Goes Without Saying...

[TheVictors]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/fox-news-less-informed-new-study_n_1538914.html

People who only listened to NPR or watched Sunday morning talk shows or "The Daily Show" did the best in the study.



Sort of a Chicken or the Egg kind of quandry....

 

[tinselwolverine]

I would probably do really, really badly on this quiz, because all I ever do is watch both MSNBC and Fox News at the same time, with the volume turned up full blast on each.

 

[redandguilty]

"A large group of protestors has been camped out on Wall Street for the last couple of weeks. To the best of your knowledge, are these protestors mostly Republicans or Democrats?"

% that answered "Republican"
CNN 12%
FOX 13%
MSNBC 14%

Some people should just quit watching the news. It isn't doing them any good.

 

[cheeno]

Aimee Teegarden “Recent polls have shown that a fifth of Americans can’t locate the US on a world map. Why do you think this is?”

Miss South Carolina Lauren Caitlin Upton
“I personally believe, that U.S. Americans,
are unable to do so,
because uh,
some, people out there, in our nation don’t have maps.
and uh…
I believe that our education like such as in South Africa,
and the Iraq,
everywhere like such as…
and, I believe they should uh,
our education over here,
in the U.S. should help the U.S.
or should help South Africa,
and should help the Iraq and Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future,
for us.”

Host Mario Lopez “Thank you very much South Carolina.”

 

[tinselwolverine]

"A large group of protestors has been camped out on Wall Street for the last couple of weeks. To the best of your knowledge, are these protestors mostly Republicans or Democrats?"

% that answered "Republican"
CNN 12%
FOX 13%
MSNBC 14%

Some people should just quit watching the news. It isn't doing them any good.

Yep.

MSNBC viewers seemed to have comprehension problems as well -

"Other networks also did badly in some sections; MSNBC viewers and Fox News viewers both fared worse in answering international questions than people who watched no news."

I don't know if watching both of them increases ones ignorance, or if they cancel other out, and makes a person average.

 

[TheVictors]

I think it begs the classic question, which came first ...the chicken or the egg?!

Is it just a case of stupid people all watching FoxNews or is it FoxNews making them stupid?

In the end its about convenience both practically and intellectually. You can be spoonfed what you want to hear or spoonfed a line of crap you assume is true and move along. No critical thinking to make your brain hurt or waste of time reading other sources.

Cable news isn't news at all and there is no such thing as journalistic standards at all any more.

And what I liked about the survey is that it preempts the single most common reply from someone getting all defensive about Fox's laughable behavior ...so, MSNBC does it too.....



yep. but being critical of Fox doesn't mean you watch MSNBC.



And all you have to do is watch "Jay Walking" on Leno to realize just how stupid a people we Americans have become.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I would probably do really, really badly on this quiz, because all I ever do is watch both MSNBC and Fox News at the same time, with the volume turned up full blast on each.

When I do this, I sometimes place myself between both monitors with the monitors facing each other, just so I get the sensation and the experience of being between the two with each of them screaming at the other, without listening to and hearing what the other is having to say...

And of course, the cacophony drowns out whatever content is coming from either one.

 

[redandguilty]

I think it begs the classic question, which came first ...the chicken or the egg?!

Is it just a case of stupid people all watching FoxNews or is it FoxNews making them stupid?

I think there's something to the idea that the internet allows us to find news that reinforces what we already think. I wonder if you could make an anti-google news browser...something that looks at your web history and gives you news that's the opposite of what you want to see. Problem is, if you built such a thing, the only people that would use it are the people that already don't need it.

 

[redandguilty]

When I do this, I sometimes place myself between both monitors with the monitors facing each other, just so I get the sensation and the experience of being between the two with each of them screaming at the other, without listening to and hearing what the other is having to say...

And of course, the cacophony drowns out whatever content is coming from either one.

Like Sports Shouting on 30 Rock.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Man, I gotta start watching that show.

So much pop culture I'm missing out on.

 

[TheVictors]

I think there's something to the idea that the internet allows us to find news that reinforces what we already think. I wonder if you could make an anti-google news browser...something that looks at your web history and gives you news that's the opposite of what you want to see. Problem is, if you built such a thing, the only people that would use it are the people that already don't need it.

Ha! I need to start reading more fiction and and stuff for fun.

