"When the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?" Topic

Makes you think about Fake News and how it is being used today.

link

Coincidently I was watching Animal House last night.

A disturbingly persuasive article. BUT…

"This was true even after the researchers statistically controlled for the subjects' level of open-mindedness (their willingness to change their mind when wrong) and right-wing authoritarianism (their intolerance toward others), as assessed by the personality test."

"Right Wing Authoritarianism?" Did the investigators actually believe there is only one kind of "Authoritarianism?" Or is Left Wing Authoritarianism somehow more tolerant of differences than Right Wing?

That nonsense was the most disturbing part of the article, and shows a decided bias on the part of the investigators.

Yes, "Fake News" is dangerous as cited, but it doesn't come from only one end of the spectrum.

As if there actually is any difference between Left and Right Wing Authoritarianism….

TVAG

The subjects with lower cognitive ability had more trouble shaking their negative first impression of Nathalie. This was true even after the researchers statistically controlled for the subjects' level of open-mindedness (their willingness to change their mind when wrong) and right-wing authoritarianism (their intolerance toward others), as assessed by the personality test. Thus, even if a person was open-minded and tolerant, a low level of cognitive ability put them at risk for being unjustifiably harsh in their second evaluation of Nathalie

My question is, who was evaluating the subjects cognitive ability, and what was the evaluation based on? Without this baseline information this article is no more than so much psychobabble.

Bah ! Of course the Germans didn't bomb PH !

It was the Italians, operating from secret airbases in
Mexico…

UH, just to put a 'wargaming/milhistory' slant on
the subject…

I just posted this on another thread here …

Well most Americans especially some high school or even college level have little to no idea about history period. Was watching a news show last night. The reporter went to a beach full of kids. He asked some very simple questions about US History. And very, very, very, few had any idea.

Nothing new about that, L4.

most Americans

And I wasn't going to comment on it there, but here, in the context of fake news, I am sure that the interviewer conducted a statistically valid sample of people across the nation and didn't just shop around for some kids who hid their beer when he showed up and really just wanted him to leave so they could pair off with each other, then edit out the answers that didn't match the point he was trying to make.

The point being, pick a subject, write some basic knowledge questions, and identify a nation. I'll conduct a man on the street interview of ten people. You pay me $1,000 USD for every person who doesn't get half correct and I'll pay you $1,000,000 USD for every person who does. I could use ten grand.

You may be half right eto, in my job(s) I have, as the saying goes, "gotten around" I worked with all age groups and demographics. I have found that, in general, history is not a subject that is taught very well, if at all at any level.
Recently some young millennial wargamers at local shop were discussing WW II and the Eastern front in particular and one commented about how it would've changed the course of the war if the Russian's hadn't lost at Kursk. After I picked myself up off the floor I asked him where he got the idea that the Russian's lost at Kursk. He just replied, well they lost more tanks didn't they?

I would say "most" Americans are not found on a beach so you skewed your results to begin with. One of my kids would just tell you to wait while they googled it the other one would answer you and then attack your line of questioning. Not sure either is a solid sampling of "most" Americans but those are the teenagers I know.

For Kursk, an average US teenager would probably not understand how a defensive army that lost more resources but didn't lose territory would consider it a victory. History is taught more from a dates perspective and not a tactical perspective. I am surprised as wargamers they didn't experience this but perhaps they have not experienced campaign games.

Most Americans, of most generations, are interested in or care about history. "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong" by James Loewen Link: link is a fairly decent accounting of why.

I was one of those history geeks in the early 70s working to get a master's and then a PHD in history so I could teach at the university level. Both the demise of history as a required humanities course in American universities and my exposure to actual history courses as TA showed me the errors of my fantasies (smile). 45 years later after a career in IT, I still love history, but never expect the average American I meet to have a clue over anything that happened more than 5-10 years ago, even if they might recall the occasional strong point of some event.

My favorite was a tour guide at the state capital in Indiana years ago telling my group how Indiana had fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. I just smiled and we moved on.

Dan, has it indeed gotten that bad? In the seventies, the joke was that Kentucky was the only state to join the Confederacy after the Civil War. Surprised O.H. P. Morton didn't rise up from his grave and strangle that tour guide.

Schwartz, the consistent problem with miniature gamers and history is that too many of us refuse to think beyond our tabletops. Observe the consistent affection for expensive weapons with high breakdown rates and difficult to transport--but which have very high stats on the game board. We're trying to win battles, not wars. Your millennial is an extreme case, but by no means a complete fluke.

Recall being at Fort Knox in 1973 (ROTC basic):

Ammo that had been brought back from Vietnam that did not fire….45 pistols, M16 rifles, LAW rockets, etc.

M16 rifles so shot out that it was a challenge to hit targets beyond 100m

We will not discuss the AFVs there at that time

Always made me smile while reading Clancy's books where every weapon system worked perfectly without fail.

As to American historical ignorance, watching the growth of the alt-right, white nationalism, Neo-Nazi and Neo-Confederate groups over my life time tells it all. My family has served this country in every generation since the AWI, including an 18 year VA state militia private who guarded prisoners after Cornwallis surrendered.

History is taught at home, one should not depend on a teacher trying to corral 20-35 students, 1/3 of whom are below average IQ, 1/3 above IQ and the middle 1/3 just trying to survive the experience (I taught public HS for a year).

I recall hearing or reading something about telling a lie – or was it a"Big Lie"? – often enough… Unfortunately, that was more than ten years ago, so the true details are lost to my cognitive ability.

M16 rifles so shot out that it was a challenge to hit targets beyond 100m

Yes I remember at IOBC at Benning in '79. The M16s we were issued, the upper and lower receiver would wiggle a bit. We'd use the C-Rat card board as shims to tighten it up !

Always made me smile while reading Clancy's books where every weapon system worked perfectly without fail.

Yeah we only wished !

As to American historical ignorance, watching the growth of the alt-right, white nationalism, Neo-Nazi and Neo-Confederate groups over my life time tells it all.

So true !

I kid you not, we were still eating rations box packed and marked 1944 when I was at Fort Knox in 1973.

That said, actually not bad (smile).

I kid you not, we were still eating rations box packed and marked 1944 when I was at Fort Knox in 1973

Did they contain any Spam?!