I have recommended UnSpun to every peer and friend remotely interested in being intellectually informed or reading an interesting book that can carry conversations for hours. I have learned that propaganda flies at us from all directions, it is not limited, and it is not contained.
Spread by political parties, schools, churches, businesses, advertisements and other groups, propaganda will make our decisions for us thus creating the inability to think independently. It is important that we familiarize ourselves with the devices and techniques used by propagandists and ask questions on the way.
Questions to be asked include: Who is the propagandist? What does he want/ what is he influencing? What do those words and symbols mean exactly? What does the propagandist try to make them mean? This list, still evolving and making additions, is what I have begun to ask after reading UnSpun.
Fight back, ask questions!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Cars, People, Roads, Waste = No Problems Here?
What are anti-environmentalists are fighting for? I couldn’t help but ask myself that question a few times while reading Chapter nine of Toxic Sludge. Money, I concluded, they must be fighting for money. What else would have enough power to force these people into ignoring the fact that we live on earth and are constantly seeing the immediate effects of our waste?
Although I have not seen too much environmental PR, propaganda meant to persuade the public to disregard environmental problems, I realize that it must use some very persuasive propaganda techniques and devices in order to spin the public.
This type of propaganda has disturbed me most because it not only misinforms the public, but also places our environment in danger. If all else fails, what’s the harm in going green just in case those environmental problems really do exist? HA…we have to get our facts straight. We are living, polluting, and littering, there has to be consequences somewhere. Go Green!
Although I have not seen too much environmental PR, propaganda meant to persuade the public to disregard environmental problems, I realize that it must use some very persuasive propaganda techniques and devices in order to spin the public.
This type of propaganda has disturbed me most because it not only misinforms the public, but also places our environment in danger. If all else fails, what’s the harm in going green just in case those environmental problems really do exist? HA…we have to get our facts straight. We are living, polluting, and littering, there has to be consequences somewhere. Go Green!
How can we be sure? Research: Do it yourself.
Every aspect of our lives revolves around knowledge, therefore it is increasingly important that we get our facts right, always. Chapter eight of unSpun tells us how to be sure and deals with the dilemma of un-factual facts. Reliance on the media, government sources, and public will only leave us misinformed and at times, embarrassed. We are only limiting our own ability to retain solid facts and knowledge if we believe the first web-site, commercial, article, or television show that we have viewed. By taking the time to research the topic on our own, we equip ourselves with the only chance to remain well-informed individuals that have their facts straight.
Crows have character -- Fun "facts" to entertain.
I can’t argue that animals aren’t brilliant, because I am truly fascinated by how they work. The ability to live off the land freely, camouflage themselves at times, escape the dangers of humans and predators and survive leaves me watching plant earth wide-eyed for hours on end. However, the Great Crow Fallacy attempted to offer conclusions to the public without a full report or sustainable research, leaving the public holding onto the theory long after it had been debunked.
Jackson and Jameison point out, “It’s fun to think that crows might be clever enough to learn such a neat trick” (105). Most people believe what they want. If the idea is pleasurable to entertain, even if research proves it to be false, then people will continue amusing the idea. It’s a great “fact” to keep the conversation rolling, and unless you are questioned, which is unlikely, the dinner table is going to assume your telling the truth, thus the word of mouth kicks in and returns even more believers. The tests ended up revealing that birds often drop their food on hard surfaces to crack them open, but that isn’t nearly as fun now is it?
Jackson and Jameison point out, “It’s fun to think that crows might be clever enough to learn such a neat trick” (105). Most people believe what they want. If the idea is pleasurable to entertain, even if research proves it to be false, then people will continue amusing the idea. It’s a great “fact” to keep the conversation rolling, and unless you are questioned, which is unlikely, the dinner table is going to assume your telling the truth, thus the word of mouth kicks in and returns even more believers. The tests ended up revealing that birds often drop their food on hard surfaces to crack them open, but that isn’t nearly as fun now is it?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Got Facts?
