The blindingly obvious

[unixronin]

New Scientist reports on a new study at UC Irvine with startling (to some, perhaps) results.  To cut a long story short, the study found that when you drug people with low doses of anaesthetics (around 10% of the dose used for complete general anaesthesia), they don't remember as much as people who weren't drugged.

Um ..... Duh?  They needed a study to figure that out?  It seems one of the more obvious possible results.

In related obviousness, I caught a part of a book review on NPR, the reviewer speaking in breathless, hushed terms about the central revelation of $AUTHOR's book as though the author had achieved some stunning new discovery about the world that had eluded philosophers for thousands of years.

The writer's earthshaking new insight?  You might want to be sitting down for this:  "Sometimes, no matter how badly you want something, you don't get it."

Where do they find these people?

(Minorly edited for clarity on 2008-04-02 at 10:42 EDT)

Comments

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Low doses of anesthetic compared to what?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Compared to the amount required to produce complete unconsciousness (as in 1/10 of the doseage used for general anaesthesia).


Actually, let me clarify that further:

"When you drug people with low doses of anaesthetic (compared to the dosages used for general anaesthesia), they don't remember as much as people who weren't drugged."

To which one can only smack one's forehead and reply, "No shit, Sherlock?"

Next they'll be telling us people who get drunk wake up the next morning unable to remember exact details of "the night before"...

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

There are people out there who go around telling others that if they didn't get something, it's because they didn't Want It Enough. And if they just tried a little harder to Want It, they'd Get It, whatever It is. Happens all the time in sport -- "they just didn't want the trophy enough". It's blame-the-victim arseholery dressed up for the 21st century, is all.

[http://users.livejournal.com/crossfire_/]

I suppose the latter might be a serious revelation to the Entitlement Crowd, but otherwise yeah, I share your incredulity on both.