6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

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Iris Wu
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註冊時間: 週二 5月 20, 2014 4:33 pm

6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

There were 36% of world population living in extreme poverty in 1990. What was the percentage of extreme poverty population in the world in 2015?   A: 40%   B: 25%   C: 10%
[*** You can find the answer in World Bank Poverty home page. ***]

If you haven’t tried the quiz provided in the book, “Factfulness – Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think”, you can click the link below and see how you perform with this global trend quiz:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WrdRLV ... sp=sharing

According to Hans Rosling, a Swedish doctor and the author of the book, most people including business executives and Nobel Laureates did worse than chimpanzees in answering these questions.

Why is people’s worldview so wide of the mark?
How do we construct our frame of reference?
What influences our perspectives?
How much can we attribute our innate tendency to our perspectives? [Hint: The ten human instincts in the book]
How much can we chalk it up to the external sources for nurturing our distorted viewpoints?
[Hint: Media, media and media: the best friend of our instincts]

The book is not an answer to everything, but it helps us think about the above questions and get deep insights into our behaviors and perceptions. I surely hope the book helps us stay on the right path with our self-reflection.

Reading:
Factfulness Summary (Explanation, Examples, and How to fight it)
https://blog.12min.com/factfulness-pdf-summary/

Book Summary (with graphs)
https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-factfulness/

Good Quotes:
  • "The blame instinct makes us exaggerate the importance of individuals or of particular groups.
    This instinct to find a guilty party derails our ability to develop a true, fact-based understanding of the world: it steals our focus as we obsess about someone to blame, then blocks our learning because once we have decided who to punch in the face we stop looking for explanations elsewhere.

    This undermines our ability to solve the problem, or prevent it from happening again, because we are stuck with oversimplistic finger pointing, which distracts us from the more complex truth and prevents us from focusing our energy in the right places." -- Factfulness

    "The media does not tell us how the world is changing, it tells us where the world is going wrong." -- Forbes

    "Forming your worldview by relying on the media would be like forming your view about me by looking only at a picture of my foot." -- Hans Rosling

Videos:
How not to be ignorant about the world | Hans and Ola Rosling, 9/2014 (20 min)


Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four (4 min)
Session I: Ten Instincts that contribute to our distorted worldview
Q1: What makes people think the world is bad (or is more frightening, more violent, or more hopeless)?

Q2: Do you think people hold accurate perceptions about the two current events, COVID-19 and US riots? How does the media influence our viewpoints?

Q3: How do you see the “poverty” issue in the world? What is the reality of it?
a) Do you agree that “poverty” issue is “bad but better/improving”?
b) Will extreme poverty be eradicated by 2030 as World Bank pledged?
c) How about relative poverty issue? Can it be solved?

Q4: What is the “blame instinct”? How does it play a role in our daily life on a personal level and on a society level? What does this tendency cost us?

Session II: Control and Manage our Instincts

“We should look at the system instead of looking for someone to blame when things go wrong. We should also give more credit to two kinds of systems when things go right…. the unsung heroes of global development: institutions and technology.”

Q5: Based on the above statements, who or what we should “blame” and “credit” for handling COVID-19 event in United States and Taiwan?

Q6: How about the recent US Riots? How should the incident be “blamed”?

“Now or never!” and “We are doomed, if no action!” are the slogans used often by many social activists, such as environmentalists, climate change advocates, LGBT rights activists and opponents. Furthermore, they might get exaggerated and unsupported data to call for action.

Q7: What are the tactics used by the above social activists? What human instincts would be triggered? Do you think they usually get the support they expected? Why?

Q8: Among the ten instincts listed in “Factfulness”, which one do you resonate most with? How does it impact your perspectives?
[The ten instincts: Gap, Negative, Straight Line, Fear, Size, Generalization, Destiny, Single-Perspective, Blame, Urgency]


Agenda:
6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:45pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
7:45 ~ 8:00pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:00 ~ 8:05pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:05 ~ 8:40pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
8:40 ~ 8:55pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements


Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $100)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.
Iris Wu
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註冊時間: 週二 5月 20, 2014 4:33 pm

Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

This morning I ping Tim Armantrout in LINE and we chatted a few things related to this topic.
With his permission, I am sharing some of his comments here:
===================================================================================
I think we actually know very little of the truth. Most of what we think we know is from the media: distorted facts, and complete fabrication...

Judy Mikovits, PhD, a biochemist and molecular biologist who worked in top government labs on the Ebola, HIV, and coronaviruses like SARS. When she refused to participate in a recent cover up, she was threatened and thrown in jail, where they demanded she write a confession. She refused. Dr. Mikovits exposed fraud at the highest levels including the FDA, CDC, WHO, Tony Faucci, Bayer and Monsanto.
Something to add to the worldview about Covid and a possible vaccine.

