Interesting article regarding media

[siamese3]

I found this interesting.

http://www.cjr.org/analysis/breitbart-media-trump-harvard-study.php

 

[Tekate]

I found this interesting.

http://www.cjr.org/analysis/breitbart-media-trump-harvard-study.php

A truly wonderful article. It all boils down to some type of group think.. Why would people believe the batshit crazy assed junk coming out of Breitbart? Because there is a germ of fact within all the fake information, this fact is then slanted and hyperbole is written and the masses who need to believe something start sharing it on facebook and in emails etc.

We are at the crossroad of a decline in America, imho chaos, and anger and fear are starting to take over.. We need the mainline press to accurately report and call out the junk put out by Breitbart, demand the truth.

We are in times I never thought would happen in my country.

Thank you for this very well written and thoughtful article.

 

[siamese3]

Thanks for posting your thoughts, Tekate. I feel very much the way you do, that we are living in strange and frightening times. I never thought I would feel this way about living in America. I also find it hard, and yet easy to believe, at the same time. The changing economic times we live in, the political partisanship, and the good, bad and ugly nature of the onslaught of "information" media we expose ourselves to, it's all very overwhelming. Watching history shows (my husband is a huge history buff/fanatic) actually makes me feel better and more hopeful, in that we have gone though turbulent times before and came out better on the other side.

 

[redwood66]

Yep. There is garbage all over out there on both sides. Including in the "professional media" as they called it.

 

[AnnaH]

Yep. There is garbage all over out there on both sides. Including in the "professional media" as they called it.

This

 

[ruby59]

Yep. There is garbage all over out there on both sides. Including in the "professional media" as they called it.

This

I agree. One side should not be criticizing the other for the same thing.

 

[lovedogs]

I found this interesting.

http://www.cjr.org/analysis/breitbart-media-trump-harvard-study.php

A truly wonderful article. It all boils down to some type of group think.. Why would people believe the batshit crazy assed junk coming out of Breitbart? Because there is a germ of fact within all the fake information, this fact is then slanted and hyperbole is written and the masses who need to believe something start sharing it on facebook and in emails etc.

We are at the crossroad of a decline in America, imho chaos, and anger and fear are starting to take over.. We need the mainline press to accurately report and call out the junk put out by Breitbart, demand the truth.

We are in times I never thought would happen in my country.

Thank you for this very well written and thoughtful article.

Kate I completely agree. I wish there was even more blowback against this conspiracy-theory type junk coming out of Breitbart and similar places.

 

[elizabethess]

Thanks for posting your thoughts, Tekate. I feel very much the way you do, that we are living in strange and frightening times. I never thought I would feel this way about living in America. I also find it hard, and yet easy to believe, at the same time. The changing economic times we live in, the political partisanship, and the good, bad and ugly nature of the onslaught of "information" media we expose ourselves to, it's all very overwhelming. Watching history shows (my husband is a huge history buff/fanatic) actually makes me feel better and more hopeful, in that we have gone though turbulent times before and came out better on the other side.

I was going to ask what you found interesting about it (I always like to hear the *why*!) but this seems to explain a bit

I also find that trying to take a wider view, or watching history shows helps ground me. It's helpful for me to remember that things always evolve and change, and go through cycles. It's good to witness people's resilience and strength over the years in the face of adversity. Of course, I'd rather NOT need myself or anyone else to have to be resilient and strong, or face strange times! But the more I remember that change has happened before, the easier it is to accept the reality of it, and prepare for it as best as possible rather than hiding and pretending everything is o.k. Does that make sense?

 

[siamese3]

I'm laughing because I just read your comment in another thread about people who post threads about articles they find interesting without saying why... I thought to myself.."guilty" I spend a lot of time thinking about our exposure to media, as well as our beliefs etc. and how we like to have our own ideas reinforced. I personally find I have to challenge myself to be open to other people's point of view even though I actually think I am pretty empathetic to others in general. I just am extremely interested in human behavior! That's why history is so fascinating to me.. it's all just human interaction. I always wished that in school we where taught more about the "whys" of history, more as a stories of humans, than rote memorization of facts and dates that aren't joined together in a meaningful dialogue (to me).

 

[elizabethess]

I'm laughing because I just read your comment in another thread about people who post threads about articles they find interesting without saying why... I thought to myself.."guilty"

Haha, I am an equal opportunity 'why?'-er! I will 'why?' all the things!

