“All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.”                  – Mark Twain

It’s always interesting to witness seemingly rational people expressing shock and surprise at Bill O’Reilly’s ability to flat out lie, deny the lies, then deny his denials, even in the face of undeniable proof.

Recently, Bill got so lost in a web of deceptions he made the mistake of lashing out at liberals for calling Norwegian mass-murder Anders Breivik a Christian, simply because Brelvik called himself a Christian. According to O’Reilly, “That’s impossible. No one believing in Jesus commits mass murder.” By applying Bill’s spin it’s possible to argue no Jesus-believing priest has ever committed pedophilia and the Crusades were noble peacekeeping missions.

So, how do you explain Bill’s lies and denials? The same way you explain junkies’ lies and denials. Self-deception and denial are hallmark symptoms of addiction.

Using brain scanning equipment, scientists have discovered there is only one addiction and it’s to dopamine. As it turn out, anything capable of triggering dopamine can grow into an addiction. Heroin, alcohol, nicotine, gambling, food, and video games are only a few of many dopamine-triggering substances and behaviors that trigger dopamine. It’s only a question of time until researchers use scanning equipment to investigate the links between dopamine and all of Abraham Maslow’s deficiency needs — and the existence of safety, peer-approval, and esteem addictions.

When safety, peer-approval, and esteem addictions are found to be more common, dangerous, and ubiquitous than all substance addictions combined, O’Reilly’s bizarre behavior will start making sense. Instead of wondering why and how Mr. O’Reilly manages to remain oblivious to his deceptive spinning, people will understand why each time Bill lies, he’s revealing his addiction to dopamine.

Something traumatic turned Bill O’Reilly into an out-of-control esteem addict. Left with a huge hole in his psyche and filled with feelings of massive inferiority, Bill’s lies to feed insatiable dopamine needs. Like a strung-out junkie, Bill doesn’t care about truth, honesty, integrity, or morality. Heroin addicts only care about shooting up to trigger enough dopamine to put out the pain of withdrawal.  O’Reilly only cares about pretending he’s winning and popular because that’s how he triggers the same dopamine to temporarily put out his pain.

In a sane society Bill O’Reilly couldn’t fill a motel room with fans. Healthy individuals can’t stomach the falafel-loving author of bad porn, harasser of female employees, and two-bit bully for more than a few seconds because honest people find him repulsive. Instead of encouraging his addiction, rational and compassionate people would diagnose, pity, reprimand, and offer treatment and rehabilitation.

In a world overflowing with safety, peer-approval, and esteem addicts, Bill’s bullying, ranting, and raging attracts millions of dopamine addicts who want to be manipulated, deceived, and used. Bill’s fans tune in because his lies, drivel, and bile trigger dopamine in their primitive brains.

O’Reilly‘s biggest self-deceptions is his ability to equate popularity with a nonexistent talent for getting at the truth. In actuality, Bill is a dopamine dealer who feeds the needs of other addicts. For some, he’s their personal bully, taking on pinheads that threaten dopamine flow by instigating feelings of fear and inferiority. For others, Bill is a horror film or roller coaster triggering lots of free, safe dopamine.

The one thing Bill and his audience have in common with junkies is the only thing that matters is scoring dopamine. Truth, honesty, integrity be damned. Give them their dopamine!

The following are facts that only a Bill O’Reilly can spin:

Bill O’Reilly has to lie, cheat, bully, and deny because that’s the only way he can pretend he’s winning.

Bill is a witless test who owes his success to an immense amount of dopamine appeal. His market share and salary are scary reminders of how many easily manipulated, lost, desperate, needy, confused, and intellectually challenged safety, peer-approval, and esteem addicts there are in the United States.