Wednesday, January 25, 2012

T,R 8:25am

24 comments:

Diego Pinzon said...

The self serving bias and the fundamental attribution error, I think, play a role in this discussion. Self serving bias because once we have chosen a side, we will look for evidence to confirm that our “gut feelings” about our chosen candidate or party affiliation are favorable whether its a lie or not as long as it makes our side look good. The fundamental attribution error because if we hear (on the news or otherwise) that our candidate lied or misrepresented something, we think there must’ve been a reason for that or we find a way to justify the lie. However, if it’s the other candidate who lied about himself or an issue, than that person is an evil liar and not fit to run for office. So its not so much that we allow ourselves to be lied to by politicians as much as it is us playing politician along with them.

Another reason why we allow ourselves to get lied to is similar to why “good food” is not readily available and affordable in America. Much like with the food issue, it is not a lack of education about the better choices out there, rather it is ignorance about why better choices benefit us. I find it impossible to say that there are still people out there who don’t know what organic food is. They may be ignorant to their benefits, or maybe turn a blind eye because of their high prices, but that is not to say they are uneducated about those options. So much like politics, it is not that we do not know that our candidates are lying to us, rather, its that we do not investigate what it is they are lying about and how that lie will in turn affect us. Granted, there are now fact checking organizations, but nonetheless, how many of us read their findings? In my humble opinion, the reason politicians are not telling us complete truths is because a large percent of the time, we as the American public they are addressing, are too lazy to go out and seek the truth and or are unwilling to seek reform to the status quo.

Politicians lie because they know they can. They pull the wool over millions of eyes while there are only thousands if not less who seek the truth.

Elizabeth G said...

I don’t know how we can change this, but I have some ideas as to why it is happening. First I wonder where this article got its sources, and if it’s biased at all? Second, if these “Blacks and Latinos” that are being surveyed are born here, or in their country of origin (Whether or not English is their first language). If their parents aren’t fluent in English and aren’t familiar with the American Educational system then I see a huge gap in resources for these students. My mother speaks English but was raised in Cuba, and any time I asked her for homework help, she would get overwhelmed, or give me answers that I knew my teachers would not mark as correct, despite the fact that she excelled in school. This made me very aware that it was solely up to me to figure school out. Now that I am older I have spoken to many American students that were raised by American parents, and I find that those students had much better grades, and those grades seemed much easier to attain for them. I always assumed it was because their parents were heavily involved in their school life (In comparison to my mother who wasn’t ever involved).
I have no doubt that Blacks and Latinos can match white student levels. But if we apply the statistics that big minority communities exists in concentrated clusters across America, then I think it is safe to say that these communities may not have the same resources as white ones. These students might be living under “poor conditions” a lot of the time. This is when I apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and realize that affluence, and knowledge typically won’t be achieved as easily if you don’t have stability (shelter, lack of worries, satisfied hunger.) So then I think if we get a sample of these students and give them everything they need to feel safe, comfortable, and overall stable… will they achieve better performance levels? I think so.
During high school most students have already gained many responsibilities. Black and Latinos that don’t come from affluent or middle class backgrounds might have the burden of working in order to help support their household, and that makes it really tough to compete against more well off students who don’t have these concerns.
How can we give these teen students access to better resources? I don’t have a single answer that I feel is possible under our current government.

AAA said...

well, i cant speak for everyone,but maybe a few.that it may not be entirely the system's fault, but partially our own since we sometimes are given the proper resources, but we may not have the proper guidance on how we should properly use those resources, or it could be a problem of motivation since we see what our background look like and it becomes in us that we don't have any expectations, so we probably don't set our goals past the average. - andy ermilus

Anonymous said...

I feel this all depends on the student themselves. There are some students that want to excel and others that could care less. According to statistics, it is usually the Black and Latino students that choose to do less. But that isn’t always the case, there are times when students don’t have the resources needed, especially since the majority of Black and Latino students live in low income areas, they are inclined to attend the schools in their area, which do not have many resources due to low funding. In a comment someone posted earlier, they mentioned something about the students being born here or in their country of origin. Most students (at least the ones I’ve met), that are not native to this country usually tend to do better in school, than those native to America. But of course, I cannot speak for all those who have been born in another country.
-Andres C.

