Ridiculous Old Idiot Jackass

On Monday I wrote that there are very few activities more futile than trying to talk sense to a zealot.

True believers don't need facts. They've already made up their minds. They know.

They don't practice critical thinking, they're already convinced. They don't have skeptical minds, they're committed.

So if all their friends, and all the authorities, and all the people they come into contact with agree on something, the case is closed.

In the past few weeks I published two pieces that questioned the orthodoxy of current marketing thinking. One appeared in Adweek and one was on this blog.

In one of the pieces, all I did was list some facts that had been developed by others -- like the U.S. Department of Commerce, Duke University, Nielsen, DoubleClick, and similar reputable sources.

Here are some of the comments I got for my effort:

"...I think it's pretty clear how ridiculous your "facts" are."

"...you should shut down your WEBsite and start your own talk show. Maybe you can fill Oprah's spot. Jackass."

"...you're an old idiot."

"... I (don't) give a shit about what you have to say." 

Some days it's just no fun being a ridiculous old idiot jackass.

Floyd Thursby
A free drink goes to i2Partners LLC for a proper identification of Floyd Thursby, and another free drink goes to Mike M for a good explanation of who Thursby was.

If my recollection is correct, Thursby never actually appeared in the film (The Maltese Falcon.) The cops suspected Sam Spade of Thursby's murder, but he was actually killed by Wilmer, the baby-faced gunslinger. One of the great lines of all time was Spade to Wilmer, "the cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter."

I think you could say the same about social media experts and bloggers.

I'm Ready For Oktoberfest
Septemberfest totally sucked.