James Bowery <[email protected]> wrote: To what do you attribute Italy's relatively-functional immune system?
A laid-back attitude. I mean it. They don't take themselves as seriously as we do. They know their institutions are far from perfect. The U.S. is burdened by too much self-respect. We take ourselves too seriously. We have too much high regard for out place in the world and our institutions. (Other than the Congress.) All this blather about being the best place on earth leads us to act like the world's policeman, and to imagine that our universities and scientists are the best of the best. When experts at the DoE or the major journals say that cold fusion does not exist, ordinary people give their opinions far too much credibility. Too much respect. Japanese people tend to be even worse in that regard. They have waa-a-a-y too much respect for experts. The fact is, many scientists are incompetent screw-ups. It is the human condition. Farmers, programmers, stock brokers, bank presidents, army generals . . . people everywhere make mistakes. Half the population is below average, as an army general was once horrified to discover. I think the Italians are more aware of that. It helps that they lost several wars in a row. It helps to be a smaller country, less full of yourself. See the novel "Catch 22" for details. - Jed
