Confirmation Bias: Mos Def is Ignorant

“Confirmation bias is a tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions and avoid information and interpretations which contradict prior beliefs.” Since I like Mos Def as an artist and have never had a problem with him before, it cannot be claimed that confirmation bias is behind my claims of his ignorance. He was a panelist on Real Time with Bill Maher recently and let his conspiratorial “refusal to believe” run wild. I didn’t realize it was 9/11 until I started writing this, but it is fitting given his claims. Among them:

-The moon landing was faked
-Bin Ladin does not exist (he is a construction of the Bush Administration)
-As such, Bin Ladin/Al Qaeda played no part in 9/11
-It follows that Bush/his administration were directly responsible
-OJ Simpson is innocent
-US is a world power because a rebellious black man forced Napolean’s hand, leading to the Louisiana Purchase
-Without this sale, we would have never made it to the Pacific Coast
-In history, Islam was not spread through force.
-This is a “convenient ‘fact’”, and clear instance of historical revisionism

Stupid Rappers Trying to Be All Political

“The fourth branch of the government AKA the media
Seems to now have a retirement plan for ex-military officials
As if their opinion was at all unbiased
A machine shouldn’t speak for men
So shut the fuck up you mindless drone!
And you know it’s serious
When these same media outfits are spending millions of dollars on a PR campaign
To try to convince you they’re fair and balanced
When they’re some of the most ignorant, and racist people
Giving that type of mentality a safe haven
We act like we share in the spoils of war that they do
We die in wars, we don’t get the contracts to make money off ‘em afterwards!
We don’t get weapons contracts, nigga!
We don’t get cheap labor for our companies, nigga!
We are cheap labor, nigga!”
-Immortal Technique, The 4th Branch

Felipe Coronel, aka Immortal Technique, raises the age-old question: is it ok for a white man (me) to quote a Latino/hispanic/Peruvian-American’s use of the n-bomb? This song was playing on a mix CD in my car while I was running errands with a friend. He heard an anti-Bush line that jerked his conservative chain and made an indignant comment along the lines of “Hah! This stupid rapper thinks he’s political or something.”