jamesqf -
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
I'd expand your definition of incompetence quite a bit. An incompetent could, for instance, be ok at what they're doing, but suffer from "confirmation bias", which is the tendency to give much greater weight to information that supports your opinions, and less to information that contradicts it. So the automakers build their big gas guzzlers, and the fraction of the customer base (and automotive press, etc) that likes that sort of car forms a cheering section. The automakers hear the cheering, think "Oh, we're doing a great job, let's make next year's models even bigger!", and ignore the ever-larger market segment that's taking its checkbook to the Honda & Toyota dealers.
As for the conspiracy, remember the Dortmunder family motto: "Quid lucrum istic mihi est?", which translates to "What's in it for me?" So if the automakers join this big conspiracy, what's in it for them?
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I would argue that confirmation bias dominates almost every post on almost every forum in existence, yours and mine inclusive. It is the subsequent supporting argument, the preponderance of evidence, that makes the case for what we are writing.
CarloSW2