I feel like some of the 'spin' discussed in this chapter was absolutely ridiculous, while other parts of it made total and absolute sense.
For instance: Mrs. Keech and her 'faithful followers' of the Guardians of Planet Clarion. A story where an esteemed person in the practice is relayed a message from a supreme being, and is then to spread it out onto others. When put in this sense, it parallels most, if not all, religions - which should make it seem less unbelieveable that it gained followers in the first place. What was more surprising to me was the fact that there were still so many followers after the 'fake flood' incident. Granted, "un-Spun" does quite a good job at bringing every story down to it's basic lining, so perhaps in reality the circumstances were much more convincing. The whole idea also reminds me of the drama and hype that surrounded Y2K. People went crazy transferring and withdrawing money from banks, stocking up on food essentials, and preparing for whatever they could think of. But when the ball dropped on Dec. 31st, life, society, and technology went on, completely unaffected.
What I do find very relatable are the multiple examples of confirmation bias, which ultimately, taken to an extreme, will produce results such as that of the Clarion followers.
Human beings, no matter their personality, are prideful, self-centered, and stubborn at our very cores, despite how our individual upbrings may conceal those such qualities. The kindest people we meet, the most genuine people we know, all have their primal instincts. The need to be right is one of them, and it runs dominantly through us, especially when our ideas are being challenged. When something we believe in is challenged or compared, we could feel a variety of emotions, and respond to each differently, as described in the chapter. We could feel trapped, offended, or misunderstood, and in turn become very defensive, lash out our opinions, or just claim our superior judgement until we've comforted ourselves. I think these urges and emotions are ever present, no matter how open-minded we may be, and in turn we influence ourselves further down a certain mental path in according to our beliefs. Viscious cycle, eh?
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ReplyDeleteI was surprised that so many people believed after the 'flood' never happened, too. Then again, by that point, they were probably also so brainwashed (no pun intended, for serious) or in so deep that they couldn't get out without looking (even more) ridiculous that they might have felt like there was no reason not to act like it still wasn't possible. I mean, hey, they got suckered in with a tale about aliens descending from planet Clarion who would act as their saviors from a world-ending flood as long as they gave up all their earthly ties, and you expect them to see the act for what it was just because the rain never came? Yeah right. The followers' natural brain chemistry that resists the confrontation of their own error, combined with the fact that they'd given up most everything and no longer had anything left to lose (besides dignity?) was probably a good motivation to keep going with it.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more when you say that people have a basic instinct to be right. I'm not going to lie, I often feel the need to be right about everything. It's a terrible habit, but one so hard to break. The thing that I find most difficult to deal with is the fact that people question my choice to be a vegetarian. I waste my breath about the benefits of vegetarianism while people will not budge on their ways. I'll always listen to what people have to say, but deep down I feel that I am right. How awful is that?
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about Human beings, no matter their personality, are prideful, self-centered, and stubborn at our very cores. I think the book explains this very well, and when you think about it even though its hard to admit, i hate to be wrong myself. I think the best thing people can do is learn more and more. The more people can learn the less ignorant people become. Most arguments on beliefs happen because people only believe what they want to believe, and if people took the time to learn about the other side and listen to correct evidence about the argument, it would be a much less stubborn world.
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