4 ms·
Dangerous fantasies like “thalidomide is perfectly safe” or “smoking is good for your health”? How about “fat makes you fat”? There’s plenty of statements that
by wincy 6y ago
Dangerous fantasies like “thalidomide is perfectly safe” or “smoking is good for your health”? How about “fat makes you fat”?
There’s plenty of statements that the mainstream media supported that were either flat out wrong and harmful to the American public. We’re still feeling the repercussions of a government hellbent against saturated fats.
At least allowing people to indulge in “dangerous fantasies” lets some of the people be right some of the time, instead of the entire monoculture being dangerously wrong.
- tayo42 6y agoNot all misinformation is the same, there's a difference between science got it wrong and society eventually corrected it self and being wrong on purpose or misleading to pander to an audience.
- Fellshard 6y agoYou are a wiser person than I if you can tell the difference while it's happening.
- tayo42 6y agoMaybe I am lol, but thats not important. I think it's fairly easy to differentiate people trying their best from bullshit peddlers. Look at the recent controversial topics vaccines, global warming, masks. Is it really unclear to see who is putting in a genuine effort?
- Fellshard 6y agoI think personal biases (especially confirmation bias) usually end up interfering /strongly/ in these kinds of topics.
- anigbrowl 6y agoIronically Rush Limbaugh did very well out of disputing any link between smoking and lung cancer. I was mightily amused that it was the latter which carries him off.
- refurb 6y agoAnd “thalidomide causes birth defects” was no doubt “misinformation” early in the crisis as well. You’d be suppressing that too.