The Curse of Magical Thinking

and Magical Storytelling

Vs. the Cure ofCareful reading, critical thinking &

clear writing

Some kinds of magic are just harmless entertainment

What makes magic entertaining?

O Spectacular tricks O we can’t do at homeO are mysterious and inexplicable to

the audienceO don’t follow the ‘laws of nature’O Magicians have to keep the real

explanation secret

To create and share stories is to be human

OThey convey a culture’s memories

OThey entertainOThey teachOThey inspire

Some stories can be harmful

O When told as absolute truth

O When they are confused with truth

O When they carelessly mix truth and fiction

O When they are received at face value

Yet magic is not always harmless

O In politics, economics and other key areas of human life, magic can cause lots of problems

Magic + Storytelling =misleading information

Some Instances of Magical Thinking &

StorytellingO “Poor people are poor because they

are lazy.”O “Rich people are rich because they

work hard.”O “If you don’t behave, the monsters

will get you!”O “Immigrants are taking all the jobs.”O “Immigrants are all on welfare.”

But Wait….O Just as humans have a tendency to

think magically and share it with others

O We also have inherent abilities to detect and counteract our own and others’ magical thinking

The Cure for MagicalThinking & Storytelling

OCareful READING

OCritical THINKING

OClear WRITING

O BEING RESPONSIBLE CONSTRUCTORS,CONVEYORS AND USERS OF INFORMATION

Have you ever

ODetected something fishy?

Have you ever

ONoticed when something didn’t add up?

Have you ever

OSmelled a rat?

CONGRATULATIONS !!

OYOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE HUMAN SPECIES

OMEMBERSHIP INCLUDES

O INTELLIGENCE ODESIRE FOR

TRUTH

IDENTIFYING ELEMENTS OF MAGICAL THINKING

OSurprise explanations, beginnings, endings

OMissing explanations

OSimplistic explanations

ONo explanations

Elements of magical Storytelling

OWord choicesOPassive voiceODistorted

sequence and characterizations in the narrative

Slow down, closely examine

OCracks in the BIG PICTURE

OUse whisper/shout reading strategies

Cracks in Magical Storytelling & ThinkingO All good vs all badO One-sided sourcesO One-sided use of sourcesO No one else gets the story ‘right’; the

matter is settledO How is ‘the’ used in the title?

Word choices Absolutes:

O “always” O “never”O BestO WorstO only

SpeculationO ProbablyO What ifO must

Neutral or Value LadenO Died vs murderedO Criminal vs. suspectO Regime vs governmentO Murder vs ‘taking someone out’O Mob vs. crowdO Demonstration vs riot

Euphemistic wordsO The U.S. “expanded across the …

continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions.” (CIA FactBook)

O There are at least three euphemistic words in this statement insofar as the nature of these events in reality were more violent, harsh or dramatic

Pessimistic wordsO Under construction

Critical thinkingO Expanded how? Was it a smooth

expansion?O Acquired how? Do people just

happily let themselves be acquired by another country?

O What does acquisition actually look like?

O Are there more accurate synonym /word choices?

Grammar plays a role too

O Passive voice O “Large numbers of slaves were

imported…” [CIA FactBook]O Definitive article O “the” The History of Magical

Thinking in U.S. Schools

Critical thinkingO Imported by whom?O Aren’t things imported, not people?

Causality: Vague, missing explanations

O The U.S. “expanded across the …continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions.” (CIA FactBook)

O There are at least three euphemistic words in this statement insofar as the nature of these events in reality were more violent, harsh or dramatic

Magic & MythsO Myths are theories based on a

magical explanation

Unmentioned facts

After gaining independence from the US

Under construction

Keeping Myths AliveO We’re socialize to embrace existing

myths (part of our PK and experience)

O We can pass on to othersO Poor informationO Limited access to good quality

informationO Gratifies/serves our self-interests

Thinking critically: REGIME

O When we encounter “REGIME”O What are our spontaneous reactions?O feelingsO ImagesO memories

Reactions to regimeO GovernmentO DictatorO WMDO TotalitarianismO What else?

O We know that GW Bush used “regime” with alarming frequency after 9-11

O To which gov’t s did he apply this term?

“Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783.”

“During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions”.

“The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs.”

“Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Over a span of more than five decades, the economy has achieved steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology”