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“The Great Crow Fallacy”. A reader response to a chapter from unSpun By: Brad Saunders and Cole Rosenbaum. It’s Clinically Proven!!!. This presentation is clinically proven to raise grades on tests in AP Lang. Take notes!. Overview. The Article Connection to 1984
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“The Great Crow Fallacy” A reader response to a chapter from unSpun By: Brad Saunders and Cole Rosenbaum
It’s Clinically Proven!!! This presentation is clinically proven to raise grades on tests in AP Lang. Take notes!
Overview The Article Connection to 1984 Connection to Weasel Words Contemporary Examples MLA Citation
The Article • Story ≠ Data • Don’t confuse anecdotes with data • Anecdote: a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident (Marriam-Webster) • Crows • Want repeated results through experimentation
The Article (cont.) • Perspectives don’t always show the whole picture • Personal experiences are very narrow • Impact of media and government • What you’re not told can be more important
The Article (cont.) • Emotions can cloud an argument. • Dramatic stories yield attention • Football players and fertilizer
The Article (cont.) • Some studies are more accurate than others. • Who stands behind the information? • Does the source have motivation? • What data collecting methods were used? • Age of data? • Any assumptions? • Any guesswork? • Want “convergent evidence”
The Article (cont.) • Repetition ≠ Truth • Groups repeat ideas, especially involving fear • Causes people to believe claim is true • Crippling death tax bills • Only 1.17% of estates taxed
The Article (cont.) • A huge claim requires huge evidence. • Groups exaggerate datato make extraordinary claims • In order for extraordinary claims to have substance, must be proportionally supported
The Article (cont.) • The myth of “Clinically Proven” • Replicated results needed • Quality of the test • Cold-Eeze
The Article (cont.) • Expertise is non-transferable. • Just because you’re a doctor on TV does not make you knowledgeable in the field of medicine • Analyze what background endorsers actually have
The Article (cont.) • Appeals to popularity • Why… • “top-selling” • “number one” • “preferred over…” • Large marketing budget, supply…
Connection to 1984 • Don’t always see whole picture • Party limits what citizens of Oceania see • Leads to incorrect conclusions • Example from unSpun • Gulf War and smart bombs
Connection to 1984(cont.) • Use of dramatic stories • Constant drama and triumph of wars • Keeps citizens caught up in commotion and keeps them enthusiastic
Connection to 1984(cont.) • Saying it doesn’t make it true • Repetition throughout Oceania • Big Brother • War is Peace • Freedom is Slavery • Ignorance is Strenght
Connection to Weasel Words • Main Ideas • Groups with motivation will manipulate evidence • Claims/evidence are falsified lead audience to draw conclusions • As the audience, we must analyze sources • A world without analyzing sources is Oceania
Contemporary Example #1 • President Obama’s State of the Union speech • Number of Americans currently working • Obama: 2 million Americans currently have jobs • Obama’s Economic Advisers: 1.5 million • CBO: between 800,000 and 2.4 million • IHS: 1.25 million • Macroeconomic Advisers: 1.1 million • Moody’s economy.com: 1.6 million
Contemporary Example #1 (cont.) • Bringing down health care deficit • Obama claimed CBO could bring deficit down to $1 trillion over the next 20 years • CBO reported that it could be as little as half of Obama’s number for the same 20 • A very rough estimate: CBO generally projects for a 10 year max • Projected deficit • Obama claimed a $3 trillion deficit when he took office + a total deficit of $8 trillion in 10 years • CBO projected a deficit of $1.2 trillion by the end of the year + a total deficit of $3.1 trillion in 10 years
Contemporary Examples (cont.) • John Kerry’s exaggerated cost of the Iraq War. • Kerry claimed the cost to be above $200 billion • CBO: cost of the military operations alone was $93.7 billion • OMB: military operations + rebuilding Iraq + supporting coalitions = $119 billion • Kerry’s estimate included cost of the next year + protecting U.S. cities + operations in Afghanistan • Not mentioned in his speech
Wrap Up Studies aren’t always accurate Sources aren’t always honest Top Selling Clinically Tested Preferred over…
MLA Citation Eschholz, Paul, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. “Weasel Words: The Art of Saying Nothing at All.” Language Awareness. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005. 442-452. Print. Excerpt from Doublespeak. By William Lutz. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Jackson, Brooks, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. “The Great Crow Fallacy.” Unspun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation. Illus. Signe Wilkinson. New York: Random , 2007. 105-125. Print. "Kerry Exaggerates Cost of War in Iraq." FactCheck.org. Ed. Lori Robertson. Anneberg Political Fact Check. Web. 09 Feb. 2010. <http://www.factcheck.org/kerry_exaggerates_cost_of_war_in_iraq.html>. "Obama's State of the Union Address." FactCheck.org. Ed. Lori Robertson. Anneberg Political Fact Check. Web. 09 Feb. 2010. <http://factcheck.org/2010/01/obamas-state-of-the-union-address/>. Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classics, 1977. Print.