Useful Ideas Project
A website about media literacy and the power of stories.
Assorted notes
Conservative crybullying and the importance of political vocabulary
One of the reasons why the Conservative assault on reality has been so effective is that many of us do not have the vocabulary to quickly articulate, and therefore understand, how we are being manipulated.
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What is free trade, really?
The free trade / free market device is useful to the powerful, because when everything is perceived as an unregulated market, everyone becomes a competitor.
Conservative culture war stories
A list of the culture war stories that the Conservatives are encouraging the British people to argue about, before the general election.
When politicians say what they really mean. A list of examples
A few examples of politicians and their associates saying something resembling the truth about their motivations, tactics and rationale.
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False equivalence; one of the true reasons why Musk bought Twitter
In the media, false equivalence is used to ensure right-wing, evidence-free, views are given the same prominence in the media as those of experts.
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The ‘it’s incompetence, not a conspiracy’ argument
In which I get irked by the tone of an Ian Dunt tweet, then try and explain why.
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The conditions that were needed for an alternative political story to reach voters
The conditions needed for an alternative political story to reach and persuade Conservative voters in the UK are pretty depressing.
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Why the ‘media is left-wing’ is one of the Conservatives’ most important lies
The ‘media is mostly left-wing’ is one of the Conservative’s most important lies because it shuts down the space needed to challenge other Conservative stories.
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Fundamental attribution error in political media
In social psychology, fundamental attribution error is the tendency for people to over-emphasise personality-based explanations for an individual’s behaviour, and under-emphasise situational and environmental explanations.
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The Brexit bait and switch: Why did politicians encourage people to vote Leave?
Five years since the referendum, in his resignation letter, former Brexit minister Lord Frost has put into writing why he supports Brexit. He does not mention NHS funding.
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Social media’s role in the rise of populist politics
Jaron Lanier explains to David Baddiel why social media has led to a rise in populist politics.
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The problem(s) with billionaires
There are thousands of billionaires, and they are making things worse. Here’s why.
Request for info: Increased inequality linked to growth in pro-Elite political lobbying?
As the Elites take more wealth away from the Commoners, do the Elites defend themselves by manufacturing and amplifying pro Elite stories and ideas?
Daniel Hannan. Who is he? Who funds him and what do they want?
If you don’t examine what Daniel Hannan says too closely, he can appear quite articulate and reasonable. Delve deeper, and his libertarian outlook could be classed as very odd.
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Brexit and carelessness
Michael Gove has been careless with the truth again. It’s worth noting that this is not surprising.
Flooding the zone
It’s no accident that we’re unsure and overwhelmed by nonsense and conflicting opinions – it’s a deliberate tactic. Known as “Flooding the zone with sh**”.
Brexit, empire and cultural dementia. David Andress demolishes lazy nationalism
A leave voter at the Save Brexit Rally wants Brexit to “get back to being a British Empire”. Can his views be explained by ‘cultural dementia’?
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Brexit explained in three tweets
The mess of Brexit Britain encapsulated in three tweets.