Truth
If you’re on this page, you probably noticed something was amiss with the quote you just read. You’re right – the quote was intentionally misattributed.
Why? We believe that no one is immune to bias, and we wanted to show how people too-easily get behind statements that align with their identity, sometimes at the expense of actually examining those statements.
(Did you know: 59 percent of the people share articles on Facebook without reading it – Forbes, 2016)
While we think our political opinions are conclusions based on rational analyses of an external subject, they’re often not. Our opinions, especially on core issues, are deeply personal. We treat them as extensions of who we are. (If we are pro-Trump or against Trump, against gun control or for it, these are not just ideas, they represent who we are.)
This is why political discussion often gets hot, heavy and personal. It’s not a discussion of opinions. When someone doesn’t agree with you, it feels like a personal offense.
To move forward, we need to acknowledge this mechanism and allow some distance between ourselves and our opinions. If they are true, they will still hold true even if we consider them objectively. Often, this acknowledgment will allow room for some perspective and a richer understanding of what are ALWAYS complex and multi-faceted issues.
The Quotes we used:
“Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws and I believe they must be held accountable.” – Barack Obama.
(We attributed this quote to Donald Trump)
“Take the guns first, go through due process second.” – Donald Trump
(We attributed this quote to Barack Obama)
“I’m a warrior for the middle class.” – Barack Obama
(We attributed this quote to Donald Trump)
Read more here
“If we fail to act now, it is scientifically irrefutable that there will be catastrophic and irreversible consequences for humanity and our planet.” – Donald Trump (Trump and other business leaders on climate legislation)
(We attributed this quote to Barack Obama)
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @tweetspective