How to Tell that Someone is Full of Crap: A Short Guide
A non-exhaustive list of signs to watch for:
- When they say one thing in public, and another in court
- When they say that they are not obligated to tell the truth when they are not under oath
- When they insist on things that are denied by the 'hard news' side of their same network or newspaper
- When they make claims contradicted by their own official report
- When evidence and data take a back seat to feelings and anecdotes
- When they, as non-professionals, attack widely-held professional opinion--especially when it includes demonization of the professionals themselves
- When they widely proclaim that they are being oppressed and silenced (assuming they live in a free society)
- When there are no hard, disappointing truths; only corruption and conspiracy
- When they avoid introspection, never admit to being wrong about anything of substance, or fail to give any principled reasons for changing their mind
- When they say that evidence will be forthcoming--especially when they keep saying it
- When their primary concern is "controlling the narrative" or winning the debate
- When they invoke patriotism and religion to help sell their crap
- When they have a history of being full of crap
- When they are incentivized to be full of crap
- When they deny that crap is, in fact, crap