Anonymous said...

I just realized a commented about the wrong post. In response to the post about politicians lying, I am not going to say that we should just turn our heads the other way, knowing that these politicians are lying to us. However, many of us have just come to terms with the fact that, most if not ALL these politicians are lying to the public, though it is difficult to understand how someone could just be ok with those that are supposed to be running the country lie to us, many of people feel that there is nothing they can do about it.
You made a point when you added “George Lakoff is a linguist. For him, it's a two way street. Voters align themselves with their politician of choice and believe what they say because they believe those things. See it as candidate "X" lying to its base (but for them is not a lie).” It is very true, not just in politics, but in everyday life. We discussed this in class, how we are told lies, and yet, we believe them, because of who tells them to us. If it is someone we trust, we’re more likely to believe whatever they tell us, albeit not completely outrageous. I do think it is wrong for politicians to lie, after all lying is wrong, however, there are two ways to gain votes, tell the people what they want to hear (even if it is a lie), or, scare them and tell them you can save them (even if it is a lie), it’s they way they are taught to win.
-Andres C.

Jeff said...

I have learned that over the years we ourselves have been our greatest obstacles. We have allowed society to dictate to us as blacks and Latinos in a way that is nothing lest than evil. It is evil when you convince an entire people that being smart and intelligent in not a part of their culture. But the ingenious part of the brain washing is when a black and Latino convince themselves that they are incapleable of competing with the world. I have been told from as far back as I can remember that I am and will be or do anything even today I am looked at as a person that is out of his place or maybe I have my antennas crossed and not getting the signal that I am not suppose to be doing the thing that I am doing. The reason why blacks and Latino are not where they should be educationally started in elementary school when a black teacher can be angry with a child because they think the child know to much so the black child is forced to reduce himself to the lower level of the class in math and reading. This child it ignored and made to feel silly and dumb. The smarter black child mostly male is introducing to, stay in the place where you were born to be, meat for the police, jails and drugs. This frustrates the child; his willingness to learn has now turned to anger and resentment. If that is not enough the teacher look for ways to fail the smarter black child, which further holds them back in hopes that they would just quit or drop out. If that don’t work the teacher start looking for ways to put the child out the learning environment, hoping that they don’t come back. Now the seed is sown in the mind of the black child (no one wants me to be smart, they will ignore me, if I am smart they will put me out, or they will create impossible task in which no man can solve. This struggle further convinced Blacks and Latinos that They are incapable of learning. This type of treatment is happing now in today’s school. You ask what can we do to solve this? 1) We must not allow our kids to take the easy way out by convincing them to dropping out of school. 2) Elementary teachers must be trained to engage the mind of the black and Latino children to bring out the best not the worst. 3) Stop bring their own fares and biases, pass negative experiences, negative press and negative personal hatred into the classroom. Teacher then are free to teach and engage the children in ways that keep the minds on the learning environment and not the street life.4) I think Black and Latinos elementary teacher should not play favorites to any student, teach up to the level of the smarter student and not bring the smarter student down to the level of the other students.

Denise Monteiro said...

I think that the politics are lying because the population doesn’t care about it. One of their methods is to maintain the population without information, so they would not have to contest. The majority of the population is interested in futile subjects. They want to know about celebrities, which cell phone is the best, where to travel, social networks, while the government is doing whatever they want. We cannot get used to it, the population need to focus on what is happening around them, or in a short period of time it will end up, like you said, affecting our daily lives.

Jonathan Kohn said...

As American society has progressed the notion of collectivism had thrived while individualism has declined. I feel the main problem , especially in low income areas is that the community holds the assumption that society has failed to educate them and there is nothing that can be done. Moreover, society is highly influenced with pop culture that focus on rationalizing drug abuse and sex. An example would be the influence rappers have on youth, specifically how gangs shape the psychological aspects of the youth.
I will argue that the most productive approach is the spread of the individualistic idea that one should be responsible for their education. Common ideas such as being charitable and helping others is a great start. My favorite example is astrophysicist Neil Turok who is attempting at helping Africa by promoting math related education (African Institute for Mathematical Sciences). Practically, promote math and science in Africa by recruiting talented students and use technology to build up Africa. I will argue people should be more open to getting involved rather than just donating.

