Misinformation in Society

Paper Summary:

A major question that can be asked in the study of sociology is how members of society come to believe the things they do. The next question that can be asked is what happens if members of society come to believe things that are not true. Two books that deal with this subject are "The Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things" by Barry Glassner and "The Stranger Next Door" by Arlene Stein. Both of these books describe different means of people arriving at the wrong conclusions, different types of false beliefs and different impacts of these beliefs. However, the one thing the two books do share is a focus on illustrating how people in society can come to believe the wrong things. The purpose of each book is to allow people to see that their beliefs can be influenced and that this can create an incorrect view of issues impacting society and themselves. This paper critically analyzes and compares both books. It begins by detailing the argument of each book and comparing the arguments. The evidence each author uses is then be considered. The impact each author has on their book is the next consideration, including whether their own views have helped or hindered an understanding of the social issues they are discussing. Finally, the analysis is concluded by judging each book overall to determine which author is most effective in making a convincing argument.

From the Paper:

"The argument of Glassner's book is summed up by the titled, The Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things. Glassner argues that the majority of fears that the public have are grossly exaggerated. The exaggeration that occurs is attributed mainly to the media, who tend to report on certain items to increase ratings. The reality in this is that what happens everyday is not as interesting to the public as what happens rarely. For this reason, car crashes do not get a lot of media coverage. In short, car crashes are too normal an occurrence to be considered major news. In contrast, a plane crash will be reported because it is rare enough to warrant public interest. Glassner notes the same occurrence on talk shows and in magazines. The individual with a common disease, even if serious or fatal, is not likely to gain much media coverage. However, the individual with a rare disease is likely to gain media coverage, because of the rarity. In short, if something is rare in some way, it is likely to be seen in the media."

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