A study recently came out that suggests that once misinformation is presented to a group of people, the "ghost" of the misinformation may still cloud their judgment even after the information is proven incorrect.
Want to know the group that the study found to most strongly cling to misinformation? Conservatives, of course.
In fact, the study found that conservatives were more likely to actually strengthen their own convictions in misinformation when shown evidence to contradict it.
This study is both relieving to me, and incredibly frustrating.
On the one hand, I feel somewhat better about being unable to convince certain conservative friends and family that they were just plain wrong about certain things, like Barack Obama's alleged Muslim faith. Or one particularly frustrating conversation trying to convince someone that if a woman gets pregnant, it's not 100% her fault - the man has some responsibility, too, considering it is his sperm, after all. Or that the United States will go bankrupt in our lifetimes if we don't fix the budget by lowering taxes AND reducing spending.
On the other hand, it's incredibly frustrating to think that you can never get through to some people. And that these people have voting rights. And that two disastrous elections and eight years of deleterious effects on the economy and personal liberties hasn't suggested that Americans need to vote for someone who doesn't follow over 90% of Bush's failed policies.
And the ultimate irony of the article is that the people it applies to would never actually change their behavior, they'd just put their heads further into the sand.
Kringle Fails
13 hours ago
4 comments:
I think you have a typo here- I believe you meant they will put their heads further up their ASSES. The scariest thing to me is that some people actually still believe that Bush has done a good job, and so they see no problem with electing someone else with the same values.
Chelle, you're the best sister ever. ;o)
A point well made, Chelle. :) Alec and I have had a discussion about this, and we believe that there needs to be a militant wing of Mensa to round up all of the willfully ignorant and take away all that our rational society has given them. They don't seem to want it anyway. Goddamned Bush/Palin supporters.
Believe it or not, I actually watch CNN and read the newspaper every day now. I'm trying to keep up with current events so that occasionally I'll have some input to political discussions.
And I can't wait to see how the polls look after Friday's debate!! I feel like McCain talks a lot, but doesn't really say anything. Obama is so eloquent, he's going to seduce America for sure!! ;)
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