With all the news happening, we just had to talk about Newsweek tearing Oprah a new anus after her ridiculous endorsement of Susan Summers and Jenny McCarthy. Also this week, we discuss the terrible murder of Dr. George Tiller.
One of my recent tirades against Fox News prompted me to write about the degree of control mainstream media has over society. This piece is not meant to lay all the blame of society on their shoulders; rather it is an invitation to consider the fact that perhaps we do not all make rational choices based on a careful examination of the evidence. I am the first to admit it is often easier and more expedient to allow our opinions to be shaped by others, but the consequences of such carelessness can often be haunting. The vilifying of Dr. George Tiller by Fox News and the O’Reily factor no doubt played a role in his subsequent murder, but to what degree? How much influence do they, or any other major news organization really have?
In general we have a naive understanding of the role the media plays in shaping our views and opinions. After all, aren’t human beings rational individuals who make up their own minds? Well, not really, according to Dan Gardner, in his highly entertaining and educational book, Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear. The fact is, all the best studies on human behavior indicate people typically are quite impaired when it comes to making rational choices.
Why would this surprise anyone? Although our brains are marvelous machines, they aren’t fundamentally very different from our cave dwelling ancestors. In the harsh world of our prehistoric forefathers, our intuition, or ‘gut’ as Gardner calls it, was primary in ensuring our survival. Although our rational mind, or ‘head’, can try and compensate for some of the gut’s rush judgments, the truth is it is often inadequate to the task. Our emotions often override our rational brains, much to our chagrin.
Advertising companies have long understood the role emotions play in making decisions. This type of manipulation is not limited to only commercial purposes. How many times have politicians used raw appeals to emotion to justify their ends? Usually the results are fairly benign (the Terry Shiavo debacle comes to mind), but there are definite instances when such appeals have led to the deaths of those who are vilified. Think of how millions of Christian women were murdered during the Inquisition.
Ironically, it is usually those who appeal to the most emotion that feel their actions are logical and rational. This is because our minds will often rationalize decisions that were made for entirely irrational reasons. Gardner cites numerous studies to that effect, including a hilarious one showing how something as trivial as how a question is asked will ultimately influence the results. We are that easy to fool.
The best way to describe this phenomenon is pack mentality. We cannot help, when we are part of a large group, to emulate the thoughts and actions of others. This can often overwrite even our survival instincts. One study in Britain found even when faced with something as dangerous as fire, people were likely to underestimate the danger so long as others around them seemed unaffected themselves.
This does not mean people are incapable of making rational decisions, but it does seem to indicate that the degree of control is contingent on how emotions play a factor in the decision making process. This leads me back to my original post, where I lambasted Bill O’Reily for his campaign of harassment of Dr. George Tiller. On more than 28 occasions the show featured a story about Tiller, with O’Reily making a point to dehumanize and vilify the man. He accused him of being a child killer, a monster in the likes of Hitler, and gave him the dangerous moniker of “Tiller the Baby Killer”.
It would be incredibly naïve to underestimate the consequences of such irresponsible news reporting. Fox News in general went to great lengths to paint Tiller as a villain, rather than the kind, gentle human being his friends and family described. Tiller had already been a victim of multiple assaults. He was shot in both arms in 1993 by Rachelle Shannon, a deranged Pro-Life activist living in Oregon. Despite this and the bombing of his clinic in 1986, Tiller bravely continued to offer his medical services. It’s not something most physicians would have done.
How much culpability, if any, does Fox News and The O’Reily Factor have in the death of George Tiller? That’s difficult to say, but the show and the TV station undoubtedly play a role in defining the views and opinions of a large number of Americans. As a huge media empire, their voices, their opinions and their reports have a profound impact on a significant portion of society. In their eyes, purposefully identifying and singling out individuals like George Tiller is fair game. Even if they did understand there might be negative repercussions to their stories, why should they care? Since they can deny all culpability in the matter by saying simply ‘people make their own minds’, they can wash their hands of any wrong doing.
