Brandolini has it right

This may be the most enlightening and frightening post I ever made. It also makes me think of giving up trying to fight stupidity.

Brandolini’s Law, also known as the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, states:

“The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.”

What it means:

This law captures the frustrating imbalance in debates or discussions, particularly online or in public discourse. It suggests that falsehoods, misinformation, or poorly reasoned arguments can be spread quickly and easily, but correcting them requires much more effort, time, and evidence.

Real-world examples:

• Conspiracy theories: A tweet with a false claim can go viral in minutes, but experts may spend hours or days providing data, context, and corrections. Congress stole the security funds? Million of dead people are collecting SS benefits. Health insurance premiums are driven by insurance company profits and they routinely deny legitimate claims to make more money.
• Political misinformation: A misleading slogan may stick in the public’s mind long after it’s been debunked. DOGE was going to save trillions. Only criminals are being deported. China will pay the tariffs. Billionaires only pay an 8% effective tax rate. Citizens over 65 have paid all the taxes they need to pay because they paid their dues.
• Pseudoscience: A catchy claim like “vaccines cause autism” COVID wasn’t real, spreads easily, but the scientific rebuttal involves explaining complex studies and statistics.

Origin:

Italian software developer Alberto Brandolini coined the law in 2013 after being frustrated by a poorly informed debate. It quickly gained traction because of how accurately it describes challenges in modern communication and information warfare