Bookmarks: Biased headlines • Meechaiel Criner • The mysteries of attraction • Farrakhan’s racism • Court prohibits baby’s name
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Biased headlines
Thursday 2016-04-07. There is some irony to my writing this at this moment, as I am seriously considering ignoring the news completely, from now until such time as I have a job; given that I need right now to devote all the time and attention I can, to that goal. To meeting my own needs. To Here – Now – Can.
There is the notion that perhaps all the news does is keep a person in a state of continual alarm over situations as to which one is powerless. That would not be a good thing.
As it is, my Yahoo! News feed this morning included an over-representation of items from CNS News Service, and I became aware that the biases displayed in the headlines themselves were beginning to warp my worldview.
As a bit of an experiment that way, I begin now a collection of what I regard as biased headlines. These are not links; I will not have the time to make them links. You’ll need to Google the headlines to find the originals.
Bachmann: If Clinton wins, 2016 will be ‘last election’ – The Hill, 09/03/16. I am no friend of Michele Bachmann; God forbid. But this is really, really not what she said.
Rudy Giuliani’s Shameful MSNBC Appearance On Dallas Shooting – Huffington Post, 07/09/16. Beginning with the headline, there are characterizations and name-calling throughout.
Europeans are now fretting about Muslim girls in swimming pools – Washington Post, 07/02/16. The headline makes it sound as if the Europeans want to bar Muslim kids from swimming pools. The opposite is true; it’s about refusal to assimilate.
Stanford Students Want Western Civilization Studies Back as the PC Backlash Begins – The Daily Beast, 04/07/16. The headline suggests that a substantial portion of the students “want” this, whereas in fact the number involved is quite possibly quite small. Recall Free Speech Handbook Guideline #10, “Make judicious use of qualifiers.”
There are Muslim men fighting for the right to kill their wives – New York Post, 04/07/16
Atheists Seek Removal of Cross After Losing Case Against WWI Memorial – Newsmax, 04/07/16
How The Media Attack Religious Liberty – The Federalist, 04/07/16
A killer planet is rapidly heading toward Earth – New York Post, 04/09/16
The cowardice and hubris of Pope Francis – The Week, 04/11/16
The Obama Administration Is Now Apologizing For America Winning World War II – The Federalist, 04/12/16
Obama Escalates His War On Prosperity – Forbes, 04/14/16
Wall Street Journal slimes Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore — forgets about George W. Bush’s monumental blunders – Salon, 04/18/16
US Troops Are Headed to Libya, and That’s Bad News for Hillary Clinton – The Fiscal Times, 05/21/16
Violence Leaves Baltimore On Edge Before 3rd Freddie Gray Trial – Fox Nation, 06/02/16
The article is little more than a link to a Baltimore Sun piece by Kevin Rector about legal preparations for the Caesar Goodson trial. There is nothing about “violence” or about “Baltimore” being “on edge.”
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Suspect wielded ‘shiny rigid object’ moments before University of Texas student was slain He will be a ward of the state for a long, long time.
APNewsBreak: Slaying suspect said family made him leave Another case of an unwanted child who’s never had a chance in life. See “An incredible story,” linked to below.
Related: An incredible story Related: Names in the news
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First, let’s beware of any proposition someone says is “according to science.”
(Another one: What You Thought You Knew About De-Stressing Is Wrong, According to Science. From Cosmopolitan. Where do they get these? How does anyone know what I thought I knew?)
(Yet another one, same day: Here’s What Getting Spanked as a Kid Did to Your Personality, According to Science. From mic.)
Second, the headline actually has it backwards. The research indicates one is more attracted to people one “gets,” not the other way ’round.
In other words, it accounts for my hots for Miley Cyrus, given that I totally “get” her. It does not account for her failure to return my phone calls.
The story of my love life is liking people who never like me back.
Breaking it down: the research reported says the more accurately person A can “read” person B’s emotions, and the more confidence person A has in that reading, the more attractive person A will find person B.
That makes sense. One will have little attraction to someone one can’t “get.”
It works in platonic relationships as well.
I saw some years ago at a family reunion, that a big part of the comfort one feels at home comes from instinctively understanding everyone else’s body language and mannerisms.
A completely different factor I observed some months ago, in formations of friendships among different people at the shelter: if two people respond the same way to the same event, they’re more likely to bond than people who don’t. If the same news story on TV prompts both me and Sam to cross our arms and legs at the same moment, one or both of us is likely to recognize that, and we will identify with each other. If a group of people are talking and, in response to some remark, some nod and some do not; it’s the nodders who will coalesce with each other and not the non-nodders, and vice versa.
There are other factors at work, some of which I am powerless but to attribute to “vibes.”
Decades ago, when I was working at City Hall, there was a woman who also worked there, whom I wound up giving the code-name, in my diary, “Dreamboat.” That may be ‘nuf said of her appearance. I never learned her name. But time and again, time after time, in any public area where we happened both to be, without any intentionality involved at all, we would sooner or later make eye contact. This happened so often, I became convinced something like telepathy must be involved.
When I finally did work up enough nerve to introduce myself to her, she said her name was “Mrs. ______.” I didn’t “get” the first word on first hearing, and asked her to repeat it. After that, the first word was the only thing I needed to remember; nothing else, after that, really mattered.
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“You don’t study world events. Your mind is on pot, and smoking joints and having sex!”
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This was in Wales. I believe such an event cannot occur under U.S. law.
Reposted 2023-09-28.
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