Like, I've seen many smart people that are even, in theory, supporting of socialism and against imperialism who are well aware that there is a propaganda machine in the US and the west, who when it comes to anything about AES/past socialist states, they will just regurgitate state department propaganda without question.
Like, even if you bring up, for example, Xinjiang, and how virtually all evidence comes from some really bad research by a guy who clearly has an agenda, they will say something along the lines of "maybe that's true, but that doesn't disprove there's a genocide there". Which... is not how burden of proof works. Mind you, these are also people who clearly know about shifting of the burden of proof when it comes to climate change or evolution, but here? Then it's every logical fallacy, no critical thinking.
So what is it about these things that remove critical thinking from otherwise smart people?
- andys_nuts [none/use name]·3 years ago
- Soaking since birth in an ocean of anticommunist propaganda from the best propaganda machine yet created.
- Wanting to think of one's self as a good person > good people support their country, which means my country is good > if my country is telling me Bad Country is bad, it must be, because my country is good and wouldn't lie.
- The aversion to truly re-examining something you accepted as fact long ago, which might mean admitting you were wrong, and have been wrong for years, and that you'd need to make significant life changes if you wish to be consistent with your new belief.