Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Confirmation Bias is RUINING America!
In this episode of ‘Brad Stine Has Issues’, Brad breaks down “confirmation bias” and why it’s a threat to the way we process information and inform our worldview.
There are too many Americans that think their position on every issue is the only right position. These self-righteous people need to be exposed for the arrogant bullies they actually are! I’m sure I’m right about this!!
Confirmation bias. What does it mean, who suffers from it, and is there a vaccine we can give to those caught in its clutches??
First let me remind you I am a conservative which means I am willing to admit I’m not perfect, I’m always right, but not always perfect. But confirmation bias is a real psychological concept and the truth is it is almost impossible for everyone not to be infected by it because one of the symptoms is that people who have it always think it’s everybody else’s flaw.
For the definition we go to Merriam Webster and lets face it Merriam always thinks her take on definitions is the right one says this:
Confirmation Bias: (noun) – The tendency to seek out and interpret information in a way that confirms one’s own beliefs or preconceptions.
It’s kind of the pseudo scientific version of the half full glass. Some people say “Who drank half my water?” Others say” Who filled my cup up half way, thanks” and then there’s the socialist who says why didn’t you leave the water pitcher and a complete set of new dishes while your at it now hold the cup up to my mouth so I can drink seeing as I’m to weak to hold it myself since I don’t work!
But either way they respond it comes from the character, or lack thereof, of the individual.
You see everyone has a worldview. A worldview simply means how do you interpret the world and what goes on in it? If you believe the world is unfair to certain people then everything you see, every news story, every action or sentence uttered by others is going to be interpreted through the filter of how you already see things.
One thing all Americans realize is how polarized we have become. Well confirmation bias is part of the reason because it makes it impossible to reason with each other.
Let’s take an example from President Trump. He started calling CNN fake news. If you are not a fan of CNN then you easily are able to interpret it’s left leaning bias as ..well..left leaning bias. You aren’t listening to actual objective reporting but instead you are hearing a glorified op-ed based on how these at one time journalists and anchors see the world. But, if you are progressive then you interpret the left leaning bias as just reporting the facts. You already see the world through leftist ideology so you literally are unable to see the flaws in the reporting, if they exist, simply because you want it to be true!
Now I know what your thinking, especially if you’re progressive because, well you don’t think that much so its easy to follow but you might say that conservatives do the same thing with FOX.
You would be right BTW.
When the conservative hears a host on FOX that isn’t towing the conservative line they see him/her as a traitor. How did they sneak this guy in and tell us things we don’t want to hear!
Wait , are you stunned by what you just heard? A conservative admitting he might have a bias?
Yes, and here’s where it gets challenging folks, just because you’re biased doesn’t necessarily mean your wrong! One man’s bias is another mans convictions!
You see that is the difference between conservative philosophy and a leftist/progressive philosophy.
You see conservatism is beholden to truth. We actually believe that truth exists. Not my truth, or a truth, actual immutable truth that exists irrespective of my beliefs.
What?!
I see heads exploding in dorms throughout the country! You mean relativism isn’t true?
NO, ya dork!
Think about it if an ideology says, “it is absolutely true that there is no absolute truth” then it cuts its own throat!
Oh, too graphic? Ok for the snowflakes… it offends itself!
Look, to a conservative when what I believe conflicts with what is true, I change my beliefs. To the progressive when what they believe conflicts with the truth, they change…the truth.
Listen I get it, I’m conservative and so I have to train myself to try and discern fact from feelings. The good news is conservatism is true so it makes my self-editing a whole lot easier!
But seriously, how do you differentiate between beliefs and objective truth? Well you have to apply an age-old formula that takes years of discipline and self-denial to implement. It’s called education!
I’m not talking about what has become the university faux-education that teaches kids what the tenured professors want to create out of the vulnerable minds of 18 year olds. I’m talking about what universities used to specialize in: Critical Thinking. If you want to determine what is true as opposed to your opinion there are a couple ways to go about it. Always listen to and acquire views that oppose yours so you can compare them. Look around at universities and see what ideas are they allowing in, and what are they forbidding? Who is being dis-invited from universities, progressives or conservatives? If you don’t know, I’ll do your homework for you. Conservatives are being disinvited! Which ideas are causing some students to protest violently by shouting down other ideas and slandering them with insults are they progressive ideas or conservative? Only conservative ideas. What is 90% of professor’s ideology in most universities, conservative or progressive?
Are you catching on yet?
Progressive ideas dominate academia. So if you are smart or want to be, and especially if you lean left, you need to ask: What are progressives so afraid of that they not only won’t debate conservative ideas but also believe they have the right to censor them? How bad is your ideas that they can’t withstand scrutiny?
The moment someone says you can’t disagree with me you need to be suspicious of them. If you aren’t then you are comfortably locked into confirmation bias and have become a slave to others thinking for you. You can’t know if something is true btw unless you have all the info from both sides. If you get all your info from the left you literally will never be able to think critically because you were never taught to defend your position. You’ve been taught instead that all you need to do is shout loudly, cry occasionally and call your opponents names and if you feel good about that then you must be right.
BTW that’s how children argue. They yell and scream and demand their way. Think about that if you are in an institution of higher learning, you’re literally spending thousands of dollars on a college education that’s teaching you to behave the way you did in kindergarten!
Doesn’t that insult you? Dang, you could of saved a lot of dough if you have decided to stop learning at 6!
Secondly you have to train yourself to tell the difference between fact and opinion. Look at ideas historically and see if they were tried and if so, were they effective? In other words forget what you want to be true, look around and have the courage to be able to walk away from some concept you think is good, like socialism for example, and realize it meant well, but it never worked! How you do that is to first do some introspection.
Be honest with yourself in regards to your social belief system. Are you a progressive or conservative? Then when you observe the facts about an idea does the conclusions make you not WANT to agree with them even if there are facts and statistics to back the claim.
You see America, progressives and conservatives want the same thing. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We just disagree on the best way to implement these ideas. That will be the eternal challenge to agree to disagree, agreeably.
This is God’sComic Brad Stine and remember: PCfree is Liberty!
Be sure to subscribe to Brad Stine Has Issues’ YouTube Channel so that you don’t miss a moment of Brad’s shenanigans both in front of and behind the scenes!