[P]eople only make decisions based on what they know. You can have everyone in the country vote freely and democratically and still come up with the wrong answer - if the information they base that decision on is wrong. People don't want the truth [when] it is complicated. They don't want to spend years debating an issue. They want it homogenized, sanitized, and above all, simplified into terms they can understand.. Governments are often criticized for moving slowly, but that deliberateness, it turns out, is their strength. They take time to think through complex problems before they act. People, however, are different. People react first from the gut and then from the head..give that knee-jerk reflex real power to make its overwhelming will known as a national mandate instantly and you can cause a political riot. Combine these sins - simplification of information and instant, visceral democratic mandates - and you lose the ability to cool down. There is no longer deliberation time between events that may or may not be true and our reaction to them. Policy becomes instinct rather than thought. Tracy Hickman
About This Quote

The above quote is a great example of how the media can influence the way the public perceives an issue. In this case, it is the knee-jerk reaction of the American public who react harshly to any mention of the words "foreign aid." People tend to believe that foreign aid is a waste of money and should only be used to help our own people. But this isn't always the case. In fact, in some cases, foreign aid can be a cost effective way to improve other countries chances of economic growth and stability.

Also, when we are hurt by mosquitos or other deadly diseases, it is often through foreign aid that we are given the medicine that will save us. The point here is that people are more likely to believe what they know rather than what they don't know.

Source: The Immortals

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