The law. People think because they looked up a case or statute they know what the law is, then act on it, and if they are lucky, they'll have happened to be correct - but often they are unknowingly incorrect and end up in trouble. There are plenty of lawyers out there, use one. They aren't just for court cases, but for simple quick questions as well. A 5 minute conversation can save a lot of grief later. If there is any doubt, ask before ya act.
Logical fallacies. In the U.S., public education doesn't include much in the way of critical thinking, at least mine didn't. If you go on to college, you might get something that encourages such, but even then it depends on your major. Then again, public education varies wildly in the u.s., so perhaps i was just unlucky (thankfully I made up for it in college). Our politicians can get away w/such blatant insulting rhetoric because it works on far too many people who never learned to think critically (and were never encouraged to). Its not just the stupid people who fall for it, but otherwise smart people who never learned anything about logic, so they can't even see when something they are told is inconsistent w/itself. They were simply never given the tools to think for themselves, and they don't even know that they are missing such things, so they never go looking for them either. And if they happen to be a fundamentalist of *insert any mainstream religion here* - they're actively discouraged from seeking such tools even.
On the other end of things: I've been guilty of the history thing. I was taught a lot of incorrect things in high school history it turns out. Luckily people have corrected me here and there and w/some reading I've corrected some of my misconceptions. In college I took some history and that helped too (but it wasn't my major and I only took classes covering a few specific subjects). I seriously thought I was correct though, because it was what i was taught. hehe. And I know I'm still walking around w/some misconceptions I haven't found yet, I'm sure. Stupid high school.
Logical fallacies. In the U.S., public education doesn't include much in the way of critical thinking, at least mine didn't. If you go on to college, you might get something that encourages such, but even then it depends on your major. Then again, public education varies wildly in the u.s., so perhaps i was just unlucky (thankfully I made up for it in college). Our politicians can get away w/such blatant insulting rhetoric because it works on far too many people who never learned to think critically (and were never encouraged to). Its not just the stupid people who fall for it, but otherwise smart people who never learned anything about logic, so they can't even see when something they are told is inconsistent w/itself. They were simply never given the tools to think for themselves, and they don't even know that they are missing such things, so they never go looking for them either. And if they happen to be a fundamentalist of *insert any mainstream religion here* - they're actively discouraged from seeking such tools even.
On the other end of things: I've been guilty of the history thing. I was taught a lot of incorrect things in high school history it turns out. Luckily people have corrected me here and there and w/some reading I've corrected some of my misconceptions. In college I took some history and that helped too (but it wasn't my major and I only took classes covering a few specific subjects). I seriously thought I was correct though, because it was what i was taught. hehe. And I know I'm still walking around w/some misconceptions I haven't found yet, I'm sure. Stupid high school.
