Why do people watch one sided documentaries then act like they are experts?

Question

Everyone that has watched these movies will earn a degree in their respective fields of study:

An Inconvenient Truth - Master of Science in globalwarmingology

Bowling for Columbine - Bachelor of Arts in Gun control

Fahrenheit 911 - Ph.D. in Conspiracy theory/Minor Bush Bashing

Sicko - Master of Science in Political Science/minor in medicine

Answer 1

Many aren't taught how to process, confirm, or establish fact. They just google a word and presto theres an answer. The art of researching and drawing a intelligent conclusion based upon such research is not part of todays primary school cirriculum. The Govt fears an educated society and to be deemed educated these days requires a College degree or more. The process of obtaining such insures that you will be either mentally reprogrammed to their preferences. Or, able to become an asset to them in some other way. Ignorance is rampant in this country and the majority of Americans are intellectually challenged. Now sit coms teach many how to interact because they have to real life skills.

Proof, to many is found by locating another person with the same misinformation. Because 2 agree on something doesn't make them both correct. We are also in an age where misinformation is more abundant than ever before. And people want instant gratification, why research when there are cliffs notes available. The learning process is an exercise of the mind and without proper exercise it becomes weak. So in conclusion ( finally ) when a weak mind watches a made for weak minds documentary. It locks the door on the other side of the issue for fear of having to rationalize, or worse yet, actually think for itself. Then it establishes such as fact by giving every credible but contrary opinion a thumbs down.

Answer 2

Perhaps because they focus facts they were already aware of.

Nearly every single American that has paid any attention knows one person or several screwed by the American Medical System. And most have at least a few personal stories as well. I have known several as well that have gone to Switzerland or even Thailand for medicine that was unaffordable, or unavailable in the US.

Moore's movie makes several points about the Cuban, Canadian, British, and French systems that I was unaware of, and influenced me to check them out.

After researching them I found that what he said was true and that the standard Right Wing BS that I had even thought accurate turned out to be Biased propaganda that has no basis in reality.

That Socialist Countries in Western Europe have better, healthier, and wealthier lives than average Americans, even though the Americans used to be way ahead before the Gang Of Pirates started looting America's wealth.

Likewise other documentaries have sparked similar inspection of the facts. Sometimes such inspection debunks the Documentary, sometime it supports it. In the case of Gore and Moore, they have told the story honestly and their points verify. In the case of Loose Change the points they raise do not verify.

So while the documentary may well supply the shortcut in bumper sticker discussions such as here,Each link is worth, and often actually is a thousand words and is usually just a doorway to a very much larger amount of information, that may or may not verify.

You mistake the door to the Library of information for the whole Library. Perhaps because in some cases like Loose change or the "Path to 9/11" that is the entire library

Answer 3

The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist attack on April 19, 1995, in which the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, a U.S. government office complex in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was destroyed, killing 168 people.[1] It is the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in the history of the United States and was the deadliest act of terrorism within U.S. borders until September 11, 2001. Two men later convicted of the bombing, Timothy McVeigh and his friend Terry Nichols, had sympathies with the anti-government militia movement. McVeigh later claimed that his aim was to avenge the Waco Siege. No muslim there.. Christians are terrorists too.They just have different techniques.Do you think america was built by friendly travelers.And they were christians.To kill almost an entire race is a pure act of terrorism.And here our great nation stands.But don't get me wrong.I like the US simply because it is HOME.And I would not know how to fuction outside of it. Violent acts are the result of an ego mind that believes only they are right....it is called ignorance and arrogance not muslim.

Answer 4

Is that all the documentaries you know of?

Interesting how you only reference the most popular or news making ones.

I think you miss a point, it's not that we just watch these documentaries, these are just a form of entertainment for us, we also do the research you see. If we hear Rush or O'Reilly give a particular state we look it up, same as we do for states provided by Michael Moore or Al Franken.

Btw, if you haven't seen them I recommend watching all of those movies you mentioned and many, many more.
Roger & Me
The Big One
OUTFOXED
The War Room
Uncovered: The War on Iraq
Unprecedented
Bush's Brain
The Hunting of the President
Journeys With George
The Fog of War
Why we Fight
US vs. John Lennon
Shut up and Sing
Sir! No Sir!
The Ground Truth
Control Room
Peace One Day

I realize all of these have a liberal bias to them, you understand that too when you are watching.


My question is why do so many listen to Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'reilly, Michael Savage, etc and belive everything they say to be truth.

Answer 5

Why do people not watch anything, read anything, or get any information whatsoever except from the radio and Fox Noise, and claim to be informed on anything?

I don't claim to be any of those things, but here's what I know:

When glaciers start disappearing, sea levels will rise. The water has to go somewhere.

When children are gunned down in their school, it probably isn't a good idea to have a firearm love fest the next week, a la the NRA.

When a president uses a terrorist attack to concentrate power on his office and start wars of choice, he is doing the country a disservice.

When an american citizen needs medical care but cannot get it, it is a national shame.


My question to you: Since you have such enlightening critiques of these films, have you seen ANY of them? Or are you basing your opinion on what you are told about them?

In other words, who is making your mind up for you?

Answer 6

To what degree do you see people as acting like experts after watching these programs? If people do then go on to act like 'experts' it could be because they have listened to the argument presented and taken those points on board. Such programs can be influential on opinion but more importantly should raise awareness of issues so that people who do take an interest might have more incentive to look it up and weigh both sides of the story. Documentaries raise issues but they're not so comprehensive that a viewer can earn a degree from watching one (which should be fairly obvious because otherwise I wouldn't have such a sizable education debt to pay off)

Answer 7

Well it's probably in part to a matter of perspective. It's hard to self assess what degree of enlightenment that you have reached on an issue. So, some people take one or two sources and treat it as gospel. The main thing is not to get frustrated, but to continue to work with others to share and learn from each other. I try to go into discussions with the notion that I have some concepts, but i always have a lot to learn from others. It's tough to be patient when you believe that you see a fuller picture than someone else, but be patient and share your ideas with them. They just may surprise you in some way with ideas that you haven't considered from their perspective.

Answer 8

Far less than 1% of the population ever sees a documentary or reads a book on a particular policy issue. Therefore, by comparison, people who do are experts.

Have you ever asked yourself why conservatives don't produce documentaries telling the "real truth"? It would bomb as the right is only interested in watching or reading liberal bashing, not policy issues.

Answer 9

Laziness. Spending a few hours watching something that goes along with your own preconceptions is much easier than spending the time researching and analyzing for yourself.

Stony: I'm not a Bushie, but what would you have had him do in those minutes? Presidents are in some ways prisoners of their own security. During those 5-7 minutes, his detail would have been implementing their emergency procedures to get him out of there. About the only thing he could have done during those minutes was to initiate a nuclear attack, assuming the "football" is still kept within the immediate proximity of the president. Do you think Clinton (or Reagan or anyone else) would have immediately begun barking out orders? If he had run out of the room, would people now be saying that he had panicked?

Everyone: think rationally - don't allow Moore or O'Reilly or anyone else to do your thinking for you!

Answer 10

Your premise at best is a generalization. You can't possibly know the actions and opinions of all who've seen these films. You seem troubled by the fact that these movies uncover rocks - Sicko being the most recent example - beneath which miscreants like the insurance industry and global polluters for profit hide.