Placebo

Nobody asked but …

I keep encountering people who are fooled by placebos.  They point to things that haven’t happened yet, yet to them the things are fait accompli because a politician said he or she was going to do them.  I am not singling out any particular politician — no need, they all do it.

When some voters complained in a former administration that POTUS was not following through on campaign promises, others advanced the theory that it was addictive behavior when someone thought that merely saying so made it so.  For example, tobacco fiends often believe that people will believe them if they just announce from time to time that they are quitting.

But, it takes two to tango.  There must be many believers for such false hopes to continue to be peddled.  When will immigration be managed to suit the holders of all opinions?  When will belligerent countries beat their swords into plowshares?  When will obsolete jobs be rescued?  When will the streets be paved with gold?

— Kilgore Forelle

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