“Skepticism: The antidote to ‘truthiness’ in American government and media”
Citizens must want to be smarter about how to interpret the messages we encounter every day in government, in media, in the workplace, in business and advertising. – Roy Peter Clark
If I had to choose one thing that I hope my students take with them when they leave my classes it would be the ability to think more critically about the world in which they live. On his Writing Tools blog, I came across Roy Peter Clark’s fifteen steps that he suggests citizens of the USA in particular might follow to start to take their country back. (I’d argue that this applies to any country just as much as it does to Americans).
I particularly like steps six, seven, and eight:
6. Recognize the power of framing as a communication device. People may be telling you the truth, but only a part of the truth. They may be framing events to focus on some themes, but not others. In the immigration debate, for example, the “safety of our borders” is a frame, but so is “America opens its arms to immigrants,” and so is “there are jobs in America that Americans will not do.”
7. Learn to recognize the manipulation of language and images. Read George Orwell’s famous essay, “Politics and the English Language,” which argues that language abuse leads to political abuse, and vice versa. Be skeptical of any speaker or writer who calls into question a critic’s loyalty to the country.
8. Learn the differences between forms of political persuasion that appeal to your reason as opposed to those that appeal to your fears or passions. Beware of slogans. They are a substitute for critical thinking.