Anonymous said...

It is difficult to say why minorities are failing to do better than the white race. Although Latino and African- American students are performing at a level of 13-year-old white students we have to see their background and environment. Most of them are in poor conditions and have a whole lot of responsibilities than others. I have met minorities who take care of their siblings while their parents work two jobs whereas white people have a stable home and see their parents daily. In unstable homes you hardly ever hear word of education just because society doesn't encourage them.
In places like Miami there is a lot of motivation but in smaller rural areas such as Georgia or Mississippi people show no respect to minorities. The ignorance of others cause discouragement emotionally and it shows through education. Many minorities have a trauma of doing something because a lot of people but them down. I am not saying this happens to all minorities, but I have heard many stories that have gone through similar situations.
I would like to stress that although we are a free country, there is still racism. Racism plays a huge role in education. When a white female sees a black male enter the subway she immediately holds her purse with all her strength so he wont steal it. Why is it that she does this? It is because society has put that label on minorities. That black male is probably head surgeon of a hospital or was a hero of 911 or valedictorian of his high school and university. These possibilities would probably never be a choice to that white woman just because of his color. Yes, stereotype also degrades minorities to a point where they would rather do nothing at all.
I honestly think we have to see where these resources get their information and how they got it. I have faith in minorities and believe they'll do just as great or even better than the white people. I am sad to read this article, but I am glad it was brought to my attention.

Anonymous said...

It is difficult to say why minorities are failing to do better than the white race. Although Latino and African- American students are performing at a level of 13-year-old white students we have to see their background and environment. Most of them are in poor conditions and have a whole lot of responsibilities than others. I have met minorities who take care of their siblings while their parents work two jobs whereas white people have a stable home and see their parents daily. In unstable homes you hardly ever hear word of education just because society doesn't encourage them.
In places like Miami there is a lot of motivation but in smaller rural areas such as Georgia or Mississippi people show no respect to minorities. The ignorance of others cause discouragement emotionally and it shows through education. Many minorities have a trauma of doing something because a lot of people but them down. I am not saying this happens to all minorities, but I have heard many stories that have gone through similar situations.
I would like to stress that although we are a free country, there is still racism. Racism plays a huge role in education. When a white female sees a black male enter the subway she immediately holds her purse with all her strength so he wont steal it. Why is it that she does this? It is because society has put that label on minorities. That black male is probably head surgeon of a hospital or was a hero of 911 or valedictorian of his high school and university. These possibilities would probably never be a choice to that white woman just because of his color. Yes, stereotype also degrades minorities to a point where they would rather do nothing at all.
I honestly think we have to see where these resources get their information and how they got it. I have faith in minorities and believe they'll do just as great or even better than the white people. I am sad to read this article, but I am glad it was brought to my attention.
-Rebecca Soza

NADINE MOLTIMER said...

Politician get away with lying for many reason's. They pull fast ones's over our head's and because we plea to ignorance we believe what is being told to us. Why do we believe what is being said by politicains? It is because they say things that we want to hear. For example I am running for president for my Travel and Tourism club and I state that if you vote for me I will make sure I do everything in my power to ensure that we raise enough money to take a trip to Paris. Every member in the club votes for me because I stated in my speech that I will raise enough money that will allow everyone a trip of a life time. In reality my club members just voted for me without knowing my capabilities or background. Another reason why politicians lie and get away with it is because they already know that we have our minds made up depending on which side republican or democrate that we our voting on. All of these reasons are why politicians lie and get away with it.

Daniel Gonzalez said...

The ideal political system, in my opinion, would be one with very high level of public involvement, where policy is based on popular opinion, which would support a government designed to carry out the will of the people. In this case, and most cases of "idealized" political structures, transparency is a must. In the US, since the will of the people is represented by politicians, there has to be a high degree of mutual honesty between politicians and the public. However, in our current political system, the benefits of lying (for politicians) greatly outweigh the benefits the public would derive from their honesty. Since the American political system is highly dependent on connections, bribery, and the repayment of favors, politicians may often tell the public they are going to do one thing while they proceed about doing something else behind the curtains. There is far too much money riding on lying for politicians to abandon the practice. As a result, many people have become complacent to the idea that politicians lie. Instead of rejecting and fighting against this revolting idea, a large portion of the voting public has developed a confirmation bias, deciding to believe whatever agrees with their views and rejecting discording ideas, whether or not they are true. This allows politicians to proclaim whatever they wish, confident that the majority of their audience will believe it, so long as the people hear what they want to hear. The dying, decomposing American political system is in dire need of reform.

Anonymous said...

Steven Cristobol

Everybody lies it is a wrong but it is true.But nobody does it more than politicians the biggest lie for starters is themselves they run their campaign and make promises and say I'm gonna do this and that just so that they can win.
The old trick to tell people what they want to hear just to get what you want, they lie to win and to keep their image in the public eye. If a politician makes a promise they should keep it not just try to secure their future job in Washington, and the worse thing on top of all the lies is that they make it so believe able and they do it so easily that they don't even remember that they are lying in the firs place it is as easy as breathing for them.With so many lies being thrown around by theses politicians when we go to vote the best thing that we can do is go with our gut instinct because we dont really know what we are gonna be getting.

Steven Cristobol

Anonymous said...

I wrote about the wrong article..
Politicians lie to get voters attention. I believe politics is a very hard topic to argue about just because there is so much to it. When a Governor lies it is to cover something they previously said or they are just overwhelmed. If you think about it, we all lie at some point of a conversation. I wouldn't say it is a lie, it is more of an exaggeration. The difference between a normal conversation and a politician's speech is that they are in front of large crowds who are noting everything they say.
I honestly do not know whether I would like to hear the truth or their lies because on every toast there is a burnt corner. I sometimes feel like not everyone is strong enough for the truth in politics. In my opinion there are things politicians lie about to protect a society. Maybe I am wrong but i like to see the cup half full rather than half empty. I would like to know the truth about things, but isn't most things a lie anyways? To me we all play a role in life and it is basically like acting. The only time we can be true is to ourselves. I know that I can't tell my professor things I tell my friends which doesn't imply I am a liar, I just exaggerate the truth.

-Rebecca Soza

Nadia S. Diaz said...

The world of politics is a very deep, complicated, and confusing matter in which most of society is not educated on. There is only a few out of the many, that really know what is going on, and I believe that is the main problem on this discussion. Similar to religions, politics play the same role in gaining a favorable mass, a mass that will accept the lies given to them just for the sake of the party and image. Politicians have made an art out of lies and deception, and the public just seems to accept it all, whether it’s because they are too lazy to go out and find the truth, or simply because they are caught up in the crazy rat race of our society.

Media distractions also play a huge role in the lies given to us. Mtv, fox news and all the other big broadcasters, air nothing but reality shows and nonsense to keep society distracted from the big truth. The busy nine to five lifestyle of the average American keeps society away from the truth. When people get home from their jobs, all they want to do is relax and indulge in the world of drugs, sex and media, thus drawing their attention span away from boring politics. People need to open up, and try harder to educate themselves on what’s really going on in the political world. We will never have the whole truth from politicians themselves, and that’s the sad reality. Politicians will continue to lie because it is in their favor. It’s simply part of their nature. Society as a whole must be ready for the next lie thrown at them and take action on what is only right for them.

Elizabeth G said...

The people that make it possible for unfit politicians to win are most likely lying to themselves too. When I watch a politician I’m usually the one in my family or group of friends that does a little bit of research to figure out whether or not to trust him/her. People ask me why I do this? And I ask them why they don’t? I like to know the facts, and I’ve realized that many people are just too busy to take the extra step and find out information besides what the media wants to spoon-feed them. They rather live in a lie because it “seems” prettier, and they are very comfortable with that. So I guess politicians mirror the majority of people that they serve and liars are perfect for liars.

Ralph Leonard said...

