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https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/09/24/the-new-propaganda-how-the-american-government-is-trying-to-control-what-you-think/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1c1b914eeab1https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/09/24/the-new-propaganda-how-the-american-government-is-trying-to-control-what-you-think/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1c1b914eeab1

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National Guard soldiers were on duty on Friday at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, where security was heightened after the attack in Nice, France. Credit Credit Santiago Mejia/The New York Times

It has been a rough year.

By now, our violence is down to a pattern, and there is a choreography to our reactions.

A killer seeks out a nightclub, a church, an airport, a courthouse, a protest. Someone is shot on video, sometimes by the police, and marchers fill the streets. An attack is carried out in France, America, Turkey, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Tunisia, Nigeria, and then claimed and celebrated by a radical terror group.

Our phones vibrate with news alerts. The talking heads fill air over cable news captions that shout "breaking news" in red. Rumors and misinformation abound. The comments erupt on Twitter, Facebook and news sites.

Journalists create multimedia stories that focus on videos, photos and graphic accounts from victims and witnesses. The experts give interviews, and the latest tools of immediacy are put to use. After thedeadly terror attack in Nice, France, The Times invited grief counselors to be interviewed on Facebook Live. Within days, attention had turned to a shooting in Baton Rouge that left three law enforcement officers dead.

So, what is this doing to us?
It depends on the individual, but living in a digitally linked world where broadcasts of violence are instantaneous and almost commonplace means that many of us are becoming desensitized, Anita Gadhia-Smith, a psychologist in Washington, said Friday.

"With the frequency of shootings and terror attacks there is a sense of anxiety that's building in people," she said, "a sense of vulnerability and powerlessness."

Dr. Smith added: "There is a heightened alarm, but there can also be some desensitization that's happening."

The constant stream of news on social media can also be traumatic. A team of researchers at the University of Bradford in England told a British psychology conference last year that exposure to violent imagery on social media can cause symptoms that are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, defined as a persistent emotional reaction to a traumatic event that severely impairs one's life.

In an analysis conducted by the Bradford researchers, 189 participants were shown images and provided with stories of violent events, including the Sept. 11 attacks, school shootings and suicide bombings.

The researchers' analysis showed that 22 percent of those who participated were significantly affected by what they saw.

The study also found that people who view violent events more often were more affected than people who saw them less frequently, and that people who described themselves as extroverts with outgoing personalities were at a higher risk to be disturbed by the images.
What can we do about it?
The self-care advice hasn't changed. It is natural to want to follow along with incremental updates on social media and in the news. But it's important to know that this can heighten your anxiety.

Anne Marie Albano, a clinical psychologist and the director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said in an interview after the 2015 Paris attacks that it might be a good idea to limit your exposure to social media.

Designating times to plug into the news - checking Twitter in the morning over coffee, but not listening to the radio while driving your kids to school, for instance - can help you manage anxiety if you are feeling stressed.

"This will help you balance a realistic and credible threat with information that is sensationalized," Dr. Albano said, "or a rush to report something or talk about something that doesn't have the impact that you would think it has."
If you're feeling anxiety about a possible attack, compare your fear with the facts.
When you fear the worst, it's hard to remember that, say, a flight or a train ride has extraordinarily high odds of being safe. But you have to try.

Humans are bad at assessing risk, Martin Seif, a psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety disorders and the fear of flying, said in an interview late last year.

"Every single anxiety-management technique is based on the premise that your reaction is out of proportion" to the likelihood of danger, Dr. Seif said.
Also, remember to take a breath.
A guide to dealing with terrorism released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation encourages closing your eyes and taking deep breaths to feel calmer.

Taking a walk or talking to a close friend can also help.

The guide also recommends avoiding alcohol and drugs, exercising regularly and eating healthy foods - basic self-care guidelines that help reduce stress.

Make sure you have a plan to contact your family if something happens, especially if cellular networks are overloaded or transportation is disrupted, but remember that you most likely will not need it, experts say.

If you have children, the American Psychological Association recommends asking them how they are feeling about the news. Keep in mind that it is possible for children to be influenced by news reports and the adult conversations around them.
Lastly, keep your daily routine.
Dr. Albano said that a primary worry in the field of psychology is people "going out of their way to be so safe that it shrinks their world."

"Terrorists thrive on this kind of thing," she added. "They want to see the population change their practices."

Going out of your way to avoid interacting with strangers - by refusing to take mass transit, for example - can stoke fear and anxiety in children, she said.

