Blog 5

         In the passage written by Jefferey Kluger " I Know the Truth, So Don't Bother Me With Facts", he writes about people believing in false beliefs and what it takes to get people to change their mind about them. Based on studies by professors from Ohio State University, they recorded that 750 people believed at least one rumor about the Islamic cultural center. Then decided on which true fact to expose in order change the opinion of the people. Further studies are being conducted on the brain to look deeper into why most people don't change their opinions even when presented with real facts.

         "Even when people do take time to learn the facts, the effort does no good". I took this statement from the passage because I believe that it has a lot to do with ego and experience. It takes a lot for a person to change what they thought and believed in after proving them wrong with true facts. Just like my grandparents, most people are very stubborn with what they believe in, and in order to change things true facts need to be presented

         As a girl, growing up with plenty of aunts, uncles, and cousins there was always something or someone being talked about. Whether it was a crazy rumor about who was dating or a twisted story about how someone in the newspaper died. I also had my grandparents who always spoke of stories and lessons that were quite outdated. They were such strong believers in what they preached. If you told them different to change what they thought, they would be more stubborn than an ox. Here’s a good example of when my uncle met his wife. It was like any other day, I was in my grandparent’s house after a long day of school. My uncle came home from work with a big smile on his face. Something was obviously up with him, so I asked him why he had such a big smile on. He had told me that his new relationship was going very well and my aunt said yes to be his girlfriend. He had told the family about his news after everyone came home. We were all happy for my uncle. Until my aunt Maribel asked what nationality she was. My uncle took a minute to respond, and finally said she was Puerto Rican. That’s when all the idiotic rumors about Puerto Rican Women started; how they were gold diggers, how they couldn’t cook as well as Dominican women, etc. My grandmother went on for about an hour saying that it wasn’t going to last and how she would rob him blind. Since I was young I told my uncle not to worry about what they said and how I couldn’t wait to meet her. He took my advice and they have been married for 7 years now and have a 2-year-old son. But still to this day my aunt and some others in the family say those things.

         I think some of my family’s thoughts and view on things will never change. I also think it has a lot to do with age and their experiences they’ve gone through. Hearing all these stories and gossip as a kid sounded so real to me just because it was my family, why would they lie. As I got older, I realized what instigation and adding a little white lie was. People added their two senses to the story just to make it sound more interesting, whether it was true or not. That is what everything comes down to; a whole bunch of misheard stories, instigation, and flat out lies.