Various Links
Jan. 10th, 2015 02:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamer_easyThe Underlying Psychology of Office Politics: much of which could apply to fandom, although we don't have formal leadership. I could've avoided a lot of drama in my time if I had recognised that people are not "creatures of logic but creatures of emotions". (This advice on evidence based debunking would have been come in handy too.)
Is public opinion rational?: No and yes.
A simple list of 15 Common Cognitive Distortions.
The Humane Interrogation Technique That Actually Works: "A study finds that confessions are four times more likely when interrogators adopt a respectful stance toward detainees and build rapport, instead of torturing." "In another study, regular people were found to be more supportive of torture if they were told the suspect was a terrorist — but not because they thought the suspect had more information." (See also: Snake oil salesmen selling torture.)
The bloody history of Australia's race riots: "On each occasion, decent Australia rises up, tells the rioters to pull their bloody heads in, and race relations actually improve afterwards. Race riots are one of the ways Australia reinvents itself." (If so, I hope it's also reflected into the generally measured response to the Martin Place siege.)
How to cope with traumatic news - an illustrated guide: "The era of 24-hour news brings traumatic events directly into everyone's lives. Here's how that can affect people, especially children, and some strategies for coping."
Boycott Halal movement in Australia set to escalate: these hatemongers spraypainted their opinion in large and child-unfriendly words across one of our local eateries. What I think they should eat is certainly haram.
From tragedy comes hope for Sydney's Muslim community: the President of the Lebanese Muslim Association discusses the challenges facing "a community under pressure".
In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo mass murder, PEN International's survey Global Chilling: The Impact of Mass Surveillance on International Writers is a startling reminder that freedom of speech is not the West's most defining characteristic and cherished tradition.
My thoughts are also troubled by the many voices criticising the magazine for arguably racist attacks on minorities - "the opposite of satire", as one blogger put it. These voices are in no way offering excuses or justifications for the violence; rather, they're questioning the West's response to it. And they ask a hard question: if it wasn't for the murders, how willing would we be to say "Je suis Charlie"? (Others doubt whether free speech was the target at all.) (ETA: Plus many have asked why the massacre of thousands by Islamist militants in Nigeria gained less attention. Here's a backgrounder on French free speech and anti-clericalism.)
(Is irony the right word for this? So far, the cartoons I've seen in response to the atrocity have been witty and moving, unlike the Muhammad ones Charlie Hebdo printed, which were frankly rubbish.)
Is public opinion rational?: No and yes.
A simple list of 15 Common Cognitive Distortions.
The Humane Interrogation Technique That Actually Works: "A study finds that confessions are four times more likely when interrogators adopt a respectful stance toward detainees and build rapport, instead of torturing." "In another study, regular people were found to be more supportive of torture if they were told the suspect was a terrorist — but not because they thought the suspect had more information." (See also: Snake oil salesmen selling torture.)
The bloody history of Australia's race riots: "On each occasion, decent Australia rises up, tells the rioters to pull their bloody heads in, and race relations actually improve afterwards. Race riots are one of the ways Australia reinvents itself." (If so, I hope it's also reflected into the generally measured response to the Martin Place siege.)
How to cope with traumatic news - an illustrated guide: "The era of 24-hour news brings traumatic events directly into everyone's lives. Here's how that can affect people, especially children, and some strategies for coping."
Boycott Halal movement in Australia set to escalate: these hatemongers spraypainted their opinion in large and child-unfriendly words across one of our local eateries. What I think they should eat is certainly haram.
From tragedy comes hope for Sydney's Muslim community: the President of the Lebanese Muslim Association discusses the challenges facing "a community under pressure".
In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo mass murder, PEN International's survey Global Chilling: The Impact of Mass Surveillance on International Writers is a startling reminder that freedom of speech is not the West's most defining characteristic and cherished tradition.
My thoughts are also troubled by the many voices criticising the magazine for arguably racist attacks on minorities - "the opposite of satire", as one blogger put it. These voices are in no way offering excuses or justifications for the violence; rather, they're questioning the West's response to it. And they ask a hard question: if it wasn't for the murders, how willing would we be to say "Je suis Charlie"? (Others doubt whether free speech was the target at all.) (ETA: Plus many have asked why the massacre of thousands by Islamist militants in Nigeria gained less attention. Here's a backgrounder on French free speech and anti-clericalism.)
(Is irony the right word for this? So far, the cartoons I've seen in response to the atrocity have been witty and moving, unlike the Muhammad ones Charlie Hebdo printed, which were frankly rubbish.)
