What does it mean to Really Think? That is a good question, and there are probably many answers out there that could fit the bill. What I want to talk about here is related to thinking while listening to someone. For example, you are on the Internet, and end up on YouTube and you start to look at some videos. Now, you could just be looking at cat videos, or something similar, but lets look specifically at the many videos out there that were put there to try and tell us something. For instance, it may be an alternate media video, or even a mainstream media video. So, you are watching this video, and you hear them say something. The question is how do you start thinking about what they said? How do you ‘Think’ about it?

The first step is to try and look at the language that is being used. For example, lets look at something recently in the news. Lets look at this headline from Yesterday in the New York Times. The headline reads: As Trump Berates News Media, a New Strategy Is Needed to Cover Him. Just look at the headline and the language used. The word ‘Berates’ is interesting as it implies that what he is doing talking down to the media is unwarranted. But, if you look at a recent Gallop Poll, Americans’ Trust in Mass Media Sinks to New Low, it is obvious that most people no longer believe the media. This poll taken last September shows that only 32% of people “have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media”. This means that 2 out of every 3 people don’t trust the media. If that is the case, then the media is truly not doing their jobs. Now, if you are one of the ones that still trust the media, this seems completely crazy that the media would be ‘berated’ just for doing it’s job, but if you aren’t one of the ones that trust the media, then you may look at this as deserving. Either way, the headline is designed to get both types of people to click on it, because if you believe the media, you want to read why they are being berated. If you think it is justified, you want to revel in why you are the one that is correct.

Thinking comes into play when you step back and try to understand why the headline says what it does. A headlines main job is to get people to react. In some cases it isn’t even to get them to read the article, as that might give them too much information. In this world of sound bites, what we have been taught to do is make decisions without really digging into any subject. Since there’s very little discussion on many subjects, including politics, it’s no wonder people don’t understand what’s going on in the world today. In order to keep someone’s attention, the media can’t talk about any one subject too long, as that would bore many people who would then turn the channel. Luckily, with the advent of the Internet, and places like YouTube, people can decide what they want to watch, and when they want to watch it. So, if someone does create a lengthy video on a subject, those wanting to see it can dig into more detail than is provided by the mainstream media. Another option with the Internet, is you can search for the apposing point of view, or any other points of view, so you can try and get perspective from all sides. That is something that is sorely lacking from todays mainstream media.

The next step is to then process what is being said, and see if it is not only logical (think logical fallacies), along with what evidence is provided to support their claims.