Facts? Don't confuse me with facts!

PLC1

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How facts backfire

Recently, a few political scientists have begun to discover a human tendency deeply discouraging to anyone with faith in the power of information. It’s this: Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite. In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs.
 
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Welcome to the human condition. This is why, when an organization made up of humans succeeds, it is in spite of the organization not because of it.
 
yeah...no doubt.

Like all those people who think Bush lied and people died.
And W's tax cuts favor ONLY the rich.
And tax cuts are evil.
And there is no such thing as a liberal media.
And those awful Republicans want to eliminate social security, medicare, school lunch, welfare, etc.................................................
And a Right Wing Conspiracy got Clinton
And partial birth abortion is an affront to woman's rights
And the death penalty is wrong cause they execute so many innocent people.
And Democrats are for the working man
And Unions are for the working man
And Bush is another Hitler
And there is no link between terrorism and Saddam's Iraq.
And the Swift Boat Veterans are liars.
And Reagan was a big deficit spender.
And Reagan was mentally impaired the last few years of his presidency.
And Rush is a junkie.
And 9/11 was an inside job.
And America is partially responsible for 9/11

And...I could go on and on, but you get the point. The mind of a liberal is so strange....

Brain_Socialist_Democrat.png
 
yeah...no doubt.

Like all those people who think Bush lied and people died.
And W's tax cuts favor ONLY the rich.
And tax cuts are evil.
And there is no such thing as a liberal media.
And those awful Republicans want to eliminate social security, medicare, school lunch, welfare, etc.................................................
And a Right Wing Conspiracy got Clinton
And partial birth abortion is an affront to woman's rights
And the death penalty is wrong cause they execute so many innocent people.
And Democrats are for the working man
And Unions are for the working man
And Bush is another Hitler
And there is no link between terrorism and Saddam's Iraq.
And the Swift Boat Veterans are liars.
And Reagan was a big deficit spender.
And Reagan was mentally impaired the last few years of his presidency.
And Rush is a junkie.
And 9/11 was an inside job.
And America is partially responsible for 9/11

And...I could go on and on, but you get the point. The mind of a liberal is so strange....

Brain_Socialist_Democrat.png

I take issue with the large size of the bleeding heart swelling. I think its much smaller. Their hearts only bleed for people if they can get someone else to pay for it. A true bleeding heart would be willing to pay for it themselves instead of the way they currently do it.
 
yeah...no doubt.

Like all those people who think Bush lied and people died.
And W's tax cuts favor ONLY the rich.
And tax cuts are evil.
And there is no such thing as a liberal media.
And those awful Republicans want to eliminate social security, medicare, school lunch, welfare, etc.................................................
And a Right Wing Conspiracy got Clinton
And partial birth abortion is an affront to woman's rights
And the death penalty is wrong cause they execute so many innocent people.
And Democrats are for the working man
And Unions are for the working man
And Bush is another Hitler
And there is no link between terrorism and Saddam's Iraq.
And the Swift Boat Veterans are liars.
And Reagan was a big deficit spender.
And Reagan was mentally impaired the last few years of his presidency.
And Rush is a junkie.
And 9/11 was an inside job.
And America is partially responsible for 9/11

And...I could go on and on, but you get the point. The mind of a liberal is so strange....

Much of what you just posted are opinions, not facts, but you do have half of the idea.

The other half is that self described "conservatives" are no different.

Fact: Saddam Hussain did not have WMD when the US invaded, not unless the acronym means "weapons in moldy disrepair."

You see, that's a fact.

We should never have invaded Iraq.

That's an opinion.

the first of your examples is a combination of two facts, one false, one true:


Bush lied and people died

No, bush didn't lie, but yes, people did die, and are still dieing.


Facts can be shown to be true or false.
 
Much of what you just posted are opinions, not facts, but you do have half of the idea.

The other half is that self described "conservatives" are no different.

Fact: Saddam Hussain did not have WMD when the US invaded, not unless the acronym means "weapons in moldy disrepair."

You see, that's a fact.

We should never have invaded Iraq.

That's an opinion.

the first of your examples is a combination of two facts, one false, one true:


Bush lied and people died

No, bush didn't lie, but yes, people did die, and are still dieing.


Facts can be shown to be true or false.

Agreed.

And let me add one...

and some believe the cost of the war on drugs far exceeds the cost of the war on poverty.
 
Agreed.

And let me add one...

and some believe the cost of the war on drugs far exceeds the cost of the war on poverty.

Yes, that's an opinion as well. Now, if someone were to add up all of the costs of incarceration, arrest, investigation, trials, etc. that are born by state, federal, and local governments and come up with a figure, that would be a fact. If they then added up the cost of the war on poverty, excluding items that are not a part of that war, then that would be a fact. If those two facts could be compared, then the opinion would be shown to be valid or not, but, of course, as shown in the study, the opinion holder still would not change.

Both the war on drugs and the war on poverty are far too expensive and should be ended.

Now, there's an opinion that is supported by many facts, none of which will sway anyone who is firmly committed to either war.
 
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And how could I have forgotten this one???

And global warming is going to kill us all in less than 10 years.

Don't be silly!

Global warming wont kill us, the lack of food from global warming will make us cannibal's and thats how it ends, according to Ted Turner. But no worries it wont happen till 2040. I always knew there would be a real zombie apocalypse someday. I read the zombie survival guide and I am ready for it!
 
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