When applying this article to Rachel Maddow and John Stewart, we can see that they are quite adept at critical thinking in their shows. Both frequently adhere to Edward Glaser's list of thinking skills... they recognize problems, find workable means for meeting the problems, gather pertinent information, and so forth. The sarcastic humor element allows them to stand out starkly against "boring" traditional newscasters and garners much more attention, but it does not detract from the information being presented. Stewart and Maddow are allowed to respond in a frank, down-to-earth manner which the average viewer at home will find comfortable to relate to and understand. However, they are not completely pure in their critical thinking; occasionally stories are partially-presented just to allow parodying and give the show some humor.
The insults shouted to Barney Frank and John Lewis are clear examples of poor critical thinking. Fisher describes this as "unreflective thinking" when one jumps to a conclusion or makes a snap decision with little accompanying thought. Conservatives outraged over the recent health bill have demonstrated this via insults, threats and other primitive forms of emotional outburst. Rather than processing the information and providing viable alternatives or different paths to take, the response is simply thoughtlessness.
No comments:
Post a Comment