces we cannot comprehend. Even Jesus had a Doubting Thomas. Which makes me wonder how Dr. Corsi would respond if Jesus returned and decided to run for the U.S. Presidency? Surely Corsi would target even Him as “unfit” and radical.
So far Corsi sounds like a pillar of sanity. The 1-star review goes on:
Here is the truth: some truths are unknowable. Contrary to what Dr. Corsi exhorts, it’s simply not always black-and-white. There’s a gray area between veracity and faith, and human truths always have two sides. In this realm, Dr. Corsi and his “facts” and footnotes have no relevance. He is rendered tangential and his arguments immaterial.And people say that no one talks like Ayn Rand villains! Lest you think I exaggerate, the 1-star review goes on:
Here is the truth: the basic ideas that are brought about by any visionary that have positive universal applications in our daily lives can never be destroyed. The words of change, the message of hope and the idea of redemption will endure. We should not be frightened, instead, we should embrace the opportunity to witness the rebirth of optimism.Sometimes, you just have to put your foot on the water (Matthew 14:29-31) and if your faith is strong, you will not sink.
You could dismiss this review as the work of a demented mind, but that’s hardly fair — the spelling and grammar are well above average. You could dismiss it as the work of an agent provocateur, but that’s pretty paranoid. I’m left with the thought that some smart people think that if we just have faith in our leaders, we’ll witness miracles. Scary.
Yes, scary.