A small part of it is just logistics, in that I don't have tons of free time to read every article I see posted (especially if they are thoughtful or long) and getting a gist of the kernel of interesting-ness helps me pick which ones to read.

But, mostly I just want to hear what people think.

I spend a lot of time thinking about our exposure to media, as well as our beliefs etc. and how we like to have our own ideas reinforced. I personally find I have to challenge myself to be open to other people's point of view even though I actually think I am pretty empathetic to others in general. I just am extremely interested in human behavior!

Me too! I think, for me, this has been a lifelong process. The 'why?'s of which could take up a whole other long post but in general I think that introspection, self-awareness, and sifting through different viewpoints became something I heavily leaned on, as I created my own set of beliefs and ideas about religion and politics separately from what I knew growing up.

I also find that if someone is deeply entrenched in a viewpoint that radically opposes my own, it probably won't be shifted. The best I can hope for is to better understand why they think that way. Fully considering another's point of view in turn helps me hone in on my own reasoning. That said, it's easier said than done if things are very personal. I was once on the receiving end of hate from strangers on the internet, directed at me as a person, and fully appreciate there are certain times it can become emotionally necessary to tune out and disengage from people. Creating a bubble isn't always bad. Sometimes it's a survival mechanism.

I always wished that in school we where taught more about the "whys" of history, more as a stories of humans, than rote memorization of facts and dates that aren't joined together in a meaningful dialogue (to me).

Of course, sometimes even the teaching of "why" is different depending on who's doing the teaching! As illustrated by a conversation I once had with my husband about the Civil War. He--growing up in the south--was taught that the Civil War was about the importance of preserving states rights against the tyrannical feds. I--growing up in the northeast--was taught that Civil War was fought over slavery, and the importance of combating the tyranny of the majority. Certainly the real why lies in between.

 

[siamese3]

I'm laughing because I just read your comment in another thread about people who post threads about articles they find interesting without saying why... I thought to myself.."guilty"

Haha, I am an equal opportunity 'why?'-er! I will 'why?' all the things!

A small part of it is just logistics, in that I don't have tons of free time to read every article I see posted (especially if they are thoughtful or long) and getting a gist of the kernel of interesting-ness helps me pick which ones to read.

But, mostly I just want to hear what people think.

I spend a lot of time thinking about our exposure to media, as well as our beliefs etc. and how we like to have our own ideas reinforced. I personally find I have to challenge myself to be open to other people's point of view even though I actually think I am pretty empathetic to others in general. I just am extremely interested in human behavior!

Me too! I think, for me, this has been a lifelong process. The 'why?'s of which could take up a whole other long post but in general I think that introspection, self-awareness, and sifting through different viewpoints became something I heavily leaned on, as I created my own set of beliefs and ideas about religion and politics separately from what I knew growing up.

I also find that if someone is deeply entrenched in a viewpoint that radically opposes my own, it probably won't be shifted. The best I can hope for is to better understand why they think that way. Fully considering another's point of view in turn helps me hone in on my own reasoning. That said, it's easier said than done if things are very personal. I was once on the receiving end of hate from strangers on the internet, directed at me as a person, and fully appreciate there are certain times it can become emotionally necessary to tune out and disengage from people. Creating a bubble isn't always bad. Sometimes it's a survival mechanism.

I always wished that in school we where taught more about the "whys" of history, more as a stories of humans, than rote memorization of facts and dates that aren't joined together in a meaningful dialogue (to me).

Of course, sometimes even the teaching of "why" is different depending on who's doing the teaching! As illustrated by a conversation I once had with my husband about the Civil War. He--growing up in the south--was taught that the Civil War was about the importance of preserving states rights against the tyrannical feds. I--growing up in the northeast--was taught that Civil War was fought over slavery, and the importance of combating the tyranny of the majority. Certainly the real why lies in between.

I totally agree about the "whys". There is bias in everything! It simply can't be helped, it is human nature. I do believe that it can be limited though, and having some self-awareness (what are our own motivations?) helps me uncover my own motivations. Documentaries are, to me, a great example of people not wanting to really think about that. Some people I know think, "oh, it's a documentary, so it must be true!" well, you still have to think about the person who made the documentary and the agenda of the film maker. I think the word "agenda" can have a negative connotation, but really we all have agendas..again, human nature. You made me laugh because I, too, am a "why" person. I probably drive people (my doc, my plumber, my vet, car tech, etc.) crazy!