Je ne sais où commencer pour débattre ce sujet, qui justement fait toujours le point chez les politiciens généralement. Le mensonge est devenus l'une des armes le plus important pour les politiciens et ceci peut s'expliquer par plusieurs raisons. Premièrement, ils le fassent pour attirer la foule et assi pour avoir l'ecoute de nombreuse personnes importantes, deuxièment, pour avoir leurs supports. Rien ne se fait se au hasart et chacune de ses actions sont liées a des paroles superflues pour convaincre la population.
De nos jours, fais de la politique est devenus comme un métier soumis sous la loi de l'offre et de la demande, ce qui explique nos politiciens ont pour objective de convaincre et de paindre la société d'une couleur fade dans le seul objectif de gagner l'esprit des gens. Le mensonge est devenus le point le plus important pour convaincre et ce qui peut être considérer par Socrate le père de la philosophie comme étant une mauvaise sagesse.
Nos politiciens appliquent la sagesse des sophistes pour charmer la population par leur language. Bien que les gents savent que chaque politicien a pour objectif de convaincre, la population accepte de les supportés parce qu'il croit au changement. Quand est-ce qu'un politicien prendra le micro pour Parler d'un monde paix a la place du changement? Nous sommes loin à accepter la verité parce que ce monde est concu sur les bonds du mensonge.

Isaac Camargo said...

Lying In Politics Is Now The Norm

We as the people accept that politicians do a lot of lying and most of the time we have a short memory and forget the harm they cause with their lies. It is so normal that we almost expect it out of either party and are not surprised when it happens. Take Anthony Weiner’s case, former New York Representative, who was accused of sending sexual photos to his mistresses. He lied about sending explicit photos to several ladies to cover himself up to keep his position as a Representative. But when the lie could no longer hold, he eventually had to admit that he did in fact send those photos. He then had to step down from office from the pressure that he felt from the people. When I first heard Anthony Weiner stating that he did not send those photos, it was difficult for me to believe him. I had no proof what so ever that he did send those photos but I was certain that he was lying. He eventually confessed a week later as I was not surprised at all. In this case Mr. Weiner lied to keep his position in office, and I can only wonder how many politicians do the same and haven't been caught. Or how many politicians lie to make millions of dollars? Most of us turn the other way and accept it as is. And it just goes to show that Anthony Weiner had the opportunity to admit to the truth but instead chose to lie because it would benefit him. Almost all truth in politics comes out after a lie. Hopefully this will change, but lying in congress has been going on for a very long time and is embedded in the game of politics.

- Isaac Camargo

Anonymous said...

Lying is an attribute or skill most politicians posses. They lie just as well as they debate and communicate to vie for your vote. The level of mastery, however, depends on the individual. I don't believe most politicians a natural born liars, I believe they like for advancement. Lying starts early in a politicians career, they become accustomed, and better at it as they progress from mayors to congressman and senators. We've seen over the years that politicians will do anything to win, and its in their best interest to lie in order to win. We all hope that the politicians we elect will repair the economic crisis, patch up health reform, and lower taxes but the reality is through history no one has yet to do these things. Let's face they say what we want to hear and as George Lakoff said, " we are going to believe our respective political party representative's view regardless if it's a lie or not".

When it comes to politicians evading questions I believe that's the worst thing to do. That say's to me that you're hiding something. Whether its a lack of knowledge on a subject, trying to avoid the question overall, or you trying to push your bullet points during an interview or debate. I don't want anyone representing me or my country who isn't honest with themselves enough to answer the question. Only in politics! If a you asked a car salesman the price a vehicle and he starts talking about seat warmers how would you react. I would like to add that so many politicians spend time shedding a bad light on their opponents rather than speaking on what matters. Bottom line a lie is a lie, no matter substance of the lie.

-Desmond Ford

Anonymous said...

I believe the reason politicians have lied and continue to do so today is because we allow them to. Whether it is because you like the politician personally or because you like his or her views, no matter what they say you will believe them. Why? Because of bias. As one student previously commented, the self serving bias plays a huge role in politics. Think of your favorite politician, now listen to a speech of that politician and I assure you you will agree with everything they say, even if now you know it's not true. We CHOOSE to beieve lies. and force ourleves to accept them.

-Luis Acosta

Basil and Bread said...

