Note on The Ghost Effect via Paul Ford

I’m referring to that experience as the Ghost Effect (movie, not CMS). If you talk about something dangerous that might happen in the future, people nod along and file mental notes. If you talk about something dangerous that happened in the past, they listen to see what they can learn. But if you talk about something huge and dangerous happening right now, people get really polite and change the topic.

The combination of vast scope and immediacy—and the fact that you can’t really see or touch what’s happening—means that if you choose to ruin the party by discussing it, you transform into a Patrick Swayze-style ghost. You’re yelling, You’re in danger! You think they can hear and see you, but instead they just feel kind of cold.

FROM:

Paul Ford

The Ghost Effect

Source

People ~hear what they want to hear~ ignore what they want to ignore. They would prefer to ignore the uncomfortable dangers.