April, 2021 archive
All That Was Old Is New Again, Coralling Customers Dept. 0
If you are like us, you’ve probably found yourself relying more on streaming services for diversion and documentaries in these viral times. At the same time, you may have also noticed the proliferation of media streaming services and encountered increasing difficulty finding something worth your while and conveniently available amongst the deluge of drek and the torrent of trash.
The EFF makes a convincing argument we’ve seen this all before.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Honest to Pete, if you’re going to mess about with guns, treat them with some respect.
“But No Other Answer Fits the Facts” 0
Nika Kabiri explores what persons fall for and hold on to conspiracy theories. She identifies three factors:
- First, conspiratorial thinking may have psychological roots that need to be addressed first. Recent research from Emory University suggests people prone to conspiratorial ideation have low social self-esteem and exhibit signs of narcissism, among other traits. . . .
- Second, underneath all conspiracy theories are coherent ideologies, a master world-view in which conspiracies are normative (rather than unusual). This worldview is so compelling that a believer can espouse two inconsistent conspiracy theories at the same time, as long as each aligns with this underlying ideology. . . .
- Third, all people resist new evidence that challenges their beliefs to varying degrees. Confirmation bias leads all of us to do online research using keyword searches that are bound to serve up what we want to see. . .
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Follow the link for a more detailed discussion of each, as well as her thoughts on how to combat conspiratorial thinking.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness continues to be manifest upon our network of pavement designed for usage by automobiles.
Cancel Culture, Republican Style 0
Doing the very thing they were railing against an instant ago. . . .
Misdirection Play, McConnell’s Mendacity Dept. 0
Chris Hayes interviews Bernie Sanders about Republicans’ telling corporations to stay out of politics after their support of the Citizens United ruling.
On the same issue, PoliticalProf has a suggestion.
Video via C&L.
The Climates They Are a-Changing (Reprise) . . . 0
. . . but not if you believe the twits on Twitter. At Psychology Today Blogs, Richard Maxwell and Toby Miller discuss a recent study. Here’s a bit from the opening of their article:
While we’re on the subject of “social” media, I commend to your attention an article in my local rag regarding a study of “social” media’s role in magnifying misinformation about coronavirus vaccines.