By Alex PietrowskiWatching the nation go crazy over the election, jumping on one side of the coin or the other and mindlessly defending their team with total disregard for other perspectives, genuine facts or valid ideas, one has to wonder if the typical American is even capable of thinking for themselves. A recent national poll sheds insight into this question.
A new Reuters’ poll looking at what they call the ‘Trump Effect’ finds that the American people tend to base their opinions about important issues on previously held partisan affiliations and opinions, showing that many do not engage in critical or logical thought when considering such issues.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll asked people to consider a series of statements President Donald Trump made on taxes, crime, the news media and a host of other issues. In many instances, the data suggests that people will orient their opinions according to what they think of him. [Source]As explained further by Annie Holmquist of Intellectual Takeout:
The survey is well-illustrated in the following diagrams regarding a question about whether or not the respondent cares if a government official, or Donald Trump, financially benefits from their position in government. The results of the first question reveal one side of the picture, perhaps closest to their true feelings.… a recent survey by Reuters casts a bit of doubt on how well people really know their own minds and understand the political principles they say they adhere to. It appears that many Americans base their views on whether a particular authority figure holds them. As Reuters explains, surveyors read a variety of political statements which Donald Trump made on the campaign trail to mixed groups of Republicans and Democrats. One group was told that each statement was made by Trump; the other omitted that important detail. In almost every case, Democrat support for the statement decreased when Trump’s name was attached, while Republican support increased. [Source]
When Donald Trump’s name was inserted into the question, the results were drastically different, showing how much of an influence party affiliations can have on someone’s beliefs.
For more examples of how politics affects the American mind, visit the study outline, here.
Final Thoughts
The deliberate dumbing down of America’s children in public schools, decades of television programming, 24-hour corporate news, biased news agencies and corporate/consumer culture have all certainly contributed to the collapse of the American mind. Americans simply can no longer distinguish fact from opinion, truth from propaganda, and have no understanding of logic.Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and Offgrid Outpost, a provider of storable food and emergency kits. Alex is an avid student of Yoga and life.
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This article (Reuters Poll Reveals Americans Can No Longer Think for Themselves) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Alex Pietrowski and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.
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