I also found it depressing, but I'm also aware of just how much disinformation/outright lies were (and are) being broadcast. I'm also aware that our public education system has generally failed us. More importantly, I also understand how readily we believe that "it won't happen to me." Drunk driver arrest statistics are proof. Even with the horrors that will result if the current Republican budget bill becomes law, it's easy to believe that "I won't be impacted." According to a 2019 study, the average (!!!) reading ability of an adult American is at the 6th grade level. That suggests that about half the adult population does not get much, if any, information from reading. Consequently, everything is a soundbite, quickly forgotten. The Founders of this country wrote a Constitution that relied upon a well-informed electorate. They hadn't counted on Musk being willing to spend $277 million to dumb down the voters. We need a new political party that promises to raise rich people's taxes to the rates that existed before Reagan and do away with the inheritance step-up deduction, the carried-interest deduction, and most business deductions. Wouldn't hurt to have free healthcare for all!
Thanks for your comment, Roger. As if the dismal statistic on the average adult reading level isn'thorrid enough, I haven't seen any studies on the level of critical thinking with the typical adult. Being well read and well informed isn't enough to see through the crap, you must be able to engage in critical thinking. This relates to not being gullible which is why I put the gullibility test in the Substack. As for soundbites, one is quickly forgotten, 100 repeated endlessly turns into a fact believed by enough people to swing an election. In other words, the saying "a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth."
What I got out of the gullibility test is how situational gullibility is. I'm very gullible when my family is involved, but marginally gullible when money is involved. Most of us subconsciously read body language and generally ignore what it's saying; I invested some time to learn that it was OK to read body language and act on it. Significantly reduced my gullibility in face-to-face situations, but I'll fall for anything a pretty lady says!
I also found it depressing, but I'm also aware of just how much disinformation/outright lies were (and are) being broadcast. I'm also aware that our public education system has generally failed us. More importantly, I also understand how readily we believe that "it won't happen to me." Drunk driver arrest statistics are proof. Even with the horrors that will result if the current Republican budget bill becomes law, it's easy to believe that "I won't be impacted." According to a 2019 study, the average (!!!) reading ability of an adult American is at the 6th grade level. That suggests that about half the adult population does not get much, if any, information from reading. Consequently, everything is a soundbite, quickly forgotten. The Founders of this country wrote a Constitution that relied upon a well-informed electorate. They hadn't counted on Musk being willing to spend $277 million to dumb down the voters. We need a new political party that promises to raise rich people's taxes to the rates that existed before Reagan and do away with the inheritance step-up deduction, the carried-interest deduction, and most business deductions. Wouldn't hurt to have free healthcare for all!
Thanks for your comment, Roger. As if the dismal statistic on the average adult reading level isn'thorrid enough, I haven't seen any studies on the level of critical thinking with the typical adult. Being well read and well informed isn't enough to see through the crap, you must be able to engage in critical thinking. This relates to not being gullible which is why I put the gullibility test in the Substack. As for soundbites, one is quickly forgotten, 100 repeated endlessly turns into a fact believed by enough people to swing an election. In other words, the saying "a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth."
What I got out of the gullibility test is how situational gullibility is. I'm very gullible when my family is involved, but marginally gullible when money is involved. Most of us subconsciously read body language and generally ignore what it's saying; I invested some time to learn that it was OK to read body language and act on it. Significantly reduced my gullibility in face-to-face situations, but I'll fall for anything a pretty lady says!