I want to clearly state that Fox News is not alone in using emotion to manipulate the opinions of viewers. All across the political spectrum we see people utilize similar strategies. The accountability of major news networks is almost non-existent in today’s society. But Fox is in a class of their own; as mouth breathers for a highly conservative element of society, they cater to the fears and prejudices of their viewers. Gone is the balanced approach to news in favor of sensationalism and spin.
I don’t want to blame the problems of society on Fox or any other major TV network. Yes, people are still responsible for their actions, and no one at Fox News or the O’Reily factor explicitly gave instructions for the murder of George Tiller. With that said, I think it’s time we seriously started analyzing the kind of impact imbalanced and prejudicial broadcasting has on our society.
Anti-abortionists scare me. Sure, most of them are fairly harmless, but their zeal and conviction often invite violent individuals into their ranks. It’s inevitable that certain people, who feel their actions are justified by their God, will commit violent acts against doctors and nurses who provide this medical service. Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed today during church, and although the details of the investigation is sketchy, it’s clear the motivation behind the murder is Tiller’s work at his clinic.
This isn’t the first time he’s been targeted. Back in 1986 the clinic was bombed, although luckily no one was hurt. No one was ever arrested for the crime.
The anti-abortion group ‘Operation Rescue’ stated on their website that they:
worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller’s family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
I don’t want to suggest that the group played a direct role in the murder since all the facts haven’t yet come to light. Consider, however, the group was previously based in California before moving to Kansas, specifically to target Tiller. Their slogan, “If you believe abortion is murder, act like it’s murder” is an invitation to violence. The organization has been working for years to dismantle, harass, and interfere with Tiller’s clinic.
What are we supposed to think when something like this happens? The organization is playing damage control and trying desperately to distance themselves from this incident, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the murderers were at least in some way affiliated with them. What else can you expect? These guys take abortion very seriously, and as far as they are concerned, it’s murder. We can’t be surprised when religiously motivated simpletons use violence to get their way. Anyone who thinks anti-abortion groups use only peaceful methods are living in a fantasy land.
On this week’s episode, Ryan and I ask: Is nothing sacred? Plus, we talk about why we love abortions so much! Well, love is a strong word, but this week, it’s Ryan’s turn for a good rant.
What you believe about the supernatural has a powerful influence over how you treat the natural, physical world. For instance, if you think life begins right at the moment of conception, you may feel the need to deny the right of others to terminate unwanted pregnancies. It wouldn’t matter if you lacked any real evidence of this; it’s inconsequential. Some can be so convinced of this fact they would be willing to try any tactic to deny the ability for others to seek, what is essentially, a medical treatment.
In Denver, a Planned Parenthood facility is being built. Although they had attempted to construct it in secret, word quickly got out, and now the Colorado Right to Life organization is protesting its construction. Their objection is based on their theological conviction contraception is evil, all fetuses should be brought to term, and any planning beyond getting married and having more kids is the work of the devil.
All of this joyful protest would normally have gone right over my head, had it not been for an interesting article I read in the New York Times. It involved a study that found 90% of pregnant women who have had a Down syndrome test choose to abort. Now I’m no mathematician, but the pro life group in the US doesn’t have those kinds of staggering numbers. That’s because when the issue having an abnormal pregnancy comes biting them in the face, many pro-choice have to agree that life can often be relative cruel and hard, and the benefits of being able to avoid the burden of a serious mental handicap often outweighs their supernatural convictions. In other words, the real world doesn’t always obey your simple, black and white, good and evil platitudes.
This is what the issue boils down to. People who are pro-choice and believe an individual should have sovereignty over their own bodies don’t force young teenagers in Texas into having abortions. Many of them will quietly respect their neighbor’s right to procreate and raise children in their own fashion. Pro-lifers, however, do not generally have the same respect of their counterparts. They wish to suppress and deny these rights, if only due to their religious conviction. Whether they like it or not, the issue of when life develops, and deserves the same rights as a breathing, thinking human being, is not a black and white issue, just as the termination of fetuses with Down syndrome isn’t. Just what is the right thing to do?
I don’t pretend to know the answer. I only hope that we give people the chance to make the right decisions. In this case, it’s to allow someone the option of choosing the direction and course of their lives. I, for one, would never protest a facility that offers choices to people, since perhaps one day, I may be faced with a similar decision to make.