There is so much we don't know. But what we believe, really depends on our world view. If people believe the government is good and will help us, then we will think one way. If we believe the government is corrupt and is only helping themselves, then we will think a different way. The personal worldview makes a big difference in what we believe.

Fear keeps people stuck. The brain of a person in fear is very closed and small, only thinking of escape or survival. The brain of a person in fear looks for certainty in a world that cannot offer it. They will believe lies and do what they are told if it makes them feel safer. That is the key to mind control.

And we are so easy to be manipulated!
Product advertisers use this tool as well.

It’s part of human nature, maybe starting from hunter-gathering stage! :)
I think deep down and fundamentally all humans are essentially afraid. They are looking for a savior. Most smart people and governments know this. They know how to manipulate the people with fear.

Blame comes from powerlessness and fear.

07:35 Iris Wu People don’t like to take responsibilities. It’s easier to get a scapegoat.

Blame makes us feel better at first, but blame undermines our personal power and makes us more fearful in the longrun. Most people don't see that, though

Yes, taking responsibility means we have to do something differently. We have to make a change with ourselves. People like easy answers and quick fixes.
==============================================================================================
Kooper
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註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Kooper »

Iris Wu 寫:
週三 6月 03, 2020 8:44 am
“Now or never!” and “We are doomed, if no action!” are the slogans used often by many social activists, such as environmentalists, climate change advocates, LGBT

Q7: What are the tactics used by the above social activists? What human instincts would be triggered? Do you think they usually get the support they expected? Why?
This is an interesting question. The slogans were intended to make use of human's urgency instinct but sometimes they don’t do the trick – the continual growth of greenhouse gas emissions and seemingly unstoppable global warming is a case in point.

There are two possible explanations; according to the book Poor Economics, people are less likely to take actions when facing a large-scale problem like poverty. Individual effort pales in comparison to the intimidating scale of the issue, so people get paralyzed and keep the business as usual. On the contrary, when the issue is presented down to the level of individual case, such as helping a particular African girl get education. The actual efforts they will make simply double.

Another answer comes from the book The Power of Habit. Societies as a whole have their own habits; it is important to identify keystone habits of a society when we want to make any change. One feature of keystone habits is that they help create “small wins” of a movement. The small wins increase motivation, create momentum, and pave the way for changes of other social habits on a larger scale.
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Rock
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註冊時間: 週三 10月 31, 2007 9:03 am

Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Rock »

Q1: What makes people think the world is bad

Because they have been told so.

Freedom of the press is a double edged sword. When I was young, people told me that watching news is good for you; now people say it's not healthy to watch too much news. (https://www.lifehack.org/532866/five-re ... our-health)

If people in north Korea and China are happier than they should have been, when there is poverty, corruption and lacking of freedom as we are informed outside, then somebody must have done the right thing. It's clear that the news from Xinhua Net is controlled by their government, but at least it's brainwashing its citizen in a good way.

It's believed that the press in Taiwan and in America don't brainwash their people, because of the freedom of the press. But is it really so? I highly doubt it. :roll:
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
Iris Wu
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Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

Kooper 寫:
週二 6月 09, 2020 11:08 am
This is an interesting question. The slogans were designed to make use of our urgency instinct but sometimes they don’t do the trick – the continual growth of greenhouse gas emissions and seemingly unstoppable global warming is a case in point.

There are two possible explanations; according to the book Poor Economics, people are less likely to take actions when facing a large-scale problem like poverty. Individual effort pales in comparison to the intimidating scale of the issue, so people get paralyzed and keep the business as usual. On the contrary, when the issue is presented down to the level of individual case, such as helping a particular African girl get education. The actual efforts they will make simply double.

Another answer comes from the book The Power of Habit. Societies as a whole have their own habits; it is important to identify keystone habits of a society when we want to make any change. One feature of keystone habits is that they help create “small wins” of a movement. The small wins increase motivation, create momentum, and pave the way for changes of other social habits on a larger scale.
You've got very good points, Kooper!
Yes, the problem of urgency instinct is sometimes it becomes crying wolf as described in the book, people stop acting for the call, if they are numb by the constantly urgent calling.

Sure, size matters, too! If the issue cannot be broken down to actionable piece, then people do not respond to it, either. I like your suggestion for forming the keystone habits (or action items). That's definitely a good advice for enthusiastic activists to consider how to perform their call to action.
Iris Wu
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Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

Rock 寫:
週二 6月 09, 2020 1:30 pm
Q1: What makes people think the world is bad

Because they have been told so.

