Desperate Symptoms

Morbid symptoms: for example 20% of Americans believe the Moon Landing was a hoax. Something like 4% think Mt Rushmore was not carved by (sic) emerged spontaneously from the hills of North Dakota. Almost 10% believe or are unsure if the earth is flat. But as noted before, 70% of Americans believe in angels. I mention all this because this level of irrationality — of superstition, is another symptom of a dying society. And perhaps I should say dying civilisation. Now I am not sure if similar numbers would or do occur in Russia, or China, or Argentina or Italy. My guess is not, although I suspect each has its own set of modern mythology from which they draw.

So frets Mr John Steppling. You can read the rest of his anguished musings here:

https://john-steppling.com/2026/06/night-terrors/

Now I’d heard about all that moon landing “denial” stuff. And, of course, there is that old Flat Earth chestnut, mention of which always signals a dreary artificial smear tactic. But the Rushmore thing was new to me. 4%, eh? Jeez!

Since Mr Steppling doesn’t provide any link here, I surfed around a bit and couldn’t find anything. I started by just copy/pasting John’s own words in with several quotation mark allocations. It came up with nothing. I then tried the “4%” statistic. Nothing. And then, in a mood of exasperation, and much though I mistrust all that AI stuff, I eventually just typed in

who thinks mt rushmore emerged naturally

And was met by this:

Nobody thinks Mount Rushmore emerged naturally as a rock formation with presidential faces. This is a famous, widespread childhood misconception—often joked about on platforms like BuzzFeed Video—rather than a held belief by any adult or scientific group.

Interesting. A “famous, widespread childhood misconception”. I confess to feeling a little let down. Why would such an austere paragon of rationality as Mr Steppling stoop to what seems a pretty shabby straw man? And one he probably used back in his heroic high school days to diss the hick backward morons?

But I confess to being a little disingenuous. Because it’s pretty obvious what has happened. This: Mr Steppling is following a dismally tedious formula here. Knowing full well that a certain proposition which the writer intensely dislikes doesn’t sound anything like as crazy as he would like it to sound, he mixes in the other stuff: flat earth, angels etc. I’m surprised that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy are not also in there. The Rushmore bit was an overshoot. And a significant one.

Because something is certainly dying here. What could it be?

Well let’s reflect a little more on Mr Steppling’s examples. Flat Earth, angels, and that desperate flailing to create something we might baptise “Mt Rushmore Denial”. As for the moon landings, it’s clear that from his tacky smear-by-association tactic here, he’s not overly confident that his readers will agree. And so – are we to assume that all is not well in Steppling Land? Does he feel cracks appearing in this blasé assumption of that good old-time rationality?

Possibly. But then again, the very underhandedness of his method here is disquieting. Again, Mt Rushmore looms large. Consider the decline in “conspiraloon” material:

· Flat Earth

· Denial of Evolution

· Denial of lone gunmen

· Denial of moon landing

· Denial of covid

· Denial of climate change

· Denial of the “reality” of transgenderism

And so on an on. Say what you will about all the above. They are well known.

But “Mt Rushmore Denial”?

When you have to start making shit up then …well, perhaps you are the one in denial?