How facts backfire

[Soft*Silver]

it was suppose to read, the first housing complex in our area...

Originally Posted by softness

I was part of the team that was establishing the first housing complex for people living with AIDS. We sent out fact sheets to the neighborhood and held press conferences and public meetings and had Drs and health commissioners present and yet, the more we gave them, the more hysterical their response became.

The problem was US, not them. We were handing them facts and telling them there was no reason to be afraid and they were screaming at us they were afraid and we simply were NOT listening.

I have learned that listening to the other side as they emote, without getting stuck on if they are right or wrong, is the only compassionate thing to do. I sat with people who were terrified that their children were going to have to witness body bags be taken out while their kids were getting on or off the school bus. This of course, wasnt rational thinking nor was it likely ever to happen...but...I sat with them and listened....

These were just caring parents who didnt want their children harmed or traumatized.

By the time the house was up and running I had some of the neighbors as volunteers...

sometimes being right isnt as effective as doing the right thing.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Linus

If that is true, how do we evolve beyond where we are? I used to play a game called Pyroto (it was the web version of the BBS game Pyroto Mountain). The game itself was a social experiment based on these facts and the hypothesis that people only change their opinion/view if something major happens.

Evolution takes time. A lot of it too.

The game/experiment you mention sounds right in accordance with what I know in my life experiences. A huge change or event happens, most often suddenly and unexpectedly, and a person's way of thinking can be completely turned around and tossed inside out. One's priorities shift...change position on the great internal list of important things...and one's pov widens (or narrows) accordingly.

Sometimes it's a case of changing the method of informing the people, as mentioned. Sometimes, Hell and Earth couldn't change that person's mind. Some people are black and white with hard edges and no blurring. Some are all kinds of gray with blurry images.

If the right person went to the right person and presented the right information the right way, I see change. I see personal growth and evolution and the beginning of the cure for cancer.

But....how often does that happen?

[JustBeingMe]

People not checking the facts is what gets them into trouble at times....ie Jim Jones followers, Hitler followers, and the list could go on and on. Education is a good thing, the more you know, the more informed you are, the less inclined you may become to being sucked into the BS and maybe, just maybe, the more inclined you are to do some research of your own.
I'm not saying this is the solution but it can be a beginning to one.
ETA: the old saying Ignorance is a bliss..........ISN"T.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by JustBeingMe

People not checking the facts is what gets them into trouble at times....ie Jim Jones followers, Hitler followers, and the list could go on and on. Education is a good thing, the more you know, the more informed you are, the less inclined you may become to being sucked into the BS and maybe, just maybe, the more inclined you are to do some research of your own.
I'm not saying this is the solution but it can be a beginning to one.
ETA: the old saying Ignorance is a bliss..........ISN"T.

Yup!

And ignorance gets us into such messes! Thinking about what you say about doing research. I know it can be hard when faced with contradictory views which seem to have good forethought and arguments. So, I try to get as much info as possible to compare.

I also know that information changes as more research gets done. Some theories are proven false as something is studied more. That can get confusing, but, it is that drive in finding out more that I often rely on. It means that those that are delving deeper want to get the best possible explanations and that feels noble to me. Makes me take more time in looking into things.