The mindless Fox Nation borg ... ... by Bob Nelson
A few days ago, I seeded a fascinating article, Why People Continue To Believe Objectively False Things . Since then, I've been thinking about the ramifications of the authors' thesis.
Basically, Taub and Nyhan posit that we (everyone) rely on "trusted sources" to "know" about the world around us, and that "trust" is engendered primarily by "clan membership" rather than the objective accuracy of the clan's strictures.
In other words, we believe what our clan tells us. "Fox Nation" relies on Fox News as its "trusted source". This is a two-way street. Anyone who does not toe the Fox News line is by definition no longer a member of Fox Nation.
The more I think about this, the more it seems to explain a great deal of the apparent nonsense we see in public debate. AGW is the perfect example. The experts nearly unanimously consider AGW to be real. Fox News has declared that the experts are not reliable because they take government money for their research.
So... the public has a choice:
- reject the experts' word
- accept the experts' word
Rejecting the experts is an affirmation of membership in Fox Nation. Accepting the experts means banishment from Fox Nation. For many Americans, belonging to Fox Nation is very comforting. The Nation is told what to think about every issue. No research is required. No analysis is required. The right opinion is served to the Nation on a platter. It's so-o-o-o easy!
And so many friends and neighbors are members of Fox Nation. Disagreeing with Fox News means arguing with all those friends and neighbors... because members of Fox Nation are required to be militant in their support of Fox News's positions. So it's much easier to remain silent while those friends and neighbors rant on... all the while assuming that silence is a form of assent...
Before reading the Taub / Nyhan article, I couldn't understand why apparently intelligent people would surrender their brains to Fox News. Now I understand: belonging is far more important than independent thought. If surrendering one's powers of critical thinking is the price of membership, then the members of Fox Nation are willing to pay that price.
And then there's Breitbart Nation... 😵
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The topic is the implications of Taub / Nyhan on political debate.
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RED RULES apply:
- Be polite. No insults whatsoever. No insults to particular people, to groups of people, to ideas, ... None!
- Be smart and stay on topic. Contribute substantive thought. Facts and/or reasoning. One-line zingers and bumper-sticker mantras are by definition off-topic, and will be deleted.
The same can be said about ''infowars'' AKA Alex Jones Nation.
Before reading the Taub / Nyhan article, I couldn't understand why apparently intelligent people would surrender their brains to Fox News. Now I understand: belonging is far more important than independent thought. If surrendering one's powers of critical thinking is the price of membership, then the members of Fox Nation are willing to pay that price.
There may be some truth to that, but I believe it is far from the whole explanation of Fox News influence.
I know people who watch Fox News regularly (every day). They believe Fox will report stories that other media will not. Most of it is anti-Democrat and anti-liberal hogwash, but the people I know don't watch Fox to be part of a group or to "belong". The people I know couldn't care less about belonging to a Fox News "nation". They think that the Democrats give away too much to "them" ( the "takers") and Fox is the only tv news channel that will report on it in the right way.
There may be people who see 'Fox News viewers' as a 'community' , but I think that group is relatively small.
There may be people who see 'Fox News viewers' as a 'community' , but I think that group is relatively small.
There's no need for the members of Fox Nation to be aware of what's going on.