The problem is that this has been decades in the making. A lack of education in the likes of civics, us history, critical-thinking skills (fallacies, research and analytics). If such education is a vaccine against false rhetoric (bad propaganda), then to reverse course is going to take an extremely long time.
Neurons take time to rewire no less, and if you didn’t arrive to your worldview by rational means, rational logic will not get you out of that overnight.
The only short-term solution I see is redirection of existing anger to the billionaires, and using mockery and satire as a way to short-circuit people’s preexisting biases. For whatever reason, this breaks barriers like little else.
Came to say education is the key, but you said it better.
Had an elementary school science teacher in 70s and 80s who hammered us every year on fact vs. opinion, critical thinking, how to test hypothesis, etc. Every year I thought, “Oh FFS we get it already, move on.”
Apparently not many of us GenXers got the memo, even those who were in those classes with me.
And your last paragraph fucking nails it! People need a threat to rally against. Feed 'em the billionaires, let the merely rich see their coming fate and they’ll change their tune.
And yes, comedy is a powerful opinion maker. No one wants to be on the receiving end of laughter. We’re hardwired to avoid humiliation and tribal scorn at all costs.
You just described using the same tools they’ve used against us.
The problem is that this has been decades in the making. A lack of education in the likes of civics, us history, critical-thinking skills (fallacies, research and analytics). If such education is a vaccine against false rhetoric (bad propaganda), then to reverse course is going to take an extremely long time.
Neurons take time to rewire no less, and if you didn’t arrive to your worldview by rational means, rational logic will not get you out of that overnight.
The only short-term solution I see is redirection of existing anger to the billionaires, and using mockery and satire as a way to short-circuit people’s preexisting biases. For whatever reason, this breaks barriers like little else.
Came to say education is the key, but you said it better.
Had an elementary school science teacher in 70s and 80s who hammered us every year on fact vs. opinion, critical thinking, how to test hypothesis, etc. Every year I thought, “Oh FFS we get it already, move on.”
Apparently not many of us GenXers got the memo, even those who were in those classes with me.
And your last paragraph fucking nails it! People need a threat to rally against. Feed 'em the billionaires, let the merely rich see their coming fate and they’ll change their tune.
And yes, comedy is a powerful opinion maker. No one wants to be on the receiving end of laughter. We’re hardwired to avoid humiliation and tribal scorn at all costs.
You just described using the same tools they’ve used against us.