The most important piece of a child’s education is the teacher. Many inner city high schools and even high schools in suburbia lack teachers that are able to respond to each child’s needs when classes are at full capacity and children have more and more distractions; from family life issues, peer pressure, economic effects, and even technology built into cell phones and iPods for socializing and gaming. With these distractions, the odds for a good teacher to keep a large group students attention is against them. For a mediocre teacher or a teacher not instructing in a subject they have expertise in, the odds are even worse.
We need to shrink class sizes and give teachers a chance to focus on their students, instead of having to spend so much time trying to keep a larger group’s attention. This would require more classrooms and more teachers, which our tax dollars should be supporting if we want success in our classrooms. For students that are lagging behind in their academics, teachers should be required to schedule tutoring after school for any student showing a lack in his or her progress. This mandatory after school tutoring should be additional pay for the teachers, giving incentive to focus on the individual student’s progress and areas of weakness, and also giving teachers a chance to build a relationship with each student so that a level of respect and trust can be built.
Adding new teaching methods and resources to our schools would also better the odds of student achievements. Many schools lack the supplies and teachers needed for such a task. One potential idea that would help is to organize classrooms based upon students’ learning abilities. If we tested children to see if they are more audio, visual, or textbook learners, we could gear each class towards each group of student’s best learning skills. Through group acceleration, just like an honors class is for honors students, a group of students having difficulty with a subject should have the opportunity to be in a classroom with a teacher who is going to direct the class in such a way that will help them learn in a group of students that also have the same troubles in learning.
Another problem with our public schools systems that affect lower level of success rates in minority groups is that the teachers’ union guarantees the teachers their jobs, but doesn’t guarantee anything for a student’s education. In Obama’s State of the Union Address, he states that schools should be given the “resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones….and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.” We cannot have teachers instructing on subjects they are not experts in nor have teachers that are not able to adjust their instructing to fit each student’s needs. Raises should be given based on the academic prosperity created by those teachers, while other teachers should be let go in the cases that they are not educating and making the differences that our youth require. In restructuring our schools with better supplies, teaching methods, and better teachers, we give our youth a better chance at getting the education they deserve. This restructuring needs to happen across the board, no school whether it’s an inner city or suburb school, should be left out. The minority groups are a huge percentage of our country. If we cannot offer everyone the best education, then their future and ours is at serious risk.
- Bethany Ferraro

Scott said...

I don't think that any citizen "lets" themselves be lied to. I just think that the majority of people don't pay enough attention to where they get their facts. When a group of people set out to achieve an agenda they may use misinformation or diversionary tactics to help further their goal. If we as citizen don't check the information that we get from the media, political parties or other sources, then it is our own fault when we feel misled. I get tired of researching certain political topics in order to have an informed decision when I in turn see millions of Americans be tricked into a view that will most likely be unbeneficial to to them. On top of this, when politicians are caught in a lie, they are (for the most part) not held accountable. I personally believe that the majority of Washington has become corrupt and overrun with lobbyist for the rich and corporate America, but the question I hear everyone ask is "How do I change it?". The simple answer is to do your research, watch the debates, and listen to the opinions stated outside mainstream media. Maybe if we started to put better politicians into office in the first place, we wouldn't have to feel disappointed when they eventually lie to us.

Anonymous said...

Bravo on this post sir.

The people who sit and listen to theses politicians as they materialize this utopia for the modern Americans fall under their spell as they trick this to vote. They create this place in these peoples minds where the taxes are low and the beer is cheaper. What ever they're doing, they're doing it well. This political gain game might be one of the oldest and constantly played games in our history. we find it entertaining as they draw us in. we wrongly give hope to these people.
But its only that sad when they bring themselves that low. The people we leave in charge of our nation should be proud to give true good news to the people that'll settle some wrongs. Even if they really isn't any good news, they should not paraphrase it situation but still tell the people how hard they are trying.
Will it ever change? Maybe. Maybe one day we'll have another Martin Luther King Jr. for our time that'll come in and show and prove that what the people want is possible.

Andrae Williams

Anonymous said...

The population as a whole deals with political deceit. It is something that is acknowledged but not said out loud. Politicians seem to be accustom to lying; they always say what the public wants to hear. Personally, It is not right to lie to the public, but I feel that if politicians do tell the truth it will create some kind of political imbalance. Politics is all about survival of the feistiest, Its a dog eat dog world. They "apparently" have to lie to get to the top.

-Rosseline Diaz