Like all of us I usually try to avoid politics, but... So there I was strolling through Barnes and Noble looking for something interesting. For some reason B&N is giving Glenn Beck's books front row exposure - I assume this is because his books sell. The other day I was watching a YouTube video in which Richard Dawkins was being interviewed by Bill O'Reilly. Now, I'm no atheist, and O'Reilly seems to be a reasonably intelligent man, but O'Reilly's sheer arrogance and the illogic in what he was saying was astounding. No wonder Dawkins won't give any more interviews. I don't blame him. Now, admittedly, I don't watch Fox News - I just catch glimpses of it here and there (mostly from the Daily Show, so take that for what it's worth) - but if arrogance is personified by O'Reilly, then self-rightousness is owned by Chris Wallace.
I've also always wondered why the National Inquirer existed, but I assumed it was because even some though people read it they probably didn't take it all seriously and maybe it was good for a laugh now and then and perhaps, just perhaps, there was an occasional "truth nugget" to be found somewhere in those pages. In any case, I didn't see it as too dangerous. Fox News, on the other hand, is hard to ignore and to pass off as not dangerous. So what's the appeal? Here's my guess: we live in an age where congress seems incapable of accomplishing anything, where government officials don't tell the truth and are less than respectable individuals, and where corporations regularly obfuscate, where things are just plain complicated, and where critical thinking just isn't one of our strengths, so why not turn to people (i.e., Fox News) who seem to be so darn sure of themselves? Confidence is an attractive personal quality, so I'll throw that in the mix. I'll bet Cialdini would have a lot to say about this. While I would still like journalists to be "objective" or "neutral" or whatever we want to call it, maybe our times call for a different approach. Michael A. Britt, Ph.D. [email protected] http://www.ThePsychFiles.com Twitter: mbritt --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=7611 or send a blank email to leave-7611-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
