Compare the 911 attacks and airport security. It was not regarded as a joke generally (although I thought it a joke well before the attack), but in hindsight, i

Compare the 911 attacks and airport security. It was not regarded as a joke generally (although I thought it a joke well before the attack), but in hindsight, it was "security theater" not security at all. It's common for our actions and conscious thoughts to contradict: that's what unconscious minds are for according to the Selfish Gene introduction's hypothesis. Or compare how unprepared Austrohungaria actually was for WWI, which it started. The examples are endless.