The worlds of movies, television, and theater are overwhelmingly populated by political liberals. This frustrates some conservatives, who complain that the entertainment we consume is biased or propagandistic. But why might successful writers, directors, and actors tend to lean leftward? New research offers an intriguing clue. CONT. Tom Jacobs, Pacific […] Read more »
The Most Racist People Are Also the Most Likely to Underestimate Their Racism
In 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump famously proclaimed: “I am the least racist person you have ever met.” That statement could, of course, be an outright falsehood. But it could also be an example of a prideful man who is motivated to lie to himself. New research points to a […] Read more »
How fake news gets into our minds, and what you can do to resist it
Julian Matthews, Monash University Although the term itself is not new, fake news presents a growing threat for societies across the world. Only a small amount of fake news is needed to disrupt a conversation, and at extremes it can have an impact on democratic processes, including elections. Read more: […] Read more »
Will the Mueller Report Change Anyone’s Mind?
The Department of Justice’s summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election has a little something for both Democrats and Republicans, depending on how you look at it. … But to fully understand how Americans will absorb any further information revealed in the report, […] Read more »
No Hate Left Behind
A recent survey asked Republicans and Democrats whether they agreed with the statement that members of the opposition party “are not just worse for politics — they are downright evil.” The answers, published in January in a paper, “Lethal Mass Partisanship,” were startling, but maybe they shouldn’t have been. CONT. […] Read more »
Why Partisanship Changes How People React To Noncontroversial Statements
New research finds that partisans agree with bumper sticker slogans — unless they are told that those slogans were made by a leader of the opposing party. NPR News Read more »