Flashback - Letting the Media Scare Us Over and Over

[The news and entertainment cycles are so rapid that nostalgia no longer requires a long memory. What was scary or hot just a few years ago has moved on to be replaced by the latest craze, panic or breaking story. It was little more than twenty years ago that the world was stressing over Y2K – what would happen when the computers thought the year was 1900? Since then people have worried about frankenfish, the genetically engineered salmon raised on farms, and the rejection of net neutrality leading to a crisis that never happened, along with many other manufactured fears. 

Every Christmas parents stress about getting access to the “hot new” toy so their kids wouldn’t be disappointed, but where are all the Tickle Me Elmo dolls today? 

Likewise the worldwide epidemics come and go. Just a couple of years ago it was Ebola coming from Africa. Today it’s Coronavirus from China. And don't forget SARS.

One such flash-in-the-pan concern was over a product vilified by some celebrity chef as pink slime, as I wrote back in 2012.]

Now we get the case of “pink slime,” a derogatory term referring to, and gathering support against, the use of beef scraps to supplement ground beef sold in stores, a practice that has been going on for years with no ill effects. Why do people stoop to such name-calling? Either they have no valid arguments or they are trying to catch us up in an emotional reaction to promote their particular cause (or as this news article calls it, a crusade). Who thinks about the jobs lost? Why are people who speak out against waste in other areas silent on this issue? Why would Kroger and the other grocery chains buckle under the pressure of these crusades against a product that is not harmful, less expensive and less fatty, that they have been selling for the last 20 years? This hurts many and helps no one.

The uproar about the coloring ingredient in Coke and Pepsi that I addressed on March 19, [2012] had a similar dynamic - get people all riled up to rally behind a cause or complaint based on poor or sometimes even deceptive evidence. The problem is that with social media it is now far easier to start a crusade or get people fired up about an issue using an emotional appeal. Before you know it governments are banning products or ingredients or the companies that sell them are back-pedaling due to the bad press on Facebook or Twitter. Most consumers have little formal science education in such areas as human biology or experimental design, but they loudly express their “concerns” based on unreliable information on the Internet. The masses are howling, the ringleaders are name calling, and we are moving closer and closer to a kind of mob rule where we end up paying the extra costs, enduring the unintended consequences, and having our choices limited.

In this fast moving society one subject does not stay in the news long, so the following week, "concerns" arose over the use of BPA in food packaging.  At this rate we could be banning or otherwise losing access to 50 products a year based not on science but on public outcry!

Along similar lines a different article tells about how old photos were intentionally used by the press to influence public perception in the Florida shooting case that has sparked so many protests. The article suggests that this type of manipulation by selective presentation of pictures and videos has become common practice in the media. Another article sheds additional doubt on the accuracy and completeness of some news reports.

So my question is, when are we going to stop being influenced, frightened and manipulated, and start thinking for ourselves? One way leads to reasonable outcomes, the other to the consequences of chaotic, knee-jerk reactions to each new manufactured crisis or irresponsible crusade. 

Shortest Month of the Year

In honor of the shortest month, here are a few short examples in the key behavioral dimensions.

(Critical Thinking)  A yogurt container reads "From cows not treated with rBST."  Below is added “No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST treated cows and non-rBST treated cows.”  The only reason to make the first statement would be to satisfy people who incorrectly believe that there is a difference.  Would a farmer intentionally put water into his tractor’s fuel tank or something harmful into his cows?

(Perspective)  Last year at this time, you couldn’t turn on the radio or TV without hearing about Jeremy Lin, a basketball player from China playing for the Knicks.  He was “Lincredible,” sparking “Linsanity” at Madison Square Garden.  This year it took two searches to find recent news about him.  When I did, it was asking “What does Jeremy Lin need to do to turn his season around?”  A better question would be:  Why do we allow ourselves to be so easily caught up in the hype?

(More Perspective)  Does anyone know what suffering means anymore?  A radio ad asked me if I was suffering from hair loss.  Well, I have a lot less hair than I used to, but I’m certainly not suffering!  Another asked if I was suffering from hypertension.  I thought it was called the silent killer because it shows no physical symptoms until it’s too late.  Again, I hear of couples suffering from infertility.  The inability to have children could be a huge disappointment to some, but is it suffering?

(Discipline)  “Binge drinking continues to be a worrisome, under-recognized health problem among women and girls, according to a new CDC report. Nearly 14 million women binge drink about three times a month, and consume an average of six drinks per binge…” Social pressure and other factors may contribute, but no one is holding a gun to your head forcing you to drink to excess.  It's just a poor choice.  (The same goes for men.)

(Responsibility)  Whatever happened to:  “Ask not what your country can do for you…”?

(Critical Thinking)  Another reason to exercise caution with dietary supplements is that in response to FDA warnings, at least one company just changed the name on the bottle and kept selling it. 

(Even More Perspective)  How can the number one news story on January 15, 2013, according to all the major media outlets, be that Lance Armstrong admits using drugs?  All he did was ride a bicycle.  Sure, he was the best in the world, but really, how important do we make riding a bicycle?   During the same week another story considered important enough to make national headlines told of a Notre Dame football player’s non-existent girlfriend.  While we are stressing over these issues, people are dying in Syria and rioting in Egypt.

(Economic Understanding)  If the government couldn't borrow money and couldn't spend more than they had unless they sent everyone a letter saying, “This is what we are doing and your share is $X; please send a check,” would that change their behavior?

(More Critical Thinking)  How can every car insurance company save me money over every other car insurance company?  All their ads say so.

(Final Critical Thinking)  In another example of substituting derogatory nicknames for scientific discussion, as happened last year with "pink slime," the critics of a genetically engineered salmon have dubbed it "frankenfish."  The company spent 17 years doing research and winding through the approval processes of the FDA and other government agencies.  The salmon are shown to be environmentally safe and safe to eat, but opponents hope to build a grassroots protest by attaching a scary name.