The best way to help children cope with acts of violence is to start by listening to them, Sean Rogers, a psychotherapist who works with children and teenagers, told The Times on his Facebook Live appearance.

"Listening is curative," he said. "It is the basis of all therapies."

Madison Mills contributed reporting.

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What Is a Constant Cycle of Violent News Doing to Us?

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It has been a rough year. By now, our violence is down to a pattern, and there is a choreography to our reactions. A killer seeks out a nightclub, a church, an airport, a courthouse, a protest. Someone is shot on video, sometimes by the police, and marchers fill the streets.

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"Would you like to see him pull it off?...Yes." (336). When soldiers are discussion Richard's escape, they want him to succeed. Throughout the book, everyone has hated him, but now, people are changing their minds.

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Wishful Thinking

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In a lens, a glimpse of the F.B.I. director, James Comey, and the N.S.A. director, Mike Rogers, testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Monday. Credit Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts," goes the saying - one that now seems like a relic of simpler times.

Today, President Trump is sticking with his own facts - his claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him during the election - in the face of testimony to the contrary by the F.B.I. director, James Comey.

When asked about the accusations Mr. Trump had made on Twitter, Mr. Comey told a Senate committee on Monday, "I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the F.B.I."

Other government authorities have come to similar conclusions. But Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said after the hearing that Mr. Trump stood by his wiretap allegations despite Mr. Comey's testimony.

Mr. Trump's claims may appear to his opponents to have been embarrassingly debunked. But social science research suggests that Mr. Trump's alternative version of reality may appeal to his supporters.

Partisan polarization is now so extreme in the United States that it affects the way that people consume and understand information - the facts they believe, and what events they think are important. The wiretapping allegations could well become part of a partisan narrative that is too powerful to be dispelled.

Mr. Trump, perhaps unconsciously, has grasped a core truth of modern politics: that voters tend to seek out information that fits the story they want to believe, usually one in which members of the other party are the bad guys.

Since the 1980s, Americans have been reporting increasingly negative opinions about the opposing party. Partisanship, and particularly "negative partisanship," the rejection of the opposing party, has now become a kind of tribal identity that shapes how people define themselves and others, according to Sean Westwood, a professor at Dartmouth College who has studied partisan polarization. "It drives people to support their team at any cost, and oppose the opposing team at any cost," he said.

This partisan polarization affects the way Americans of all political stripes consume information. People are more likely to believe stories that come from their side of the political divide, particularly if an authority figure vouches for them. And they are more likely to share news with their preferred slant as a way of showing they are good members of their political tribe.

Mr. Trump's wiretap claim is particularly likely to appeal to that partisan dynamic. At its core, it is a story about Barack Obama being fundamentally untrustworthy, perhaps even dangerous to the country. Mr. Trump's supporters, who are already more likely to believe that basic narrative, may be more likely to accept his wiretap claims.

Sticking to his version of events will probably strengthen Mr. Trump's base, said John Sides, a political-science professor at George Washington University who studies political communication.

"At the end of the day, those people are going to put a floor under your approval ratings," he said. But, he cautioned, the constant cycles of controversy are preventing him from establishing the broader appeal required to assure a successful presidency.

One might expect that facts would convince people that Mr. Trump's claim was baseless, but other political myths have proved remarkably robust to the sort of debunking Mr. Comey provided.

For instance, Mr. Trump disavowed the "birther" myth in September 2016, conceding that Mr. Obama was in fact born in Hawaii. There was an increase afterward in the number of voters who said they believed Mr. Obama was born in the United States, but polling by Morning Consult suggests that part of that effect has already faded. In September, it found that 62 percent of registered voters said they believed Mr. Obama had been born in the United States, but in a follow-up poll early this month, that number had dropped to 57 percent.

This decline cannot be attributed simply to partisan bias; it occurred among both Democrats (who went to 77 percent from 82 percent) and Republicans (down to 36 percent from 44 percent). Over time, people may simply forget the contrary evidence they've heard and fall back on their old beliefs.

Even when myths are dispelled, their effects linger. The Boston College political scientist Emily Thorson conducted a series of studies showing that exposure to a news article containing a damaging allegation about a fictional political candidate caused people to rate the candidate more negatively even when the allegation was corrected and people believed it to be false.

There are ways to correct information more effectively. Adam Berinsky of M.I.T., for instance, found that a surprising co-partisan source (a Republican member of Congress) was the most effective in reducing belief in the "death panel" myth about the Affordable Care Act.

