Osmotic Thinkers

An osmotic thinker learns and gains insights passively by immersing themselves in high-quality environments, absorbing knowledge, habits, and perspectives from surrounding experts. This "learning by osmosis" is a form of unconscious assimilation—similar to picking up a language or company culture through daily exposure rather than formal, structured study.

I am reminded of a trip I took to Costco a couple of years ago with a neighbour. She brought another acquaintance, Bubba, from the cab trade with us.

While loading the car, I heard her say something to Bubba. I only caught part of it but it was something like, "I don't listen to anything Hans says." He replied, "Neither do I. I just filter it out."

Knowing that Bubba is a bona fide osmotic thinker with net zero interest in political issues, I asked him if he intended to vote in the next federal election. 

"Yes. I'll probably vote Liberal."

I wanted to punch the fucker in the mouth. "If you're that apathetic you shouldn't vote at all," I said.

"I don't give a shit," was his reply.

You know, I can't remember when I started using the term "osmotic thinker." I think I got the idea from Mr. Joose in our Gr. 9 science class back when science covered things like osmosis, precipitation, and gravity, etc. instead of 'global warming' and pregnant men. The earliest example I can find of my use of it was  back in 2020 in one of my rants. 

"And on and on it goes. A catastrophe driven by dishonest media, cowardly politicians, and a fatally naive public who believe everything they hear, and osmotically absorb every manipulative innuendo spewed forth on the six o'clock news."

I thought it was my own invention until I decided to google it a few weeks ago. To my surprise, it actually showed up.

"An osmotic thinker learns and gains insights passively by immersing themselves in high-quality environments, absorbing knowledge, habits, and perspectives from surrounding experts. This "learning by osmosis" is a form of unconscious assimilation—similar to picking up a language or company culture through daily exposure rather than formal, structured study."

I detect a typical Google slant to this description. Most of what the zombies I meet do not 'know' what they 'know' from immersing themselves in high-quality environments, absorbing knowledge, habits, and perspectives from surrounding experts. They 'know' what they 'know' by  immersing themselves in low-quality environments, like Junk News media, publicly funded indoctrination factories, and popular movies and songs, all pushing woke narratives. They aren't absorbing knowledge, habits, and perspectives from surrounding experts. They are absorbing knowledge, habits, and perspectives from surrounding idiots.

The part about unconscious assimilation is, unfortunately, absolutely correct.