1-Sentence-Summary: How to Be Right delves into some of the thorniest issues that author O’Brien had to deal with throughout his career as a radio host in London, where he came across provocative arguments, people who love to debate just for the sake of it, and many others who used manipulation to get their point across.
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Favorite quote from the author:
Some people think that the only way to win a debate is to prove that the other side is wrong and you’re right. While this is an oversimplification of the process and often results in meaningless debates, it is precise what author and radio host James O’Brien had to deal with throughout his career.
The problem with mass opinions is that they’re often heavily opinionated, are missing fact-based research, and rely on unfiltered data. How to Be Right delves into the issues of today’s society, from feminism to Brexit and other political concerns, and shows you how to navigate them with a cautious eye.
By looking at facts in mass media news, you too can avoid falling into the trap of click baits and dishonesty. Let’s take a look at the ins and outs of fake news, political agendas, biases, and many more.
Here are three of the most relevant lessons from the book:
- When mass media has an agenda, the everyday person receives biased information unwillingly.
- In today’s world, people are easily offended and accept every opinion because they are afraid to go against the wave.
- The fact that everyone can share their opinion and spread disinformation through social media creates chaos in the world.
Let’s delve into these valuable lessons and see how we can learn from James O’Brien’s life experiences to protect ourselves from fake media and the rise of biased information.
Lesson 1: The media can favor certain parties or opinions, which will in turn reflect on the everyday person, just like it happened during Brexit.
The media has a significant impact on how people think, and what they believe to be true. For example, the media can favor certain parties or opinions. This will in turn reflect on the everyday person, just like it happened during Brexit.
During Brexit, the media largely favored one side over another. They gave more airtime and column space to those who were in favor of leaving the EU than those who were in favor of staying within it.
As a result, many people who didn’t have strong opinions on the matter started to develop them on their own—because they saw that other people had already made up their minds about it. Later on, when some of the movement’s leaders were put up against their own opinions, they couldn’t argue or defend themselves on the spot.
The same happened when it came to the public opinion of Muslim immigrants. While a majority of them were harmless and hard-working, the media was focusing on extremists. This causese an entire social category a hard time. The result? More people voted for Brexit.
This is why it’s important for journalists to remain unbiased when reporting on current events or issues that are highly controversial. Readers need accurate information from reliable sources in order to make informed decisions about their lives and futures!
Lesson 2: Political correctness is starting to rule the world as we know it.
A city planner in Birmingham wanted to save costs with light decorations, so he decided to leave all lights on during a time called Winterval. Without changing them with each celebration. Fast forward to a politically correct time, people use the word to replace Christmas and feel offended when others don’t do the same.
The problem is that everything is seen as offensive and it became very troublesome not to upset someone. It’s also very easy not to offend anyone if you don’t know what that even means anymore.
If you are offended by someone’s opinion or actions then you have every right not to associate with them. You can stand up for yourself and not allow others to bully you into believing something that makes you uncomfortable.
In promoting such scandals, the media does more harm than good. Not only do people get more divided, but they are also more afraid to speak their minds. Is this the world we want to live in? If so, political correctness will become the norm
Lesson 3: Social media and the rise of fake news made it possible for everyone to share their opinions, which is not a good thing.
Disinformation is a common problem that occurs in the media, where people tend to share information from unreliable sources without verifying their accuracy. As a result, disinformation spreads and causes confusion. Fake news is often propagated through social media as well.
An increasing number of people are now able to share their opinions on a wide range of topics. Regardless of whether or not they have the expertise required to make an informed decision.
This has resulted in the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation. Which have become more prevalent as people become increasingly distrustful of traditional media outlets.
In a nutshell, people are now sharing and resharing dishonest news. Spreading this biased information without even checking its authenticity or legitimacy. Such gaslighting articles make it to top news and carry disastrous consequences. From political movements to activists running meaningless campaigns, rigged elections, and many more.
The main problem is that we don’t have a pattern to follow this time. There wasn’t a time in history when people had such means to spread fake news, so we don’t know how bad it will affect our system. However, we can already catch a glimpse of it. Personally, I’m not a big fan of what I see.
How to Be Right Review
In How to Be Right, O’Brien serves a not-so-politically correct view of the world’s affairs he developed from being a radio host in London. Throughout his career, he noticed firsthand how the world changed before his eyes. As well as how the people grew more offended, bitter, and prone to believing everything they found online.
In a world of mass disinformation, keeping yourself protected from fake and gaslighting news is imperative. Not only do they interfere with our well-being and anxiety levels, but they also shape a new society that few of us want to be part of, yet it develops under our own eyes.
Reading this book is a great first step toward becoming more informed. This book will help us know how to choose our sources of information. All while staying true to facts and not falling for mass trends.
Who would I recommend the How to Be Right summary to?
The 30-year-old political activist. The 40-year-old diplomat who wants to learn how to better deal with fake news and political waves. Or the 55-year-old person who enjoys reading a well-written piece about politics and the world’s affairs.
Last Updated on November 16, 2022