Freedom of the press is a double edged sword. When I was young, people told me that watching news is good for you; now people say it's not healthy to watch too much news. (https://www.lifehack.org/532866/five-re ... our-health)
That's very true, Rock! I have the same dilemma. I remember in the book (maybe the last chapter), the author said even he kept saying media is a good friend of our instincts; he meant the media exacerbates our innate tendencies, but do not blame journalists, because they suffer the same instincts as we do. They are biased, negative, sometimes single-perspective, and cannot resist or fight back urgency instinct, either.

So you can imagine how difficult for the naive readers/viewers like us to see through the lens of these reporters and figure out what is accurate and what is not!
Michael-liu
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註冊時間: 週五 4月 24, 2009 6:09 pm

Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Michael-liu »

Yesterday I did an experiment about feelings and facts.

As we all know, 中國時報 is a very pro-China media, so my feeling was that they might not have any news report about 六四 anniversary.

So, I went to the library and checked the newspaper on June 5. It turned out that my feeling was wrong. China times did have the news about HK people having vigil for 六四.

It is just that the news coverage is not as exaggeratly big as the one on Apple Daily, which is famously known for its anti-Chinese Communist Party position.
Iris Wu
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Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

You are still full of curiosity, Michael! :)
Could it because that China Daily is still published in Taiwan, the journalists still possess the higher ethics and standards of journalism?

Pro-China is a judgement. Can we say they are more neutral than most people think by checking if they report the anniversary of June 4th Tiananmen Square movement? It’s a small step, but we may need more data/facts to support this argument.
Michael-liu
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註冊時間: 週五 4月 24, 2009 6:09 pm

Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Michael-liu »

I ever thought about the issue of media being neutral. I have come to the conclusion that neutral media may not exist. Maybe no media in this word is neutral. Why?

If you write a news report about earthquake or a murder case, you don't need to have a position.(立場) However, if you write or make a comment about government policy, you need to have a position. Otherwise, what are you going to say or write?

Take gay marriage or abortion right as an example. For any individual, you either support it or object to it. What third option do you have? You can say you don't have opinion about it, which acutally means you don't care about the issue. You feel it is none of your business. Does "you don't care about it" mean neutral? I personally don't think so.

This is why I think no media is neutral. They all have their positions. Media is not an individual, who can say no opinion. Every written comment or speech made in media must have a position.

As for China Times, maybe I should have said it is a pro-unification media, instead of pro-China. Anyway, this may be a stereotype. As we learned from Factfulness, I must find more evdience to prove it.

I welcome anyone challenge my point. It helps me to think more throughly. I am not pretending to be polite to say this. Seriously.
Michael-liu
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Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Michael-liu »

I saw a CNN poll on TV the other day. The poll indicates that 84% of people support peaceful protests.

So, although many white folks support Trump, still, most Americans know what is right and what is wrong regarding the police brutality issue, as the poll shows.

Iris, you forgot to put on the attendee list. ^´^
Iris Wu
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註冊時間: 週二 5月 20, 2014 4:33 pm

Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

I do agree that it’s very difficult for media to be neutral, actually even reporting “facts”, because there are many faces to report one incident, which angle to show to the audience could be selective, too.

As said, reporters are human beings, they suffer the human instincts (single-perspective, dichotomy, fear, size, blame, urgency, etc.) as we do. There is always a standpoint for any journalist, but theoretically a media channel should have broader viewpoints, accommodating journalists with different standpoints, but that’s usually not the case. What we see is a whole channel goes towards one side and sometimes goes so extremely. This becomes our modern media ecosystem!
Iris Wu
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Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

Michael-liu 寫:
週四 6月 11, 2020 6:40 pm
I saw a CNN poll on TV the other day. The poll indicates that 84% of people support peaceful protests.
So, although many white folks support Trump, still, most Americans know what is right and what is wrong regarding the police brutality issue, as the poll shows.
“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” -- Nelson Mandela
Yes, “All Lives Matter” is a calling to basic human rights. It should be answered by all, regardless of your race or political standpoint.
Iris Wu
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Re: 6/9 (Tue.) Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World (Host: Iris)

文章 Iris Wu »

Michael-liu 寫:
週四 6月 11, 2020 6:40 pm
Iris, you forgot to put on the attendee list. ^´^
Thanks for the reminder, Michael!
Many thanks to all the participants!

Attendees:
Chris, Daphne, Liwen, Anne, Steve, Michael, Rosie, Thomas, Sabrina, Amy, Rock, Luis, Tim Armantrout, Kat, Sherry, Tashi, Shirley, Christine, Julian, Jerry, Carmelo, Miller, Jason, YuChin (Newcomer), Iris (Host)
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