01-26-2006, 07:41 PM
I'm reminded of a seminar where this very issue was subjected to a demonstration: the speaker dared anyone to procure an unassuming, store-bought deck of cards, and he would be able to "read" the backs to prove that any and every deck of cards possessed some form of marking.
Shuffled and drawn, he would stand there at his podium and hold the card face out to the crowd while looking at its back. He stated the identity of each and every attempt with 100% accuracy, thus cementing the veracity of his claim.
What really happened was that the speaker had a mirror installed at the top edge of the podium. When he held up each card for the audience to regard, he was reading the reflection. He had to cheat on a perfectly honest deck in order to lay claim that cheating was a rampant practice.
Shuffled and drawn, he would stand there at his podium and hold the card face out to the crowd while looking at its back. He stated the identity of each and every attempt with 100% accuracy, thus cementing the veracity of his claim.
What really happened was that the speaker had a mirror installed at the top edge of the podium. When he held up each card for the audience to regard, he was reading the reflection. He had to cheat on a perfectly honest deck in order to lay claim that cheating was a rampant practice.
Political Correctness is the idea that you can foster tolerance in a diverse world through the intolerance of anything that strays from a clinical standard.