WHEN THINKING IS CLOUDY

Dominating the news last week and this week has been the distressing events involving two mass shootings, one in El Paso, Texas and the other in Dayton, Ohio killing some 31 people and wounding dozens of others. Interesting enough, one shooter wrote a manifesto aligning mostly with the right and the other aligning with one of the democratic candidates (Elizabeth Warren). In spite of that, the “media” generally engaged in “the blame game” illogically blaming President Donald Trump for the shootings— something the media did not do when there were mass shootings under Obama.

In the meantime, President Trump called the mass shooting Saturday in El Paso, Texas, an "act of cowardice," and said there "are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing people." Then he said in the strongest words possible that we have to be against all racist ideologies and white supremacist ideology.

"Today's shooting in El Paso, Texas, was not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice. I know that I stand with everyone in this Country to condemn today's hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people."

How much clearer could he be? And while you might think that would end the blame game, it did not. The fallacious argument being used is that Trump’s “rhetoric is racist” because it “creates an atmosphere” of hostility. [Apparently they do not consider their own rhetoric of name-calling, insults, and threats as racist or creating an atmosphere of hostility!] As evidence they quote various statements from Trump, yet not a single quote actually says what they say it says. They quote statements and they seem to believe it proves their point. Yet even others on the same side admit they are over-reaching. So what’s going on here?

The answer is filtering. People filter their thinking, reasoning, and arguing through certain biased filters (cognitive biases) and do not realize that they are doing so. They actually think that they are seeing and hearing evidence for their conclusions. This is the nature of cognitive filters— something that we all do and a challenge to clear thinking that we all have to deal with. It is the confirmation bias. It is the very reason we need to do critical thinking and why critical thinking one of the most needed cognitive make-overs we all need. It seems to me to especially apply those in politics and in the media.

Now the most extensive list of filters in NLP is the Meta-Program filters. These perceptual lens color the way we think, reason, and argue. And they are inevitable. Yet they don’t have to blind us. It is only when a person doesn’t realize the filtering effect of their meta-programs that the filter operates as blind-spots.

Here then is an explanation for the cloudy thinking which is so regularly demonstrated by the media. There’s no need to demonize those who do so— they are caught up in a dilemma that is altogether human and inevitable. Yet that doesn’t excuse it. It is still false, inaccurate, and muddled (as Bateson would say). It still needs to be challenged and corrected.

Yet there is now an even bigger problem, namely, many do not seem to want to correct their cloudy, muddled thinking. I get it, or at least kind-of-understand it, with political candidates— after all, they have an agenda. And as with nearly all politicians, they seem willing to use any and every cognitive fallacy to make a point. Wouldn’t it be great if they were required to study critical thinking? It seems to be in the nature of politics to exaggerate, take things out of context, engage in name calling, insulting, etc. All parties do this. Apparently, the candidates seem to think this will get them votes. If that’s the case, we can undercut a lot of that by teaching more and more people critical thinking [which is one thing we are doing in Negro-Semantics].

But then there is the mainstream media. If they were real journalists, they would know better than to present such a one-sided view. Yet many of them seem to be as greedy and unethical as aggrandizing politicians. They grab onto any statement, or mis-statement, take it out of context, exaggerate it, use it to blame and accuse— all to get a story or a headline.

Another set of filters are the cognitive biases. These also are quite human and inevitable until a person understands them and develops skill in catching them in the moment. Of course, doing that requires meta-cognitive development— something built into the Meta-States Model. I put these biases into seven categories in Executive Thinking to make them easier to remember.

The Understanding Bias — assuming you understand. The Availability Bias — assuming that the information that’s available is sufficient. The Confirmation Bias — assuming that what you believe is being confirmed. The Consistency Bias — assuming that consistency proves credibility. The Experiential Bias — assuming that if you experience it, it is true. The Social Bias — assuming those around you are pointing you in the right direction. The Context Bias — assuming that context is irrelevant and doesn’t really matter.

The cure for clearing up cloudy thinking is the executive thinking that your higher brain functions are designed for. But they are not automatic. For them to be operational, you have to develop them. And that comes through learning and practice until you train the skill so it becomes automatic. And that’s why we now have Brain Camp for Cognitive Make-Overs.