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FWIW the patrons I mentioned seem to skew older. Often they are convinced that the mainstream media or local government body x is stifling coverage of some news

FWIW the patrons I mentioned seem to skew older. Often they are convinced that the mainstream media or local government body x is stifling coverage of some news story they want to know more about. These are generally along the lines of the "pizzagate" story. One woman recently was convinced the government was blocking the AM radio broadcast of some political commentator. I want to highlight that these are completely normal looking middle aged men and women that do not appear to be under the influence of drugs. These are not the (false) stereotypical backwoods conspiracy nuts. Again, this is suburban Los Angeles. I don't know what their educational levels are or where they attended school, but clearly (and stating the obvious) -- our educational system is failing to impart basic research and critical thinking skills to huge sections of our population.

TheAdamAndChe 10y ago
I'm willing to bet that many younger people are skeptical of mainstream media nowadays, too. The collusion between media and the DNC to suppress Sanders from being the democratic nominee made me bitter at least, and I'm willing to bet it's made a lot of other people bitter, too. Then with the blatant clickbait claims that Pewdiepie is racist, white people cause all of our problems, and "8 [whatever] you just CAN'T live without" posts, I don't see my trust in media ever returning.
- FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago
  I've thought about that recently. The right type of skepticism came out of the election. I'm grouping all sides/factions together and, I may be wrong, but I don't see it as an increase in critical thinking. I just see it as an outright dismissal of the credibility of any information coming from the nebulous establishment or mainstream, accompanied by an acceptance of any conspiracy theory that paints the mainstream in a negative light. It's skepticism that discriminates based upon the messenger, not critical analysis of the content of the message. I joke, but I also weep knowing that if there were an article that claimed that either candidate supported relaxing or increasing regulations on the chemical dihydrogen monoxide, a significant number of people would think it was a serious issue without actually researching it. Just my 2c regarding PewDiePie: He may be a youtube star, but he not a comedian and not humorous IMO. Don't make jokes about touchy subjects if you aren't exceptionally funny or have a very thorough and intimate understanding of the subject. There's a reason Louis C.K. can do skits on controversial subjects without being pilloried, he's not a crass amateur. If no one laughs, at best it comes off as insensitive. Also, his fan base is primarily 12-15 yr olds, not exactly old enough to understand the subtleties of satire. Kramer's racist rant post-Seinfeld at least was aimed at adults.

TheAdamAndChe 10y ago

I'm willing to bet that many younger people are skeptical of mainstream media nowadays, too. The collusion between media and the DNC to suppress Sanders from being the democratic nominee made me bitter at least, and I'm willing to bet it's made a lot of other people bitter, too. Then with the blatant clickbait claims that Pewdiepie is racist, white people cause all of our problems, and "8 [whatever] you just CAN'T live without" posts, I don't see my trust in media ever returning.

FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago
I've thought about that recently. The right type of skepticism came out of the election. I'm grouping all sides/factions together and, I may be wrong, but I don't see it as an increase in critical thinking. I just see it as an outright dismissal of the credibility of any information coming from the nebulous establishment or mainstream, accompanied by an acceptance of any conspiracy theory that paints the mainstream in a negative light. It's skepticism that discriminates based upon the messenger, not critical analysis of the content of the message. I joke, but I also weep knowing that if there were an article that claimed that either candidate supported relaxing or increasing regulations on the chemical dihydrogen monoxide, a significant number of people would think it was a serious issue without actually researching it. Just my 2c regarding PewDiePie: He may be a youtube star, but he not a comedian and not humorous IMO. Don't make jokes about touchy subjects if you aren't exceptionally funny or have a very thorough and intimate understanding of the subject. There's a reason Louis C.K. can do skits on controversial subjects without being pilloried, he's not a crass amateur. If no one laughs, at best it comes off as insensitive. Also, his fan base is primarily 12-15 yr olds, not exactly old enough to understand the subtleties of satire. Kramer's racist rant post-Seinfeld at least was aimed at adults.