“The argument culture urges us to approach the world - and the people in it - in an adversarial frame of mind. It rests on the assumption that opposition is the best way to get anything done: The best way to discuss an idea is to set up a debate; the best way to cover news is to find spokespeople who express the most extreme, polarized views and present them as 'both sides'; the best way to settle disputes is litigation that pits one party against the other; the best way to begin an essay is to attack someone; and the best way to show you're really thinking is to criticize.” PeopleThinkingWorldWayMindIdeasDoneShowsCultureSidesViewsPartyApproachNewsArgumentExtremesDebateBest WaySettlingAssumptionOppositionUrgesCriticizeBoth SidesEssaysDisputesPitsFrame Of MindSpokespeople Author:Deborah Tannen
“But that's what happens when you allow a nice person to write a news paper serial for you; now the world thinks you're nice, too, which is silly in the extreme. Sadly, it's a burden that you must bear.” ThinkingWorldWritingPersonsHappensNiceBearsPaperNewsBurdenExtremesSillySerialsNice Person Book:The Taming of a Scottish Princess Source: The Taming of a Scottish Princess
“Reporters immediately push their interviewees into the most extreme version by saying in a shocked tone, 'Well, are you saying that ..." They're trying to make people be as hostile and opposed to each other as possible because they think only conflict is news.” PeopleThinkingTryingWellsConflictNewsExtremesVersionsToneReportersShockedHostile Author:Gloria Steinem
“Some people seem to have extreme natural wiring - a talent that seems to come out of nowhere. Like a music savant or prodigy. The uplifting news, though, is that many talented people don't have such natural wiring - but they forge a talent through thousands of hours of what's known as deliberate practice or deliberate performance.” PeopleSeemsHoursNaturalKnownPracticeTalentNewsPerformancesExtremesUpliftingDeliberateProdigiesWiringSavantsDeliberate Practice Author:Kevin Maney
“We are seeing every night on the television news now a nature hike through the Book of Revelation. These climate-related extreme weather events have convinced the vast majority of people that the scientists have been right for a long time. We have to address this.” PeopleLongHas BeensBookNightSeeingEventsTelevisionNewsLong TimeScientistMajorityClimateExtremesConvincedWeatherRelatedRevelationsAddressesEvery NightTelevision NewsBook Of RevelationExtreme Weather Author:Al Gore
“I think we - "we," meaning the media - have generally caused Americans to consume news in smaller, less contextualized bites. I think we have sugar-coated the news. I think we have provided news that is consumable, at the expense of news that is more important. I think we have created a world in which extreme views push out moderate views.” ThinkingWorldImportantViewsMediaNewsExtremesExpensesBitesSugarModerates Author:Ali Velshi