Tacking Back Your Own Backyard

This chapter was a great conclusion to the book. The story in the beginning really got me thinking about how I can become a challenge to the government. The story about the woman starting a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) about the poisonous chemicals in anti-freeze that have killed children and pets by just taking a very small amount. Europe created a bitterant that was put into their antifreeze and had a taste so bitter, if it were to be consumed, one would spit it out immediately. The fact that a women posed as a potential donor to her cause only to spy on her financial records and see how much of a legitimate threat this woman could be, really makes me sick. I heard once that the government should be afraid of its people, not the people afraid of the government. One person can make a difference here. If someone is passionate enough about a cause, they can rally a group together and make a difference in Washington. This woman's story was an example, she got the bill passed in her home state, Oregon. If we were passionate enough about a cause we could rally together and take it to Washington. I feel like too often we are just passive and become vegetables and let the PR and media dictate our life. We go with the flow, and don't want to cause controversy or confrontation. This notion saddens me, and the book has inspired me to try to make a difference by informing people about the propaganda and lies that are weaved throughout the media and politics. I learned so much from reading this book, I think my head may actually explode.

All the News That's Fit to Print

This chapter helped me to understand the underlying role of a journalist. The section that stuck out the most in the chapter was the techniques used in advertising. The book said that in the advertising industry, producers noticed that people will receive their products better and with more trust if they have an "expert" backing them up. So they put actors in white lab coats to pose as doctors and attest to the fact that "experts agree" that their product is better. By using this approach, they are bringing in a third party effect, which isn't apparent when watching the commercial at hand. When I see a commercial about a new allergy drug, for example, when they show a "doctor" that says "this works so well I prescribe it to my patients" or when commercials claim that a specific product works better than any others because experts say so... I never stopped to read into their claims. Who are these people that they are claiming to be "experts." This chapter taught me to read into not only what the media is saying through advertising, but also journalism, the news, and pop culture as a whole.

The Torturer's Lobby

After reading this chapter, the thing that struck me the most was the fact that Saddam Hussein used to be an American ally. I had to reread that sentence a couple of times before I understood what it meant. The Reagan and Bush Administration considered Hussein our ally, even though he killed 13,000 of his own people. I guess I was in the dark with the whole Kuwait situation, because before reading this chapter, I didn't know anything about it (kind of embarrassed to admit that). And then to go on and see how the American government reacted to Hussein's attempt to attack this oil infested country that was incredibly wealthy. How can the American government explain defending a country (Kuwait) that has their own people working and living as slaves, and are greedy for the money their oil brings them. How did I miss the the memo that the reason we got involved with their battle was for our own benefit? I guess this proves that PR was a success in this matter, because people like me believed that Hussein was evil and we needed to protect the poor innocent civilians of Kuwait. Now my eyes have been opened, as the truth has been revealed in this chapter.

Staying Unspun

Staying "unspun" is a process that is worth doing. The book tells us, "when confronted with a claim, keep an open mind, ask questions, cross-check, look for the best information, and then weigh the evidence" (179). The conclusion gave a case study of the new diet phenomenon "Hoodia." This case study gave me insight into how to fact check. Just becuase the news is reporting something as "truth" it may not necisarrliy to true. After reading this book, I know understand how to think about things said and not believe everything I hear, see, or read. The book taught me how to be a smart citizen rather than a blind consumer, led by pathos. The conlusion challenged me to fact check more as well as ask questions and look for further information on the claim.

Spies for Hire

Before reading this chapter, I never really believed that America would be a country that sends people to spy on one another. The story of Bud attending the animal activists groups left me with a feeling of distrust. I never really knew about the public relations industry before reading this book, and it kind of makes me sick to think that people would lie to cover up their own employees involvement in matters that are sneaky in order to profit themselves. The story about Mary Lou Sapone entering animal activist meetings and taking notes made me think that they were doing something illegal. How can someone rationalize going to a meeting and lying about your identity only to profit yourself or your company? It just does not make sense to me. It's like companies use the PR industry to spy on competitors in order to profit themselves or prepare themselves for what they may do next, so they can get ahead on the game and remain one step in front of them.

Crow Fallacy

There were a lot of things that stuck out to me in Chapter 6 about false truths. It made me recall the saying "if something is too good to be true, it usually is." The idea that crows could possibly plan to drop their food while cars go by would even bypass the mental capacities of some human beings. The section about the "death tax" also made me realize how much we (as American citizens) believe in political commercials. The irony of it all is that we know how much politicians lie and deceive while in and out of office, and yet our jaw drops when we view these types of commercials that are portrayed as Public Service Announcements. The whole abortion issue really stuck out to me as well. After reading, I didn't really understand how people could believe that the abortion rate would rise after a conservative president who passed laws on abortion took office. This chapter goes to show that people will pretty much believe anything they hear and take it for truth. My parents always told me to take everything "with a grain of salt" because you don't really know if they are credible or accurate or even worth trying to fact check.

Facts Can Save Your Life

After reading chapter five, I am compelled to begin checking facts more frequently. I always knew that there as a ridiculous mark up on alcohol, but never to the extent that I read about here. It's crazy to think that executives actually sit in a room and decide that by marking up their product it would deceive consumers in thinking their product is better. The scarier part of the chapter is the lie that women believe that breast cancer is the number one killer in women, and neglect the harsh reality of heart disease being the leading killer. I agree that breast cancer gets more publicity because a lot of women are living survivors of the cancer. It made me realize that there are other leading killers that I need to be worried about as a woman, and not just breast cancer. The part about deception in what people "think" others are doing opened my eyes to a lot of the activity that teenagers and young college students engage in during their years at school. It's so true that teens and college students assume that because you're in college, you need to drink and party every night in order to be "normal." If more students realized that not everyone thinks like that, it may lower a lot of the alcohol poisoning rates, STDs, and unwanted pregnancies that tend to occur after engaging in obsessive alcohol use.