Authoritarianism encourages a magical evidentiary epistemology. Exponents of an auditable means for securing a bit of safety against carelessness, greed and the odd gang of charismatic, plausibly enculturated sociopaths have an uphill fight against that. The process of whittling away at falsehoods ruins the splendid cases built up in the heads of jovial simpletons. So of course it’s resented.

A Bush or a Reagan comes along and says we must build a pyramid of dog feces. A clever Clinton comes by to say it must be perfumed, and feels the pain of people crushed by the perfume tankers. The media ensures both sides get a hearing, smugly certain that the hegelian process they sponsor will harvest ad revenue.

It’s just not right, Frank.