Every election season, I get really fed up with all the political ads on tv and radio. These ads are so misinterpreted by the public because we don’t know who to believe. After all, there are always three sides to every story: Candidate A’s side, Candidate B’s side, and then the truth. I wish people could see through the false or exaggerated advertisements and through all the bias that exists in the media. Still, people are going to believe what they are conditioned to believe—and it is really difficult to teach an old dog new tricks (or change his/her political views in this case).
At least chapter four in unSpun does a good job of showing us why we are so easily influenced by the media: we are wired to be that way! I had no idea that brain scans could show evidence of people's political bias after they are shown ads. I liked that this chapter showed the ways people get "trapped" or spun one way or the other. I especially find the "I know I'm Right" trap pertinent to elections. It definitely seems like the more people are wrong, they actually think they are right. Don't you hate it when you talk to someone, and you know they are completely wrong and can prove it, yet they insist that they are right? It almost seems that the less people are informed about an election issue, the more they attempt to take a side and stand by it in order to appear educated.
I agree with you, Stace. All too often I have found myself in a discussion with someone who is completely devoid of any facts or evidence to support his argument. It's like he believes that if he is more aggressive or emotional about his opinion that it is automatically deemed true. When that happens though, you just have to laugh it off in your own head because, as UnSpun tells us, there's really no use in attempting to rationalize.
ReplyDeleteYour right, we are completely wired that way! I'm learning to not believe everything I see/hear. Our world is most accurately described as “a world of disinformation”. We are getting more work than we asked for. All I want is the truth, but I don’t think we will be getting that anytime soon from any political sources. I guess it's our job then to step outside our natural human tendencies and ask questions, look for facts and try to spin the opposite way! There are so many traps to maneuver around; I’m glad unSpun seems to be a reliable guide. Good luck out there, I know i'll need it!
ReplyDeletePolitics are probably the best example of looking at how people dont like to be proven wrong. No matter how an election turns out whether your candidate wins or loses your stuck with whoever was elected and you usually have no way to determine who was really best for the job, but that doesn't stop everyone including us, the media, and the rest of the country from arguing that their candidate is the best when in the end who really knows?
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. This reminds me of my boyfriend! You could argue the facts all day to support that you are right, but it is like talking to a brick wall! In the end, people are going to believe what they want because it is easier to shell out the same "stats" or "claims" people hold to be true, rather than sit down and re-evaluate the facts.
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