Is the common persons brain capable of seperating the propaganda from the truth?

Question

I honestly don't think so.

To Red Rover and his comment about the Bible believers being brain washed---
I was raised in a small Church and as a young man I questioned the teachings that I recieved. As an old man I have really become cinical about the existance of God. Because it is such a big thing in my life I started to pray for evidence of a creator. This is the answer I got. Creation-big bang makes all things in existance out of something millions of times smaller than a grain of salt. I am the light (Jesus ) tests always the same- gives life--lets you see--The closer you get to the speed of it the less you age. obtaining the speed of light stops aging. Let there be light- wow what a bright flash when this big bang accured. Energy-- it takes just the same energy to create something as it does to distroy it. Atomic Bomb for instant it took the same energy to create it as blowing it up. One raisin and one anti raisin elimination would create enugh energy to power New Your for one day. Einstein

Answer 1

Truth is very hard to discern - especially in this era of mass communication. Propaganda is advertising by another name. We are so used to it we either believe it all, or none, or filter it through our experiences, hopes and beliefs. If our "filters" are not perfect (and they aren't - cause we are human - and don't know everything about everything) then propaganda may seem true.

Answer 2

Sure. People just aren't educated enough to think critically and logically. That's why when they get to college and start taking classes in logic and statistics and economics, the world starts to seem a lot more clear...and a lot more conspiratorial. People just need to start learning logic at a much younger age. Propaganda uses logical fallacies to warp perception--fallacies seem totally logical until you replace a few propositions, and then all of a sudden, you realize how stupid they are and how they're totally untrue.

Like, say, take the fallacy, "what's true of the part is true of the whole." So say you have one old woman who has osteoporosis and she uses a walker and takes estrogen replacement therapy and that Boniva stuff. If it's good for her, does that mean it's good for everybody else? Should a healthy young man take estrogen and osteoporosis meds? Should we all start using walkers? But that fallacy gets used all the time, like saying that if technology is good for one farmer, then farms should all be mechanized and turned into farming conglomerates harvested by robots and owned by giant companies.

If you're susceptible to fallacies, then you are also susceptible to the truth behind them. Once you recognize one, they seem to crop up everywhere--it's like an epidemic. Education is the answer, but it has to be the *right* education.

Oh, and electronics--you've just bought into the propaganda from the other side of the global warming issue. Have you seen the data? I mean, the raw, unprocessed data that hasn't been tweaked by companies who would profit from having people believe that global warming isn't a problem? Are you an unbiased scientist? Are you believing data from studies funded by, say, religious nuts and oil companies? You just bought into propaganda, bucko! Too bad you think you're qualified to talk about this issue!

Answer 3

Propaganda is another word for skilled lying, so very few persons could tell the difference unless forearmed with considerable information about the subject at hand to begin with.

The human brain can spot inconsistencies, and improbabilities, but a well told lie will have none that are self-evident.

As an example, the person that wrote the following has been the victim of propaganda, yet has been rendered incapable of ever escaping from its effects:
"I believe in Christ and think that the defeat of the Democratic Party is an absolute, if we stay a sovergn God fearing nation"

Answer 4

Propaganda is designed to look like truth so no. Plus we can get into the definition of "truth" to further complicate the issue. The whole world could believe something but that doesn't make it truth. Remember when everyone thought the world was flat? That was taught as a truth at one time merely because everyone believed.

Answer 5

Well done propaganda is like brainwashing.

Everyone thinks they are impervious, but believes that their neigbor would not be.

Everyone can be brainwashed. Everyone is susptable from propaganda. I havn't traveled abroad recently. All I know is what information is presented. From the war, to the birth of the Pandas. I would like to think that I can tell the truth from the false. In reality I can only attest to the truth of things I have seen with my own eyes.

To avoid propaganda you have to cut yourself off from all sources of news. The "true" ones too.

Answer 6

Yes. But it also depends upon the degree of expertise of the propaganda spewer. Some people are more gullible than others. Look how the news media has soaked up Bush's propaganda and fed it to the public to believe.

Answer 7

the capability is there, but most people want to believe what they want to believe. So, the completely ignore the cold-hard facts and just accept the propaganda and brainwashing.

The common belief is "global warming" is a perfect example.

If you examine the data, it indicates that there is absolutely NO increase in average global temp.

Answer 8

Yes, when the "common person" has enough of a foundation to discern fact from fiction.

Answer 9

No, it needs to be trained. Education lets you look at events critically. An untrained mind cannot do it I think. It's just my opinion.

Answer 10

Yes, but it's extremely hard to see the truth.

Everyone's a phony.