Do mass media influence public opinion? How?
the mass media and all media in general have a heavy influence and impact on individuals and society, as many people rely on the media as a source of information without even thinking whether it is true or not. Furthermore, the media is a very powerful weapon that can quickly change people's perspectives and beliefs is few minutes, for instance a news report concerning israeli and palestinian conflict many cover and focus only on one side of the story and ignore or fail to mention the other part which will make the viewers pity with one side and neglect the other side. Moreover, nowadays news presenters and commentators start giving their own opinions which is somehow possitive but when it comes to sensitive subject they should be careful as many people take their opinions as the final truth as a result they maintain false idea regarding a certain topic.
Why do conservatives hate liberals?
I mean, I'm a liberal and I don't hate conservatives. I might disagree with them but I don't hate them. Conservatives seem to think that liberals are ruining this country. They have made this claim countless times, but I cannot recall a single time a liberal has accused a conservative of ruining America. They also are more aggressive in their campaign ads. They accuse Obama of being a socialist (which isn't really that bad) and make ties to Nazism and Communism that don't even exist. Hell, some have even gone so far as to label him the "Anti-Christ". Conservative attack ads are little more than character assassinations and hate-speech, while liberal attack ads focus on their opponents policies. My question is this: why do conservatives hate liberals?
Why do pharmaceutical companies have a bad reputation? Why don’t people want them to succeed?
Both healthcare and pharmaceuticals are astoundingly unpopular in the US, ranking at the very bottom of all industries. They are not only well below restaurants and computers, but below automotive, real estate, telecom, banking and legal. They are even below oil and gas, a truly nasty industry.The average American apparently likes used-car sales people, bankers and lawyers more than they like drug makers. That’s pretty low.And it’s especially low when you consider what healthcare and pharma have delivered to the public in the last century: better health and longer life.Americans live about 30 years longer than they did at the start of the 20th century. Most of this increase (about 25 years[1] ) can be attributed to public health measures, especially clean water and vaccines. But it would be reasonable to attribute five years or so of life expectancy to healthcare and pharma. Especially as those five additional years (and much of the other twenty-five) are lived with greater freedom from pain and disability than ever before.We have cast off the burden of disease and suffering like no people before us. And we hate our liberators. How does that make sense?I can’t imagine that there is a simple explanation, but I’ll hazard one anyway. It’s this: humans are intensely social creatures and we are very good at keeping score and detecting cheaters. The worst kind of cheating is to profit from the misfortune of others.That, of course, is precisely what pharmas are set up to do. You suffer, through no fault of your own, and must pay to relieve that suffering. Pay or suffer. No one wants that deal. Of course we hate them.Rational-actor, utility-maximizing economic theories dismiss this aspect of the interaction as irrelevant. If there was no willingness to pay, no one would develop a remedy. You would suffer more and the pharmas would be poorer. Everyone is worse off.But that doesn’t matter to highly social primates. Pharmas profit from misfortune and cannot be forgiven.Footnotes[1] The Future of Public Health | NEJM
Americans? Do you think the border situation is a lot worse than the media lets on?
Why do you think that both the Bush and the Obama administration refuse to put military on the border to protect American citizens? Why is the public outcry not greater? Your opinion please? Thank you. BTW, I have a friend in Arizona who told me that it was a lot worse there than what was depicted on the news. What do you think we need to do since the government has not shown good sense about this issue?
Why do people from other states have hatred toward Bihar and Biharis?
I spent 15 years of my life in Bihar, I was born and brought up in Bihar.Thereafter I moved to different states for higher education and career perspective.Presently I live in Delhi.So one fine Sunday I was getting bored and was hanging out with my landlady’s kids. They are school going children.Suddenly the two of them started fighting over something and were swearing. I tried to stop them.What shocked was when one of them called the other a “Bihari.”It went like “Tu Bihari” …”Nahi Tu Bihari” (You're a Bihari, No, you're a Bihari)It hurt deep down.You can argue with a grown up person and tell them about the achievements of your state. Shut their mouth, right at the spot.What are you supposed to do with mere 7–8 year old kids. How did they inculcate that just belonging to one of the states of the same country is a slang. They must have heard it somewhere. They understood it as a word used to insult others.I generally tend to take up the discussion if anyone speaks bullshit about my state.But that day I was sad. I was quiet.I realized how deep rooted are the seeds for this hatred.The answer to WHY is how the entire nation is showcasing Bihar.Social media, news, Bollywood which is easy to the reach of common man in the entire country has portrayed this image of Bihar.I have seen people getting Government Jobs after paying bribes, getting jobs into banks, getting high marks in exams in other states as well but when this happens in Bihar it is showcased in the whole nation like a joke. There are memes doing the rounds for the same. The government should deal with it as they are dealing in other states.When we have easily available information which is portraying Bihar with such image. How can we not expect people to hate us.The below picture depicts a lot. We are not identified as Indian in our own country.
What is your opinion of the American political system?
I think when the Unted States won the American revolution, it was the next evolutionary step for human equality from ancient Greece, Magna Carta and from English parlimentary system. People didn't have to belong to royalty or the upper-class to have some rights. We had many great men, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and a few others who helped the U.S. become the beacon of freedom for all. Through our political system from the 18th century until now, we as a people have also had some bad along with the good, such as slavery. But still most Americans from all social classes still respected the rights of all to a certain degree. I think now things are starting to crumble. I think the values and morals most people had in the past gave all the people in the U.S. some degree of freedom. The people of the past put their country first before themselves. It seems now the U.S. government has become very corrupt. Their are five lobbyists for every Senator and person in Congress. A good example is the 2008 recession. These Wall Street investment bankers committed mass fraud and cost millions of Americans their life savings, homes and jobs. Instead of these people being put in jail, they were bailed out with American taxpayer money. Even given high positions in our treasury department, instead of being locked-up for their greed. I think the U.S. political system at one time was the best in the world, but now it has become a casualty of why it was conceived for in the first place!!! Hopefully enough honest and moral Americans can eliminate these greedy and corrupt people who have defiled the halls of Washington D.C. and make the U.S. a great nation again!!!