Category Archives: Psychology

More About Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories

Posted on Tuesday 5 September 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

These subjects aren’t going away, because so many people are as gullible as ever — understood as inevitable human nature. This may imply a cap on the potential of the human race, in terms of its ability to engage with … Continue reading →

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The Outsized Perception of the Danger of Minority Cults

Posted on Saturday 26 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two pieces for today. A Salon essay that suggests that the “mainstream media” has a far wider effect on the US population than the fringe, Trump/Fox-supporting media, than most of us realize (and how that’s a good thing); and how … Continue reading →

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Explaining Trump and his Followers; Conservatives’ Lies about Heartstopper

Posted on Tuesday 22 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two kinds of boomers, and the naivete of older people about how social media works; Why Republican voters believe Trump — it’s all about their feelings of victimhood; An example of how pearl-clutching conservatives lie about Heartstopper. Not one but … Continue reading →

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Insecurity and Inequality

Posted on Saturday 19 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

A long NYT piece about the US economy, feeling bad, inequality, and insecurity; Shorter items about hearing dialogue in movies; the latest anti-woke tantrum; and that “First they came for…” poem. Here’s a big piece in NY Times, that could … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Decline, Psychology | Comments Off on Insecurity and Inequality

Corridors

Posted on Wednesday 16 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The way I would have reimagined the Enterprise for Strange New Worlds; Five rules for reading the news, from Big Think, and my thoughts about them; Apocalyptic rhetoric from the right; conspiracy theories about the Maui wildfires. I’ve enjoyed the … Continue reading →

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The Rule of Law, Degrees of Conspiracy Theorists, and Martin Gardner

Posted on Wednesday 9 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

If Trump’s trial is on TV, will Americans, even his supporters, accept the outcome?; How traditional conspiracy theorists are alarmed by modern conspiracy theorists; Recalling Martin Gardner’s Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science; And just noting a few … Continue reading →

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Climate Change, Culture, the Economy, and Real Americans

Posted on Tuesday 8 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Paul Krugman on climate change as a culture war issue; Florida censors come after Shakespeare, and educators flee the state; Robert Reich is confidant that Biden will get credit for an economy “that’s better off than it’s been in decades”; … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Climate Change, Culture, the Economy, and Real Americans

More on the Latest Indictment

Posted on Thursday 3 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Goofy Republican responses to the latest indictment, about Federal employees, and to the teaching of psychology; The spectacle goes on and on, as the US experiences what some are saying is the most important legal indictment in its history: John … Continue reading →

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Conservative Morality

Posted on Wednesday 2 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Items today respond to the latest indictment of a certain former president, how his supporters respond, and me trying to wrap my mind around what his supporters think morality and law and order actually is. But I have an idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Morality, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Conservative Morality

Vetting Online News Sources

Posted on Tuesday 1 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

About “critical ignoring”, vetting sources of news before you read them; The distractions of the internet; Today’s back-of-the-envelope timeline, from Savannah/tribal morality to Enlightenment values and now back to Savannah/tribal morality. Here’s a piece, which I probably stumbled upon via … Continue reading →

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