Originally Posted by DeltaboundRedux

All around just an excellent post.

Increasingly of the mindset that an “informed opinion” about the hot topic of the day, especially about wars, can’t truly be informed until at least 20 years after the fact, probably 50, and quite possibly never.

Manipulation of public opinion is literally weapons grade run by state actors. Has been since mass literacy and the printing press. The internet is that on steroids.

Daniel Ellsberg of “The Pentagon Papers” fame has a good anecdote about how academics have strong, “smart” opinions on weighty world affairs, get drafted into government positions and have access to classified data then completely change their tune.