I love the idea of us talking more about #MediaLiteracy in general, and critical thinking touchstones.
I used to buy into the lie of "rational" debate, but it's much more effective to remember that this isn't how humans develop most of their views - or change them. (That said, some people are more *aware* of their emotional & cultural inputs than others, which makes discussion easier.)
Easy queries today, then:
What's your favourite fallacy?
And what's the fallacy you struggle with the most?
@MLClark At the moment, false equivalency seems to be linked to free speech and being open to both sides of an issue. The problem is that speech and openness without any connection to a value structure, such as truth, is a problem. Two sides are not equivalent, when one side lies and misrepresents. #MediaLiteracy
False equivalency is a fallacy that legacy media perpetuates in a HUGE way, too, which has a number of consequences.
It doesn't just distort critical civic issues and create the sense of a level playing field between candidates where none should exist; it also normalizes the use of this rhetorical device in any discourse readers and viewers carry out elsewhere, too. So this is a great choice! Retraining for better media literacy requires tackling this fallacy head-on.
@MLClark I like your use of 'normalize' in this. I can see that. Media actions suggest that in the presentation of two sets of ideas, there's a reason that we should investigate both as equivalent choices, but in reality, it's comparing Mother Teresa to Adolph Hitler. One has to look at the value structures before even allowing the comparison. #MediaLiteracy
And I like your use of "values" as a way or bridging all the data and technical jargon so easily weaponized by actors in these media realms!
There's so much reactivity baked into our approach to media, it's easy for folks to forget to develop a more proactive vision for what they want from their societies.
If we *could* bypass the clickbait, and foster the creation of forums for thinking about everyday ideals, that could dislodge a lot of mental blinders. #MediaLiteracy
@MLClark I've often started political choice conversations by discussing values, without mentioning politics. Do we owe care to the aged? Why? Do they have a right to a return on the SS investment? Would you want to know you had something in your old age? Then the politics. How can you vote to ensure your values are represented? I learned this conversation while selecting IT systems.