But in the wiretapping case, Republican lawmakers have neither supported Mr. Trump's wiretap claims (which could risk their credibility) nor strenuously opposed them (which could prompt a partisan backlash). Instead, they have tried to shift attention to a different political narrative - one that suits the partisan divide by making Mr. Obama the villain of the piece. Rather than focusing on the wiretap allegation, they have sought to portray the House Intelligence Committee hearings on Russian interference in the election as an investigation into leaks of classified information.

In Monday's hearing, for instance, Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, asked Mr. Comey which Obama administration officials would have had access to the leaked information, implying that officials from the previous administration must be responsible for the leaks.

The result is that the same hearings may appear completely different to voters of different parties. Democrats may see a defeat for Mr. Trump because Mr. Comey rejected his wiretap claims and confirmed that the F.B.I. is investigating whether there was any coordination between his campaign and the Russian intelligence officials who interfered in the election.

But Republican voters may see confirmation that the leaks of classified information were criminal, and that former Obama administration officials had means, motive and opportunity to carry out the act. A Breitbart News report, for example, breezed past Mr. Comey's debunking of the wiretap as "already known," then focused on leaks to the press.

The question of whether Mr. Obama wiretapped Mr. Trump has now been answered clearly and strongly in the negative. But the myth, and its effects, seem likely to continue unless Republicans denounce it more forcefully.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A18 of the New York edition with the headline: Why Objectively False Things Continue to Be Believed. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Why People Continue to Believe Objectively False Things

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Wishful Thinking "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts," goes the saying - one that now seems like a relic of simpler times. Today, President Trump is sticking with his own facts - his claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him during the election - in the face of testimony to the contrary by the F.B.I.

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In chapter Minus 25 and Counting, the point of view (still third person view over everything but the narrator focuses on another persons thoughts and actions than before) changes. Two state troopers watch Ben leave and one asks the other, "Would you like to see him pull it off?" (335) and the other responds with a surprising answer of "Yes" and then one of continues to say, "I think it there's gonna be a big boom".
This being said, this answers the reader's question of if there are people who want him to win. This is a new thought and perspective that we learn.

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"'Killer!' A woman was sobbing. 'Vile, dirty murderer! God will strike you dead!'" (177). A woman in the crowd of The Running Man is screaming at the picture of Richards on the screen. Ben is quick to realize that the Games Network is doing everything possible to make him seem like a monster to the public. They talk about how each police officer who was killed had a family, and talk of how the five men had a combined 19 children who no longer had a father. Despite this, Ben is clearly upset, as he scolds Bradley after his attempt to comfort him.

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"Rich and Dink Moran built a pollution counter. Dink drew the picture out of the book, and they did it from coffee cans and some stuff they boosted out of cars"(169). Bradley is explaining to Ben that his friends created a real pollution counter that is more effective than the placebo-like pollution sensors from the government. Knowing that Bradley and his friends are from the poverty-ridden inner city, it would be easy to assume that they are not educated about something as secret and hard to understand as air pollution. It's surprising that he has studied it so much, and begins to teach Richards about it.

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"He had a very bad dream that night, which was unusual. The old Ben Richards had never dreamed"(209). Ben has a dream about Bradley being tortured, which is odd for multiple reasons. Not only does this show that the Games have caused Ben to have a dream, but also that he might have developed a friendship with Bradley. We haven't previously heard of any friends of Ben's so it contradicts his reserved personality he has always carried.

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"He had spent the years between five and sixteen hustling, he and his brother Todd. His mother had died of syphilis when he was ten and Todd was seven. Todd had been killed five years later..."(199). This memory moment was the first we learned of Ben Richard's past, and it makes it very clear why he has such a reserved and aggressive personality.

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"Skulking outside your home" (94). This is another example of the attitudes that the North-siders have towards the South-siders. The wealthy citizens have been developed derogatory opinions about people in society that do not have as much money as them. This divide amongst the people is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel that shows a conflict between two groups and society.

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"The crowd drowned him out. Their screams of hate had reached a near fever pitch"(94).
The crowd/audience of the Games are a perfect example of reoccurring theme in this novel. The society has been divided based on wealth. Those with money have been pitted against those without it. The citizens of the society that are unable to work and make money are practically forced into playing "games" that will win them money if they make it to the end alive. The poor only have one option to make more money: to participate. The Games have fueled the hatred that the wealthy North-siders hold for the poor.

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/14/business/world-inequality.html

Inequality based on wealth. This inequality creates a divide in the society. The society in The Running Man is divided by classes of wealth and the people in the book use it as an excuse to claim dominance over others.

