3 Friends- News is getting out

Highame - There is so much emphasis and belief now that media influences us. it is taken as a given. I am not convinced.

I haven't read the original study but may I ask what you think of this?

Examining the impact of Italian local government corruption scandals on its citizens, the authors use an ingenious data source to measure the public’s level of dishonesty: supermarket’s self-service checkouts. Supermarkets carry out random checks on customers who have scanned their own groceries, with more than 200,000 such audits allowing us to identify how widespread dishonesty is and, crucially, how it changes over time.

The researchers use this to show that in the aftermath of a corruption scandal appearing in the media, shoppers are 16 to 30% more likely to intentionally under-report the contents of their shopping trolley. That’s a big effect that is at its strongest for four days after a scandal breaks

archive of Guardian item: archive.is/DWX4z

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/25/government-corruption-more-likely-we-cheat-at-tills?CMP=fb_cif

I can't sort out if it's:
giving licence to do something that some people want to do but ordinarily refrain from (it would never influence people who do this all the time);
the only outlet for protest or revenge that people feel they have (even tho' it's directed at the wrong organisation);
joining in as an abuser or transgressor;
something else that is triggered by the coverage that falls away.

One must remember the surprise of the vote to leave the EU. All the reporting was that people would vote with what they knew, but the reporting was wrong. Nobody was listening to the concerns being raised by ordinary people, and when the people were given the opportunity to be heard, they surprised the London-centric media and politicians.

Same with the last general election. Who knew Boris would actually end up as PM? Momentum scuppered a lot of previous 'Red Wall' support due to their dogged pursuit of identity politics.

I live in hope that a lot of the damage done in secret, once exposed to the general public, will be able to be addressed.

My words aren't flowing very well today, apologies.

It's raining here, can you tell?

I've been interested in public opinion shifts for years. I did some research, some years ago and found that in many cases, we search out the media that suits us, rather than media influencing. There is so much emphasis and belief now that media influences us. it is taken as a given. I am not convinced. The last general election shocked so many people, the BBC especially, who had assumed this idea that the media influences rather than the other way around. In a similar way, Trump did much better than expected because the media in the US is Democrat, it was a shock that they lost seats but emphasis has been put on the (almost win) of the Senate - not enough if you think media is the driver of public opinion.

Nowadays, so many are still making the assumption that we are 'sheep' following whatever might be thrown our way. Many organisations have now fallen into this trap and believe their own hype. It is going to be interesting to see what happens when the 'silent majority' truly get hold of what has been happening, Kiera Bell being one of the biggest eye openers, along with prisons (though I haven't discounted individuals, they have less impact than the subject JKR, Jess etc). These big issues show where society is and foolish media people ignore at their peril because once something gets out there, the impact is at a very deep emotional and preservation level. It is no longer theory and something for discussion over the dinner table - it is real, and if it is a threat, the impact will be swift.

Great Op, similar experience, I mentioned at my art group (during the Covid break last summer), it was something about single sex spaces and they all added something GC and one said she had kept quiet because she thought (me being on the left) I would think her transphobic

Let's hope so, OP. Although I would add I've been positive everything was just about to change for ... well. Five years, now?

Thanks for posting this, always good to hear something positive! I think people are starting to wake up to this, there's been quite a lot recently in the papers. Once people get past thinking you're making it up, because it all sounds really far fetched, they invariably come down on the side of reality and common sense. Its just a matter of time before it reaches a critical mass then the whole thing will crumble and disintegrate. Gosh I am feeling optimistic today!

What a lovely post Flatmeringues

The posts on the LCBT children board encapsulate the dilemmas for so many parents who can see that their child has been caught up in social contagion yet feel powerless to challenge what is happening. And numerous other parents and teachers are watching in horror as social contagion runs rife through peer groups.
Fortunately these desperate parents generally get considered and thoughtful responses on Mumsnet.

I only became aware of the issues because of my daughter. I used to put up with everyday sexism, like it was just a thing that women had to deal with. Fuck that shit, I’m angry now!!

My daughter is adopted and, as feisty as she is, she is so vulnerable in certain ways because of her past and the trauma she has suffered. I see these issues as a fight for her future. She’s only 5, but I’m already teaching her (thanks to the wisdom of the witches on here).

She went to the circus recently, and the acrobatic performer raised her fist when she was being applauded. My very tiny daughter raised her fist in response, whilst others were clapping and she shouted ‘I’m a women, hear me roar’. So proud, she clearly doesn’t understand properly, but she will. I am determined that she will be more savvy than me, more confident than me and more able to call this bullshit out for what it is. At 42 I am only just learning about feminism, I see feminism as an integral part of her learning and so important for her future.

These women are all mothers of teenage girls.

In my personal experience, it is the mothers of teenagers in general that are more aware. Except for a male friend who read about it in Madness of Crowds, it seems to have past the rest of my friends by completely unless they have teenagers.