Overcoming the "war on terror" lie

[SHRED]

I find it astonishing that there are still 20-30%, or more, who think that our troops, in Iraq, are fighting against terrorism as opposed to being stuck in the middle of a bloody civil war between the Sunni and Shiites.

Does being this ignorant take a concerted effort at self censorship?
Let me guess, these type of people:

* watch only FAUX News
* listen to only RW talk radio
* read only the Washington Times, NY Post (if they read at all)
* visit only Newsmax and freeperville online

Am I getting close?

There are guys where I work who only read our local SD Union (Copley Press), listen to Bill, Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage, etc, and watch only FAUX for their "news".

I am surrounded by stupidity that is quite smothering at times.
Political discussion is avoided at the workplace, for good reason.

[Philosoraptor]

1. Stupid is the new religion.

Facts don't work on these folks, they think we are at war, and that all the terrorists are in Iraq, and that terrorism is something that can be defeated and removed from the world.

I suspect that they don't even really believe this shit themselves, but are just being stubborn and childish.

[mmonk]

2. As long as politicians use it, people follow suit

as well as media outlets.

[BOSSHOG]

3. There is this overwhelming desire

in the "conservative" mind to be right all the time, to have the president always tell the truth, to wake up every morning loving your country more intensely then anyone else. And if living in such a world requires turning to sources of lies and misinformation then so be it. I've discovered that in such minds there is not much room for a thought relative to service to one's country.

[Philosoraptor]

5. It's a contest to see who is the most patriotic.

American Dad comes to mind.

[Loge23]

4. Soccer Moms who watch Today?

How about Tony (Yellow) Snow on Today this AM crowing about fighting al-queda in Iraq so we don;t have to do it in the U.S.? Amazingly deceptive and completely false, but here we have the official spokesrobot for the President of the U.S. bold-faced lying on national TV. Incredible indeed.
No knock against the soccer moms, but people hear this crap and walk away thinking it's gospel.

[fasttense]

6. Bush lovers elevated ignorance to an art form. n/t

[QueenOfCalifornia]

7. uh, huh.

I believe you have deciphered the puzzle. My neighbor is a superior court judge - his wife works as a special detective for the state -- they love Bush. They get all their NEWS from Fox and only once in a while scan the local fish wrap... (They do not take a newspaper nor are they connected to the internet at their house.) They had the gall to tell my children that George Bush is not a liar. They believe that the reich-wing is the party of family values. It's fucking scary I tell ya... (I'm only happy to say they don't have children.)

[KurtNYC]

8. For some, feeling trumps thought

I think we all know people like this. Their acceptance or rejection of facts is based on how accepting those facts would make them feel. They love the warm feeling of watching the flag wave or hearing the national anthem but don't want to focus on the nuanced pragmatics of improving our democracy. Nothing in their political landscape is a grey-area (mixed positive, mixed negative) because there is no strong emotional feeling associated with that. They don't want to feel frustrated or uninformed so they reject information which would lead them toward those feelings.