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Flesh-Eating Bananas?

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
2ef259b108b8acf3c75ae047b25ba9bf.png


Or why are folks so gullible?

If you ever need proof of human gullibility, cast your mind back to the attack of the flesh-eating bananas. In January 2000, a series of chain emails began reporting that imported bananas were infecting people with “necrotizing fasciitis” – a rare disease in which the skin erupts into livid purple boils before disintegrating and peeling away from muscle and bone.
According to the email chain, the FDA was trying to cover up the epidemic to avoid panic. Faced with the threat, readers were encouraged to spread the word to their friends and family.
The threat was pure nonsense, of course. But by 28 January, the concern was great enough for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a statement decrying the rumour.
Did it help? Did it heck. Rather than quelling the rumour, they had only poured fuel on its flames. Within weeks, the CDC was hearing from so many distressed callers it had to set up a banana hotline. The facts became so distorted that people eventually started to quote the CDC as the source of the rumour. Even today, new variants of the myth have occasionally reignited those old fears.
Why are people so incredibly gullible?


One, somewhat humbling, explanation is that we are all “cognitive misers” – to save time and energy, our brains use intuition rather than analysis.
As a simple example, quickly answer the following questions:
“How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark?”
“Margaret Thatcher was the president of what country?”
Between 10 and 50% of study participants presented with these questions fail to notice that it was Noah, not Moses, who built the Ark, and that Margaret Thatcher was the prime minster, not the president – even when they have been explicitly asked to note inaccuracies.
Known as the “Moses illusion”, this absentmindedness illustrates just how easily we miss the details of a statement, favouring the general gist in place of the specifics. Instead, we normally just judge whether it “feels” right or wrong before accepting or rejecting its message. “Even when we ‘know’ we should be drawing on facts and evidence, we just draw on feelings,” says Eryn Newman at the University of Southern Californi
a

Feelings trump facts.
I think most of the time we are left with inadequate information and have to resort to our feelings to make a decision. Perhaps it becomes habit.
 

SigurdReginson

Grēne Mann
Premium Member
A few of the folks in the break room looked at me when I sighed audibly and facepalmed after reading this.... they asked what was wrong.

What's wrong? Everything is wrong...
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
2ef259b108b8acf3c75ae047b25ba9bf.png


Or why are folks so gullible?

If you ever need proof of human gullibility, cast your mind back to the attack of the flesh-eating bananas. In January 2000, a series of chain emails began reporting that imported bananas were infecting people with “necrotizing fasciitis” – a rare disease in which the skin erupts into livid purple boils before disintegrating and peeling away from muscle and bone.
According to the email chain, the FDA was trying to cover up the epidemic to avoid panic. Faced with the threat, readers were encouraged to spread the word to their friends and family.
The threat was pure nonsense, of course. But by 28 January, the concern was great enough for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a statement decrying the rumour.
Did it help? Did it heck. Rather than quelling the rumour, they had only poured fuel on its flames. Within weeks, the CDC was hearing from so many distressed callers it had to set up a banana hotline. The facts became so distorted that people eventually started to quote the CDC as the source of the rumour. Even today, new variants of the myth have occasionally reignited those old fears.
Why are people so incredibly gullible?


One, somewhat humbling, explanation is that we are all “cognitive misers” – to save time and energy, our brains use intuition rather than analysis.
As a simple example, quickly answer the following questions:
“How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark?”
“Margaret Thatcher was the president of what country?”
Between 10 and 50% of study participants presented with these questions fail to notice that it was Noah, not Moses, who built the Ark, and that Margaret Thatcher was the prime minster, not the president – even when they have been explicitly asked to note inaccuracies.
Known as the “Moses illusion”, this absentmindedness illustrates just how easily we miss the details of a statement, favouring the general gist in place of the specifics. Instead, we normally just judge whether it “feels” right or wrong before accepting or rejecting its message. “Even when we ‘know’ we should be drawing on facts and evidence, we just draw on feelings,” says Eryn Newman at the University of Southern Californi
a

Feelings trump facts.
I think most of the time we are left with inadequate information and have to resort to our feelings to make a decision. Perhaps it becomes habit.

I think I missed the banana hotline. I don't remember any of that.

“How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark?”
“Margaret Thatcher was the president of what country?”


I remember these kind of "gotcha" questions as a kid. They're designed to see if you're paying attention.

Another I remember: "If a plane crashed exactly on the US-Canada border, where would they bury the survivors?"

Or: "If a rooster is sitting on top of a barn and lays an egg, which side will the egg fall?"

Or: "How do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky? Louisville or Louisville? ("Louie-ville" or "Louis-ville" - but the answer is actually Frankfort)

But some people have more faith in human nature and don't generally assume that someone is trying to trick them. It may not mean that they're that "gullible" or stupid, but they may not be very streetwise or careful enough to realize that they're being tricked.

Of course, if you trick people too much, then they may go too far in the other direction and not believe anything - even if they're being told the truth.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
I think I missed the banana hotline. I don't remember any of that.



I remember these kind of "gotcha" questions as a kid. They're designed to see if you're paying attention.

Another I remember: "If a plane crashed exactly on the US-Canada border, where would they bury the survivors?"

Or: "If a rooster is sitting on top of a barn and lays an egg, which side will the egg fall?"

Or: "How do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky? Louisville or Louisville? ("Louie-ville" or "Louis-ville" - but the answer is actually Frankfort)

But some people have more faith in human nature and don't generally assume that someone is trying to trick them. It may not mean that they're that "gullible" or stupid, but they may not be very streetwise or careful enough to realize that they're being tricked.

Of course, if you trick people too much, then they may go too far in the other direction and not believe anything - even if they're being told the truth.

Yes, that's me. I've gone too far the other way. :eek:
The entire world is out to trick you.
Ok, I know that's not true but you never know when it is.
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Yes, that's me. I've gone too far the other way. :eek:
The entire world is out to trick you.
Ok, I know that's not true but you never know when it is.

Yes, I guess it's a matter of finding a balance.

A lot of it is situational, and much of it depends on the possible motive of why someone might feel it necessary to impart information to others (such as warning people about flesh-eating bananas). Why do people do these things? Just to get their jollies?

I remember an episode of "The Munsters" where Herman was tormented by a co-worker named Clyde, who was always playing stupid practical jokes on Herman. But in the end, it didn't turn out well for Clyde.

Sometimes, it's like that on the internet, with millions of "Clydes" out there. It's like going back to junior high school.
 
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