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"If I'd had a gun, I would have burned him where he stood, Richards thought. Christ. Oh, Christ" (121).
Ben's thoughts quickly become consumed by paranoia and violence. His involvement in the Games has altered his way of thinking. The Running Man is starting to turn Ben into a different person.

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'Alone and in fear': ordeal of married gay couple forced to flee Russia

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Pavel Stotsko and Yevgeny Voitsekhovsky followed Russian law but their Danish marriage put their lives at risk

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This quote by Ben Richards stood out to me, "He wasn't supposed to be a hiding man; he was a running man. Wasn't that what kept the ratings up?" (199). This stood out to me because it is the opposite of what I would do if i were in his situation. Despite needing to send the tapes in, I would more than likely hide out in one secret location rather than moving from big city to big city with the possibility of more and more people spotting me and turning me in. I also thought it was interesting how Richards brought up the ratings of the show; I think this was his sarcasm coming out.

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I wonder how long Richards is going to last at the construction site. "He turned from the road and plunged into the jungle of the construction site" (196). With his wounds, I can't believe he will last longer than a day or two but I have a feeling he will win the entire game so I wonder what he will do to keep himself alive.

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I wonder why Elton was so quick to help Richards even when things turned quickly. "Screaming, Elton whipped the air car left and right" (190). Clearly, Elton knows he is in a life or death situation but I want to know why he chose to stick with Richards. Once in the park, he knew things were going south quickly and could have easily left and went to safety but instead of ditching Richards, he stuck with him.

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I did not expect Richards to confide in another human before the 30 days was up. After a couple days on the run he meets a little boy named Stacey who helps him in many ways. "'Stacey, I--' He broke off and ran a hand through his hair. When he spoke again he seemed to be talking to himself. 'I got to trust somebody and it turns out to be a kid. A kid. Hot Jesus, you ain't even six, boy'" (123). This is the complete opposite of what actions I thought Richards was going to participate in.

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Killian, one of the workers at the Games Network, gave Ben Richards advice. Killian told him '"if you stay low, you'll last longer. Use your legs instead of any weapons you happen to pick up. And stay close to your own people"' (72). After I read this I was confused on why someone working for the Network would give one of the contestants advice. Did Killian secretly hate the Network and want Richards to win and shock them all? Was he giving him false information/misleading advice?

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On page 174, Richards watches The Running Man on tv and of his tape when he tries to tell the people about the dirty network and then the game show cuts of his audio and pretends it is an accident. "Richard's mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out" (174) then the host of the show, Bobby Thompson, says "We seem to have lost our audio, but we don't need to listen to any more of this murderer's radical ravings to understand what we are dealing with" (174)

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"I read it in a book. Man, they're killing us. The Free-Vee is killing us. The Free-Vee is killing us..." This could also be an AHA moment that Bradley is realizing that the Free-Vee is manipulating the people

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Bradley asks Richards "Whats the air pollution in Harding?"(King 168). this tells the reader that there is some kind of air pollution in this society. Richards responds with "I don't know-- they havent given them with thte weather since---Gee--- 2020"
They go on to describe why Cassie has lung cancer at 5 years old.

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At the end of Minus 71 and counting, Ben realizes that he's being bracketed by the police. I expected him to be more careful being out at the Boston Y.M.C.A

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Words of the Wiser: Killian tells Richards to “stay close to your own people” (99). He advises Ben to keep to himself and only make contact with the people he trusts. But, I’m still wondering when did the divide in society begin & why did it happen?

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Quote :
“You have a certain crude style that I enjoy immensely.” (95,96). This quote from Killian helps describe Ben Richards’s personality and attitude.

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Bradley is explaining to Richards about how bad the pollution is and that wetaher has a big part of making it worse than usual. and says that smoke stacks still pump smoke out 20 hours a day and air filters do nothing to help. Bradley says "Lung cancer has been up seven hundred percent since 2015-- I read that in a book. Man, they're killing us. The Free-Vee is killing us. The Free-Vee is killing us" (King 170)

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In ...Minus 80 and Counting... Killian is pleased with his performance, and even gives him advice. I expected him to be a jerk back to Ben since he was a jerk during the tests to get into the games

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In ...Minus 087 and Counting... Ben is being interviewed by the executive producer of "The Running Man" show, Dan Killian, we figure out that this show is made for elite participants who pass all the physical and mental tests. Killian tells Ben that the game has never had a winner. Killian says the show is "one of the surest ways the Network has of getting rid of embryo troublemakers such as yourself" (King 66). The game is rigged so no contestant can win and the only way to get out of the game show is by death or living thirty days.
-CB