From LiveScience.com:
Democrats and Republicans Both Adept at Ignoring Facts, Study Finds
The study points to a total lack of reason in political decision-making.
There's more....
Well, I gues this explains why those idiots can't seem to understand the facts I present to them in such well reasoned arguments - they get a kick out of ignoring contradictions.
Democrats and Republicans Both Adept at Ignoring Facts, Study Finds reports on an interseting study:
The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted, Westen and his colleagues say.
Then, with their minds made up, brain activity ceased in the areas that deal with negative emotions such as disgust. But activity spiked in the circuits involved in reward, a response similar to what addicts experience when they get a fix....
Check it out. We are going to have to come up with something other than Reason in order to successfully sway the body politic. RoveCo has decided to use FEAR! and so far it seems to be working.
So what do we use? Perhaps FEAR! is not such a bad idea - but instead of fear of external boogeymen (Al Qaeda), fear of internal boogeymen (NSA, Rightwingers on the SCOTUS, BushCo, etc.) Surely there has to be another choice besides FEAR! and (ineffective) Reason. Any suggestions?