In Chapter 5 of unSpun, Jackson and Jamieson have provided us with several accounts where a lack of “active open mindedness” created victims of trickery that ended in mounting fines, months in jail, declining health and also death. We have to be aware that facts matter and they save lives. Facts matter. Facts save lives. Now all we have to do is make a shirt that says, “Got Facts?”. (Haha!) It's easy for us, in an age of heightened technology, to quickly scan for facts. Consider our surgeon Daniel Bullock who could have clearly been aware of his scammer’s seven accounts of false tax returns if he had typed his name into Google. A bit of conventional awareness would have saved Bullock a ton of trouble, to say the least.
A lack of facts creates the dilemma of misinformation. Such “half truths” have formed road blocks in preventing the amount of females that have fallen victim to heart disease, the number one death cause of females. Due to the popularity of breast cancer prevention and propaganda, also known as “Pinkwashing” many women believe it is the number one cause of death and forgo the chance they may contract heart disease, which is truthfully what they should be watching out for. Misinformation can cause death. Facts save lives.
On the topic if breast cancer, did you know that the number one prevention strategy of preventing all cancers is Sunlight and vitamin D? Ironically, there is a vitamin D deficiency that is spreading rapidly around the U.S. because they are misinformed. Organizations such as the American Cancer Society (ACS) list the four major risk factors on their prevention strategies as: weight, alcohol use, smoking, and exercise. Ironically enough the most powerful anti-cancer nutrient that reduces risk of breast cancer by 77 %, Vitamin D, is not found on the list.
Fact: The lack of facts and swelling amounts of misinformation are everywhere in our world AND the consequences of falling for this deception will not be evoked because we simply “fall for it”. Ex. Daniel Bullock
This chapter caught my attention by prompting us to go to the trouble of finding facts in order to ultimately save ourselves the trouble.
Check out this article by Mike Adams to learn facts about breast cancer propaganda:
October is Breast Cancer Propaganda Month: Pinkwashing, Breast Cancer Action and Vitamin D
http://www.naturalnews.com/022115.html
A lack of facts creates the dilemma of misinformation. Such “half truths” have formed road blocks in preventing the amount of females that have fallen victim to heart disease, the number one death cause of females. Due to the popularity of breast cancer prevention and propaganda, also known as “Pinkwashing” many women believe it is the number one cause of death and forgo the chance they may contract heart disease, which is truthfully what they should be watching out for. Misinformation can cause death. Facts save lives.
On the topic if breast cancer, did you know that the number one prevention strategy of preventing all cancers is Sunlight and vitamin D? Ironically, there is a vitamin D deficiency that is spreading rapidly around the U.S. because they are misinformed. Organizations such as the American Cancer Society (ACS) list the four major risk factors on their prevention strategies as: weight, alcohol use, smoking, and exercise. Ironically enough the most powerful anti-cancer nutrient that reduces risk of breast cancer by 77 %, Vitamin D, is not found on the list.
Fact: The lack of facts and swelling amounts of misinformation are everywhere in our world AND the consequences of falling for this deception will not be evoked because we simply “fall for it”. Ex. Daniel Bullock
This chapter caught my attention by prompting us to go to the trouble of finding facts in order to ultimately save ourselves the trouble.
Check out this article by Mike Adams to learn facts about breast cancer propaganda:
October is Breast Cancer Propaganda Month: Pinkwashing, Breast Cancer Action and Vitamin D
http://www.naturalnews.com/022115.html
Sunday, January 25, 2009
EEA: Emotional Extremist Anonymous
Admitting you have a problem (with reasoning) is the first step to recovery (seeing the world as realistically as possible). Telling us “Why We Get Spun” in chapter four, Jackson and Jamieson underscore specific traps that reveal the natural human tendencies that make it challenging for us to view the outside world without bias, wishful thinking, or emotional reasoning.
The fact that we give into emotionally biased reasoning or crave certainty is something we should not try to deny; instead we have to play off it. The insert, “This is your Brain on Politics” was a great scientific illustration showing that at times our brain does act on emotional impulse. The brain scans showed images of Kerry and Bush supporters that were confronted with critical statements of each. Each group let their favored candidate off easily while crushing the other candidate. The scan results showed that there was only increased activation on the emotional circuits, not those parts of the brain needed during reasoning. It’s disappointing isn’t it? But hey, I know all about drowning in emotion.