 

[elrod817]

I think there's something to the idea that the internet allows us to find news that reinforces what we already think. I wonder if you could make an anti-google news browser...something that looks at your web history and gives you news that's the opposite of what you want to see. Problem is, if you built such a thing, the only people that would use it are the people that already don't need it.

Ha! So true red...I remember years ago watching some program and there was an author being interviewed. It had something to do with climate change and humans being parasitic, etc. The author stated that humans should act like syphilis with a conscience and stop breeding to save the planet/animals. I thought the guy had a point with some merit, but came to the same conclusion. The only people who would listen are probably the people that should be having children.

Funny how that works...

 

[tinselwolverine]

Ha! So true red...I remember years ago watching some program and there was an author being interviewed. It had something to do with climate change and humans being parasitic, etc.

That's sort of like what Agent Smith told Neo in the Matrix.

Except only he kept calling Neo "Mr. Anderson..."

Edit:

My bad...Smith says that to Morpheus, not Neo...

 

[Michchamp]

what would be ideal is that citizens would be educated in how to watch the news and sift through the media cruft and weasel words used to skew public perceptions of events so they could form their own opinions without being unduly influenced by the spin.

one man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter"

one man's "scandal" is another man's "political mistake"

one man's "extremism" is another's "reasonable disagreement"

etc. etc.

of course, most people are already so conditioned by this before they reach adulthood, they dismiss anything that would point it out as itself propaganda without even considering the merits of it.

 

[TheVictors]

what would be ideal is that citizens would be educated in how to watch the news and sift through the media cruft and weasel words used to skew public perceptions of events so they could form their own opinions without being unduly influenced by the spin.

one man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter"

one man's "scandal" is another man's "political mistake"

one man's "extremism" is another's "reasonable disagreement"

etc. etc.

of course, most people are already so conditioned by this before they reach adulthood, they dismiss anything that would point it out as itself propaganda without even considering the merits of it.

The most glaring example I recall was when this all began under Bush Sr. Repeatedly, he'd catch himself having simply said, "Saddam Hussein" but would pause and re-state "Madman Saddam Hussein," having forgotten to preface his name with the requisite "Madman."

He did the same thing with Manuel Noriega only he was, "Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega" and having been a close friend at one time, was probably reluctant to immediately cast him as a "Madman."

 

[redandguilty]

what would be ideal is that citizens would be educated in how to watch the news and sift through the media cruft and weasel words used to skew public perceptions of events so they could form their own opinions without being unduly influenced by the spin.

one man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter"

one man's "scandal" is another man's "political mistake"

one man's "extremism" is another's "reasonable disagreement"

etc. etc.

of course, most people are already so conditioned by this before they reach adulthood, they dismiss anything that would point it out as itself propaganda without even considering the merits of it.

That's a song in Wicked.

"A man's called a traitor, or liberator,
a rich man's a thief or philanthropist.
Is one a crusader or ruthless invader?
It's all in which label is able to persist.
There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities
so we act as though they don't exist."

Good show.

 

[tinselwolverine]

That's a song in Wicked. "A man's called a traitor, or liberator, a rich man's a thief or philanthropist. Is one a crusader or ruthless invader? It's all in which label is able to persist. There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities so we act as though they don't exist." Good show.

Red, you're quite the Wizard at finding these anecdotes.

And those lyrics are Wonderful.

In my opinion, the truth is not a thing of fact or reason;
The truth is just what everyone agrees one.

We believe all sorts of things that aren't true.

We call it "history."

 

[redandguilty]

Red, you're quite the Wizard at finding these anecdotes.

And those lyrics are Wonderful.

In my opinion, the truth is not a thing of fact or reason;
The truth is just what everyone agrees one.

We believe all sorts of things that aren't true.

We call it "history."

I was extremely fortunate in that I was dragged to that show with very low expectations based on a poor, 2nd-hand description. "Sort of a prequel to the Wizard of Oz based on the idea that the good witch and the wicked witch went to school together? Sounds terrible"

I was so surprised by how good it was, I went and read the book...which is another thing entirely.

 

[Michchamp]

I was also dragged to it. I thought it was a good story, but I don't remember the musical numbers. they weren't as catchy as the songs in some other musicals (the Music Man, The Sound of Music, West Side Story) so I didn't really remember much about them.

I do remember it being LOUD though.

 

[cheeno]

I hope you both got bjs.