Tag Archives: Consumers

Form your own opinion! (Project 7 Shade)

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Throughout the United States history of the abortion debate public figures and language have shaped the way that we view a topic and the words we associate with this topic, sometimes unconsciously. Words like pro-choice, pro-life, anti-choice, pro-abortion, partial-birth abortion, late term abortion, etc., are all fabricated by groups of people wanting influence on the subject of abortion (Memmott). These groups use words to sway audiences to believe certain things, such as late-term abortion makes people believe it takes place in the 8th or 9th month in pregnancy when in actuality it’s called “intact dilation and extraction and performed in the 5th or 6th month of pregnancy (Memmott), and often use people in power to help relay their message to the masses. Presidents have had a huge impact on the way the public views a topic, and how it is handled in court. For example, President Ford took a middle ground, and while not supportive of abortion, didn’t believe in banning it, and left it to the states to decide (Daynes, 547). This led to many states having more restrictive or open abortion laws, which is based on the conservatism or liberalism of the state and its residence, as stated by Kevin Arceneaux in his report on Direct Democracy and the Link between Public Opinion and State Abortion Policy. This goes full circle due to people’s political background being influenced by what they consume, be it media or other people. For example, if one is always shown more conservative information then that person will most likely think more conservatively. Just like someone who is surrounded by liberal people, will in turn think more liberally. 

The main lesson from our research is for people to keep an eye out for these influences. How are figures you look up to using language about abortion? How one-sided is the news you get on media? Is the media you consume predominately bias towards one political party? As consumers it is our job to analyze what we consume, and what we are paying attention to. If we can pay attention, notice bias in our media and public figures, we can in turn that into personal or public change. For example, if you see a public figure using words that demonize another group, it would be a good choice to look at the other side through their point of view. We, as researchers, want the people to know how they are consuming information, as people assume that the news they are reading is true if it coincides with the information they know. When one is vigilant about what they are consuming it makes it easier to point out biases, and harder for consumers to subconsciously fall for persuasive language. As consumers, if we question the information we receive in our media and dig deeper into the unknown point of views on that side that don’t pertain to our own point of view, we will be closer to seeing the unbiased data a topic as to offer.  

 

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