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Who Do You Trust?

Posted Aug 12, 2009 by Kris DiGiovanni

Updated Aug 12, 2009 at 10:37 AM

Before Johnny Carson got his Tonight Show gig, he hosted a daytime show called “Who Do You Trust?”  It was a quiz show where couples could earn money by answering questions.  The “trust” part was that the man had to decide whether to answer the question himself or “trust” the woman.

Whom we trust to give us the right answers seems to be the question of the day.  In town hall meetings around the country, politicians are being booed and shouted down by audience members claiming, “You’re lying to us!”  The late Walter Cronkite was known as “the most trusted man in America.”  Now, as in one recent town hall meeting, we’re being told to “Listen to Glen Beck.”

It seems that many people would rather get their information from talk show hosts than their elected representatives.  But should they?  Do these TV and radio personalities really have the inside scoop?  What’s so unique about their expertise that enables them to see through the smoke and mirrors and discover the real truth? 

Rush Limbaugh, who calls himself “America’s Truth Detector;”  started out as a top 40 DJ in high school.  He tried college, but flunked every course.  He was fired from station after station because he couldn’t resist injecting his own opinions into his broadcasts.  He’s an admitted recovering drug addict, and has been married and divorced three times. 

Glenn Beck, like Limbaugh, started as a DJ, and worked as a backup singer for the DelRays.  His first wife divorced him due to his additions to drugs and alcohol. He attributes his recovery to his conversion to Mormonism in 1999. He did complete one semester of college, but has no education or special training beyond that.

Sean Hannity dropped out of college, but began his career in talk radio as a volunteer at a local college station.  He was fired from his first job at KCSB for disparaging remarks about lesbians.

These are the people who’ve apparently filled the slot left by Mr. Cronkite and become the source of “the truth” for many Americans.  Their bios are hardly stellar.  They have no credentials, and are only “self-educated.”  Their commonality is that they are all excellent entertainers. 

So is that what we want these days – entertainment, rather than facts?  If you do the research, you can easily find credible sources that point out the real truth behind the daily distortions and lies that fill these gentlemen’s broadcasts.  But their audiences don’t seem to care.  They just listen and believe, as they would some television evangelist.  Their disciples are enraptured by the rhetoric and totally convinced that it is all true, even in the face of logical arguments to the contrary.

There’s an interesting bit of science behind this.  A study done by Emory University psychologist Drew Westen examined subjects who admitted they had very strong political leanings.  An equal number of Democrats and Republicans viewed statements by candidates that clearly showed the candidates contradicting themselves.  The participants were quick to spot the contradictions in the opposing party, but rationalized and excused similar contractions by their own candidate.

Functional MRIs of the participants showed the part of the brain in charge of reasoning was not active during the process.  Instead, the parts of the brain that control emotion and conflict resolution lit up.  Then, once the subject had reached a conclusion, the part of his or her brain associated with reward became active.  In other words, once they made a choice they were emotionally comfortable with, they reinforced their decision by giving themselves a sense of pleasure. 

Westen’s discovery back on 2006 spawned a whole new approach to political advertising, resulting in the increase in “smear” ads that characterize campaigns to day.  His findings also explain perfectly why the “dittoheads,” the “912ers,” and other devotees of extremely partisan talk show hosts are so steadfast and loyal.  It reveals why despite being lied to and mislead, the disciples of these TV and radio pundits swear their guy is the only one telling the truth.

It’s all about emotion.  Logic has nothing to do with it.

Comments? Email the author at KrisDiGiovanni at gmail-dot-com