For those of us who pay attention to such things, this is right on the money:
For those of us who pay attention to such things, this is right on the money:
The answer, basically, is no. When people are misinformed, giving them facts to correct those errors only makes them cling to their beliefs more tenaciously.
People want to believe what they want to believe whether that's by nature or nurture. I'll leave that discussion to another day, but as anyone who's spent 5 seconds on the internet or in a crowded room full of dissenting opinions can attest, people don't want to be shown the light, they want to have their own beliefs reaffirmed, no matter how wrong or misguided those beliefs might be.
Personally I call it circling the wagons. When pioneers moved west in wagon trains they would 'circle the wagons' against bandits, native tribes and other strangers -- they would guard their way of life from everyone else. People and organizations do this as well, most visibly, the police. When public outcry against police abuse is directed towards police leadership or elected officials, suddenly all 'public safety personnel are pulling together to protect their way of life instead of introspection about the issues the public are bringing forth.
When people criticize a religion, those people who share that religion, even if they're not party to being criticized themselves, will gladly join with their peers, circling the wagons against outside critique, to keep the status quo from shifting.
The same idea can be applied to political ideology, family status (who hasn't complained about their spouse/SO but when someone else agrees with the complaint, suddenly the complainer is defensive of their SO?) or any idea at all.
We all want to believe what we want to believe and sadly we all surround ourselves with others who reinforce our beliefs instead of challenging them. Personally, I like diversifying my 'circles.' While homogeneous environments are stable, they do not advance an idea, a society or a culture. They stagnate and that's sad.
http://www.alternet.org/media/most-depressing-discovery-about-brain-ever
The answer, basically, is no. When people are misinformed, giving them facts to correct those errors only makes them cling to their beliefs more tenaciously.
People want to believe what they want to believe whether that's by nature or nurture. I'll leave that discussion to another day, but as anyone who's spent 5 seconds on the internet or in a crowded room full of dissenting opinions can attest, people don't want to be shown the light, they want to have their own beliefs reaffirmed, no matter how wrong or misguided those beliefs might be.
Personally I call it circling the wagons. When pioneers moved west in wagon trains they would 'circle the wagons' against bandits, native tribes and other strangers -- they would guard their way of life from everyone else. People and organizations do this as well, most visibly, the police. When public outcry against police abuse is directed towards police leadership or elected officials, suddenly all 'public safety personnel are pulling together to protect their way of life instead of introspection about the issues the public are bringing forth.
When people criticize a religion, those people who share that religion, even if they're not party to being criticized themselves, will gladly join with their peers, circling the wagons against outside critique, to keep the status quo from shifting.
The same idea can be applied to political ideology, family status (who hasn't complained about their spouse/SO but when someone else agrees with the complaint, suddenly the complainer is defensive of their SO?) or any idea at all.
We all want to believe what we want to believe and sadly we all surround ourselves with others who reinforce our beliefs instead of challenging them. Personally, I like diversifying my 'circles.' While homogeneous environments are stable, they do not advance an idea, a society or a culture. They stagnate and that's sad.
http://www.alternet.org/media/most-depressing-discovery-about-brain-ever
Comments
If once they already made up their minds is too late, then we need to figure out how to catch them before that and make sure they make up their minds using facts. ;-)