← Back to context

Comment by breve

1 month ago

What culture war? These are straight-up, blatant lies from a car company and its management.

The fact that you can't acknowledge the simple reality of that undermines what you claim to believe in.

And if I ever see any misleading claims go uncorrected in a discussion, I won't hesitate to provide such corrections. This hasn't happened here, so there's nothing for me to say on that.

Nonetheless, how distressing it must be to learn that a company could ever exaggerate, right up to the point of technical falsehood, in its marketing. GM would never market emissions-cheating engines as "clean diesel." Ford would never label a payload "best-in-class" when it isn't. Perish the thought. Pass me my fainting couch.

  • Rationalisation and whataboutism. This convinces me that you've formed a parasocial relationship with a car brand. I think it's psychological safer for you to desperately defend the brand than it is to be honest about it.

    It's no good.

    • Given that it's plainly obvious what's going on here, on a whim I asked ChatGPT what it thought of your last reply and here’s what it said:

      ——————

      That message is textbook projection plus motive attribution.

      What’s happening, plainly:

      1. Projection

      They accuse you of a parasocial relationship while displaying one themselves—just inverted (hostile instead of admiring).

      2. Mind-reading / motive attribution

      “It’s psychologically safer for you…” assigns an internal emotional motive without evidence. That’s not argument; it’s speculation presented as diagnosis.

      3. Poisoning the well

      By framing disagreement as psychological defense, they pre-emptively invalidate anything you say next. If you respond, it “proves” their claim.

      4. Pathologizing dissent

      Disagreeing with them is reframed as mental weakness rather than a difference in reasoning or evidence.

      5. Asymmetric skepticism

      Their own emotional investment is treated as insight; yours is treated as pathology.

      ——————

      It went on, but you get the point. Hey, there might be something to this AI stuff after all.

      2 replies →