The result “blows the lid off of this idea” that such beliefs are held by only a fringe population of individuals who are uninformed or ideologically driven, says David Bersoff, head of research at the Edelman Trust Institute. “This is not like a small problematic group.”
Carl Sagan’s warning seems relevant:
“I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness…”
Highly recommend Sagan’s book “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”
Calling them “unproven claims” does a disservice to science, society, and all of humanity. Call them what they are: lies. They’re lies, and they’re killing people.
They’re lies, and they’re killing people.
That is entirely the point.
While China and India make advancements in science and medicine, the US is headed back to witch trials and traveling medicine salesmen.
It’s a boy who cried wolf situation. Too many decisions driven by profit and greed led to a complete collapse in faith for public interest.
Doesn’t matter if alternative ideas aren’t grounded in reality, it matter that the mainstream can’t be trusted.The hypercapitalist behavior only takes and no longer delivers, as such it’s being abandoned in droves by those who need actual care.
For example, “David Bersoff, head of research at the Edelman Trust Institute.” sounds like an empty title, full of bullshit.
Here’s some interesting tables from the report:
edit: Interesting how much more accepted it seems to be to answer “I don’t know” in Japan compared to other countries.
american culture punishes humility. it’s a culture that rewards arrogance.
and we love bullshit. american culture is amazing at producing bullshit and selling it.
I’m shocked by how well the US does compared to other countries. I would have thought that it is very easy to be a conspiracy theorist when your country has death panels in the form of health insurance companies denying treatments.
I never doubted science, but I just learned how Fluoride affects your teeth, and it’s incredible. I get that it can be harmful in large quantities, but I think if people understood what it actually does they might be less scared of it.
One of the little known historical gems about peoples meeting each other was when the early European settlers got to the Southwestern US, many were astonished by the fact that among the native tribes - even the oldest member had beautiful teeth. Fluoride is naturally occurring in the water in many parts of the southwest.
Yes! Apparently some communities have to remove it from the water first because the naturally occurring levels are too high in modern times now that people brush with it.
I actually have Fluorosis stains on my front teeth. I had no idea what caused that before. I’ve had it for a very long time. It’s just a cosmetic symptom so I’m not worried about it. Something like 25% of the population have staining on teeth from Fluorosis and it’s how the communities can tell when Fluoride levels need to be adjusted in water.
Fluoride levels in water used to be much higher but as society got better at brushing their teeth, it wasn’t needed as much.
I actually have Fluorosis stains on my front teeth.
I used to have that as well! It does fade with time and in my case, those are the teeth I have with the least wear on them now. (am in my 60’s) Still needing a few crowns in the next couple of years, but that’s expected after such a long time…
So many people in this thread aren’t getting how we got here.
It’s not about understanding. Flouride conspiracy, raw milk, et al all have a a tinge of truth to them but they also have a larger cognitive bias and that is that it allows people to buck government regulations.
This is “rules for thee but not for me” wrapped up in pseudoscience. These people benefited from flouride, pasteurized milk, regulated beef, etc. but believe that the over reaching government is holding back their freedom. This is about conservatives wanting to push their policies at the detriment to the population because conservatism is that they must be the group that pushes the rules and never have to be bound by them.
This is ultimately about oppression.
No amount of education will fix the empathy they lack.
I wonder what you do about this.
I just started reading Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan, published in 1994, and the intro is basically saying the same thing but framed as curious people being more well read in Atlantis than they are in interesting recent science or critical thinking skills
‘Staggering’ number of people are idiots. It’s okay, the non-idiots know what we’re dealing with here.
What I’ve seen in people I know is that it centers around a need for certainty. They’re scared of something they can’t control or are too tired to or lack belief in themselves to control. Scared of having autistic children, there must be an identifiable cause that can be avoided to blame. There’s a growing vocal crowd saying vaccines so latch onto that. Friends I’ve seen with just about zero dietary self-control, they get into dietary fads. Like alkaline water and way more expensive seasonings than the common price - marketed as healthier. They generally make no weight goals or whatever but the expensive placebo brings them some mental comfort
I just remembered the ones that seem like they really want to come off as smart and seem certain that the way to that is to be very visibly against conventional wisdom regardless of their lack of proof and lack of ability to prove their beliefs. They’re the leaders and the ones coping the followers
America is getting exactly what it deserves. Ignorant morons are well represented today.
Yeah its basis is in social panics. The same reason marijuana was banned in the USA. Immigrants today also social panics. They use social panics as a weapon for the ignorant.
10,000 BC - 380 AD: What your family says is the truth
380 - 1700: What your priest says is the truth
1700 - 1906: What you read in books is the truth
1906 - 2007: What you hear and see on Radio and Television is the truth
2007 - Now: What you see on your phone is the truth
‘Staggering’ number of AMERICANS believe unproven claims about vaccines, raw milk and more. While it was a worldwide survey only 16000, US skews the numbers.
Is there a lack of communication between scientists and those people? What can be done?
Break up Google, Facebook, and the other big platforms that let disinformation run rampant.
Hold decision makers at those organizations personally accountable.
Yes, it’s really a question of leadership. You’ll see the results of whichever side the government chooses.
Maybe they shouldn’t have lied about JFK.
What. I dunno. Just sayin.
