Persistence of Myths Could Alter Public Policy Approach (WaPo)

[struggle4progress]

By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 4, 2007; Page A03

... The conventional response to myths and urban legends is to counter bad information with accurate information. But the new psychological studies show that denials and clarifications, for all their intuitive appeal, can paradoxically contribute to the resiliency of popular myths.

This phenomenon may help explain why large numbers of Americans incorrectly think that Saddam Hussein was directly involved in planning the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and that most of the Sept. 11 hijackers were Iraqi. While these beliefs likely arose because Bush administration officials have repeatedly tried to connect Iraq with Sept. 11, the experiments suggest that .. efforts to debunk this account may .. keep it alive ...

... Denials inherently require repeating the bad information, which may be one reason they can paradoxically reinforce it ... Things that are repeated often become more accessible in memory, and one of the brain's subconscious rules of thumb is that easily recalled things are true ...

Mayo found that rather than deny a false claim, it is better to make a completely new assertion that makes no reference to the original myth. Rather than say, as Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) recently did during a marathon congressional debate, that "Saddam Hussein did not attack the United States; Osama bin Laden did," Mayo said it would be better to say something like, "Osama bin Laden was the only person responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks" -- and not mention Hussein at all ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/03/AR2007090300933.html

[Webster Green]

1. They didn't even factor in the right-wing take-over of the media..

And that is a huge part of the equation.

[struggle4progress]

3. The article is about debunking myths in general and makes little reference to Iraq

I snipped the Iraq paragraphs to show relevance

[tom_paine]

4. They are simply not permitted to discuss their Bushie Masters

not to any audience of over 10,000 anyway.

Doing so is grounds for immediate dismissal, I have no doubt, and that is more than enough to stop 99% of the Cowardly Imperial Subjects of Amerika andthe Bush Regime, so alike menatlly to the Coawrdly Good Germans of the Hitler Regime.

Of course it is a huge part of the equation, perhaps the very biggest and not by a little bit.

Which is why the New Hitlerites will strike back VERY HARD to anyone who dares defy them. Career Ruination, not just job loss, definitely a probability.

Some things never change. It was the same in Nazi Germany for awhile...then it got worse in a hurry, right after the nuking of Iran...oops, I mean the invasion of France and the Low Countries.

[Vanje]

2. When you keep hearing an untruth from a president,

...and it is repeated by Whitehouse offcials, asserted again and again by the vice pres, and spouted by pundits, and ejaculated over and over again on am radio,...
Should anyone be surprised that people believe it?
I mean, DUH!

[Demeter]

5. Thanks for Reposting This

[Baby Snooks]

6. Reality

The reality is that the vast majority of Americans, particularly Republicans, are, well, not exactly the brightest light bulbs as indicated by the fortunes made by the likes of Rush Limbaugh.

Hate sells well when you have an audience whose IQs are in the single digits.

The media used to use a measurement for writing and editing called the fog index. Most Americans are lost in the fog at this point.

[struggle4progress]

7. Most people aren't stupid. They may be ill-informed; they may be too

busy trying to deal with their own lives to pause and take a good look around every now and then; they may not want to stand out in crowds -- but stupid they're not. And they resent people who think of them as stupid.

[Baby Snooks]

8. Granted

But most people also find it easier to just deal with life through assimilation with a peer group which is why our country is in the mess it's in. We have been divided and conquered by the division. Everyone in this country hates someone else for some reason. Why? Because someone else told them to. Now that is stupid.

[flashl]

9. Are we under estimating this WH billion dollar PR budget?

When listening to freepers defend this WH I have observed that rather than deny the factual statement about the WH they make new assertions or throw out a Clinton slur. After they are pressed for the basis of their claims there seldom is a comeback. This cause me to conclude that this is just some hired hack. It is obvious to me when listening to radio talk shows and reading posts in forums. The Washington Journal is where it was most obvious to me.

And, for those who appear to really believe, to me, they are like the characters that caused Thomas Frank to ask, 'What's wrong with Kansas?'

[creeksneakers2]

10. Those are interesting studies

Its amazing how people who have been shown that a myth is false still cling to the falsehood. The studies explain that.

Many here on the net argued fiercely that Democrats were making a mistake by ignoring right wing hoaxes. Once a myth is established its very hard to dislodge. The best possible defense is to attack the myth from the very beginning, before it has time to soak in to the subconsciences of the public. Once again, the net was right.

[Joanne98]

11. How to fight a myth? Counter it with a bigger myth. Aimed right at the myth maker!

9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB! Who attacked us on 9/11? Was it Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. It wasn't either. It was Bush HIMSELF! Let them choke on their own vomit.

[Forrest Greene]

12. That is Absolutely Right

The human mind does not "hear" negatives, only positives. I don't mean to say the human mind is optimistic ... rather, if you want to quit smoking & think to yourself "Don't smoke, don't smoke. No cigarettes," your mind will hear only "Smoke, smoke. Cigarettes." Instead, as mentioned in the OP, you have to think of what you want: "Clean lungs, better wind, less expense."