Transcript Being a Good Political Consumer

Being a Good Consumer of Media and
Candidate Rhetoric
• Beware of any sources that always give you
information that supports your
beliefs/ideology
• Beware of a source that sees every event that
happens as confirmation of its viewpoint
• Beware of any source which blames one
political party for everything bad that has
ever happened
• When something happens in the world, beware
anyone who instantly blames it on the policies of
their political opponent.
• Good example: the rise of ISIS.
– Democrats say ISIS gained ground because GW Bush
invaded Iraq and let it slide into crisis.
– Republicans say ISIS gained ground because Obama
withdrew from Iraq.
– Is it possible that ISIS became powerful because the
Shi’a-dominated Iraqi government alienated Sunni
Muslims and the Syrian civil war gave radical groups a
sanctuary from which to build their numbers and gain
experience in battle?
– Nope.
• And if Democrats believe that all bad things in
the world are caused by Republicans and
Republicans believe that all bad things are
caused by Democrats, do we have any hope of:
– Actually understanding cause and effect in the
world?
– Identifying the political, economic, and sociological
reasons that things happen ?
– Developing solutions to the complex problems we
face?
– Again, nope.
• Beware of any source that can’t find a single
positive thing to say about one of the political
parties or opposition candidate
• Remember that all news sources are selling you
something. Discovering what they are selling is
crucial.
– Are they selling you a political point of view?
– Are they selling you controversy?
– Are they selling you accuracy, a trusted reputation?
• Beware of labels and “isms”
– Since politician X believes in this idea, he/she is
therefore a socialism, fascism, communism…
• Beware of analysis that depends on
innuendo, coincidence, and grand inferences.
– “Since politician X says this, obviously he
believes in that”
– “Since politician X was seen with person Y,
he/she is therefore supportive of and a believer
in everything Y believes.”
• Remember that no one can be an expert on every
issue
• Pay attention to the “experts” that are interviewed on
a news source. What are their affiliations?
• Beware of anyone who never says: “I don’t know”
• Remember that current media requires people to
make definitive judgments on complex issues
immediately after they happen. That’s really not
possible
• Remember that the word pundit (which comes from
the Sanskrit “pandita” and means essentially “learned
one”) should be translated as “propagandist” today
• Remember that the main purpose of political campaigning
and communication is to define the opponent in a negative
way. This is done through several strategies
– Prosecutorial: Creating a narrative that makes the target look guilty
of something.
– Reasonable Doubt: Raising doubts about the target by accusing them
of something for which you have no evidence, but it raises questions,
forces the media to ask whether someone is guilty, and requires the
target to defend themselves. Now discussion of the candidate always
includes the charges.
– Advertising: Candidates, important legislation, and ideas are being
sold like commercial products. My product will enable you to eat ice
cream all day and still lose weight. You don’t believe that, so why
would you believe that we can cut taxes, increase spending, and
balance the budget!
– Fear: You should be afraid. You’re in danger! All these problems are
caused by my opponent. He’s destroying America. Only I can save the
nation.
• Remember that anyone who says something like:
“This raises questions…” has just accused someone of
something for which they have absolutely no
evidence. The target has just been accused of being
suspicious. It’s called McCarthyism. It’s bad.
• When someone begins a sentence with the phrase
“The fact is…” they are about to give you their
opinion, talking points, propaganda.
• Ask this questions when you hear someone analyze
an event/issue: Are his/her beliefs defining what is
considered evidence and the historical record? Or is
evidence based on data and the historical record
defining what he/she believes?
• The Internet
– Make sure you know who is posting the information
you are reading. Many organizations have biases,
but they won’t necessarily advertise them.
– Remember that most internet sources do not have
editors and fact checkers.
– Remember that the rule for the internet is generally
this: report all rumor and report it as quickly as
possible. If it turns out to be wrong, who cares, as
long as someone has read it and your click/visitor
counter is tallying large numbers.
• When you hear the argument that the media is
liberal, remember a few examples:
– Every President, Democratic or Republican feels the
media is persecuting him (eventually her).
– The New York Times broke the Whitewater story that
eventually led to Bill Clinton’s problems while in
office.
– The New York Times also has been the leading edge
of the reporting that has targeted New York
Democratic Governors Elliot Spitzer (forced to resign)
and Andrew Cuomo.
– The US media was rooting for John McCain in 2000.
Not because of his political beliefs, but because he
was a good story.
• Remember the words of Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, not his own
facts.”
• When everyone else thinks you are wrong and you
begin to believe that you are the only sane person left
on the planet, remember the warning of H.L.
Mencken about “the fundamental assumption that a
group of idiots, if only its numbers be large enough ,
is wiser and more virtuous than any conceivable
individual who is not an idiot.”
• Beware any candidate or politician whose speeches
sound like they will end with calls for everyone to
grab their pitchforks and torches and storm the
castle.
• Be wary of any pundits or candidates who tell you
about the awful things “this President” has done. If
they don’t compare “this president’s” actions to past
presidents, you are likely being given propaganda, not
analysis.
– Good example: Obama has signed 206 executive orders
while in office (to June 2015). This sounds like a lot and
people are arguing he’s bypassed Congress. But when
compared to other presidents, Obama has signed the
fewest number of executive orders per year since Grover
Cleveland’s first term (1893-1897). The use of executive
orders to bypass congress is a serious constitutional
issue, but Obama is no different from other presidents.
It’s systemic problem, not something caused by Obama
(or GW Bush).
• Another example: After 9/11 George W. Bush
increased presidential power significantly, sometimes
through legislation, sometimes through executive
order, sometimes through signing statements which
reinterpreted legislation so deeply that it completely
undermined the purpose of the legislation. Analysis,
rather than propaganda, would have pointed out that
this same presidential power grab has occurred every
time the US has faced a serious and sudden national
security threat. Lincoln and FDR both did similar
things. That doesn’t make it right. It is arguably a
huge problem, but the point is that this is what
presidents typically do; it’s not an example of the evil
of GW Bush. He’d probably like the comparisons to
Lincoln and FDR.
• Be careful of any pundit or candidate whose
appeal to you is based on fear.