FW: [Peace-discuss] immigration

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

Maybe, it is because journalists are socialized to internalize the same
black and white oversimplified notions of cause and effect as are a majority
of the people in the US, including Bush and the other politicians.  It also
may be because their target audience is the immediate gratification,
attentive deficient, over-simplifying masses whose general educational level
is around 6th grade.  It also may be because - like the politicians - it is
just easier to address and deal with oversimplified issues than to address
and deal with complex ones.

Amerikens are not known for either long range thinking and planning or
accepting complexity that requires any sort of mental work or learning
curves.  It is the old down and dirty, here and now, attitudes which demand
certainty and a need for a world in which there is a solution for everything
that may not be known know but will be known and remedied in the future,
which will bring salvation eventually in the end ala the good old Protestant
ethic.  All it needs is more money, more resources, more time, and more
faith to remedy problems of all kinds (DAMN THE CONSEQUENCES - ESPECIALLY
THE UNINTENDED ONES) according to the good old capitalist Amerikan ideology.
It is this that the journalists not only accept but cater to in most cases
of establishment journalism and in many cases of alternative journalism as
well.

-----Original Message-----
From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Karen Medina
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2008 12:05 PM
To: peace discuss
Subject: [Peace-discuss] immigration

On NPR yesterday, they had a report that the increased border patrol is
working. 

YIKES, they seriously think that there is only one possible cause/effect
relationship 
and that the number of border control officers is the only thing that could
possibly 
bring down the number of people being apprehended leaving their lives and 
families and trying to enter the United States by crossing the Mexico/US
border?

What about the US economy?
What about the increase in boats? -- more boat takers decreases the number
of 
walkers being caught.

We know that Bush (and all politicians) would like to see things as direct 
cause/effect, but why do journalists not question it? Do they not understand

multivariate data?

The Associated Press has slightly better glimpse, even though the headline
reduces 
it to the same error: 
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/National%20News/Border-Patrol-reports--
decrease-in-Arizona-crossings
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