Admitting that I am extremely sentiment, reactive, and emotional is a total understatement. I get defensive and heated when it comes to arguing about particular topics. I like to say I’m passionate, it’s a great excuse. It happens to us all. That’s the bottom line, so what can we do about? This chapter has reminded me to be like the scientist. If I am a true advocate concerning relative issues I should research them to the furthest extent, work to disapprove them, jump on the other side and gain a fresh perspective. If we can learn to channel our “passion” or overload of emotional circuits into admitting that our natural human tendencies often get the best of us then we have nothing to be ashamed of and can hopefully jump out of those traps that spin us up.
The fact that we give into emotionally biased reasoning or crave certainty is something we should not try to deny; instead we have to play off it. The insert, “This is your Brain on Politics” was a great scientific illustration showing that at times our brain does act on emotional impulse. The brain scans showed images of Kerry and Bush supporters that were confronted with critical statements of each. Each group let their favored candidate off easily while crushing the other candidate. The scan results showed that there was only increased activation on the emotional circuits, not those parts of the brain needed during reasoning. It’s disappointing isn’t it? But hey, I know all about drowning in emotion.
Admitting that I am extremely sentiment, reactive, and emotional is a total understatement. I get defensive and heated when it comes to arguing about particular topics. I like to say I’m passionate, it’s a great excuse. It happens to us all. That’s the bottom line, so what can we do about? This chapter has reminded me to be like the scientist. If I am a true advocate concerning relative issues I should research them to the furthest extent, work to disapprove them, jump on the other side and gain a fresh perspective. If we can learn to channel our “passion” or overload of emotional circuits into admitting that our natural human tendencies often get the best of us then we have nothing to be ashamed of and can hopefully jump out of those traps that spin us up.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
In unSpun: Finding Facts in a world of disinformation, Jackson and Jamieson are providing their readers with a tool to recognize spin and thus the ability to dodge the spinners’ misleading agendas and false illustrations of reality. Reading the opening chapter, From Snake Oil to Emu Oil, with continuously furrowed eyebrows, I began wishing I had fallen into this book earlier. Who didn’t know that Listerine couldn’t really cure bad breath?
I will be the first to admit that I am gullible to the furthest extent and would definitely fall under those American who believed the “Dubious Campaign Claims” that George W. Bush and John Kerry had stated back a few years ago. I respected the way in which Jackson and Jamieson presented both the Democratic and Republican’s way of bending facts and created subtle ways to deceive viewers.
For myself, the most eye opening section of the chapter was the uncovering the deceit interwoven in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. The buzz around this film left only “misimpression”, questions, and anger in its viewers. Fifty-two percent of American believed that the Bush administration allowed the bin Laden family to fly out of the U.S. while airspace was still closed. Unspun presents falsehoods such as the “Bin Laden Baloney” and begins to unravel the spinners’ web of bended facts and outright lies and I am extremely appreciative of the truth that the book is uncovering. Naturally oblivious and naïve, I am learning to ask questions and not take everything I read or see as factual evidence. I am learning to get down and dirty to find reliable sources from everything to a dependable literature review to a healthy hair shampoo.
I will be the first to admit that I am gullible to the furthest extent and would definitely fall under those American who believed the “Dubious Campaign Claims” that George W. Bush and John Kerry had stated back a few years ago. I respected the way in which Jackson and Jamieson presented both the Democratic and Republican’s way of bending facts and created subtle ways to deceive viewers.
For myself, the most eye opening section of the chapter was the uncovering the deceit interwoven in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. The buzz around this film left only “misimpression”, questions, and anger in its viewers. Fifty-two percent of American believed that the Bush administration allowed the bin Laden family to fly out of the U.S. while airspace was still closed. Unspun presents falsehoods such as the “Bin Laden Baloney” and begins to unravel the spinners’ web of bended facts and outright lies and I am extremely appreciative of the truth that the book is uncovering. Naturally oblivious and naïve, I am learning to ask questions and not take everything I read or see as factual evidence. I am learning to get down and dirty to find reliable sources from everything to a dependable literature review to a healthy hair shampoo.
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