Are There Errors of Reasoning When Politicking?

Errors of reasoning are found in everyday society. We make assumptions based on generalizations, observations, resistance, illogical thinking, and because someone we respect shares a certain viewpoint. Although we know people are bound to make these assumptions, are there errors of reasoning in politics?

When looking at the Huffington Post which is a major media outlet known for their political blogging. I examined an article, written by Senior Political Reporter Amanda Terkel, 79-Year-Old Congressman Tells Hillary How To Get Young Voters: Rappers, Liquor And Pandora (Terkel, 2016). Getting into the meat of the article, Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) believes Hillary Clinton should get votes from the younger demographic by serving alcohol, inviting rappers, and punk rockers to reach the young masses (Terkel, 2016). When reading this statement, I think selective observation. The congressman has an assumption that the young demographics only care about drinking, rappers and punk rockers. He truly believes this will gain Hillary Clinton her votes.

The next article I found, I took a look at CNN Politics. A recent article that has been making public news talks about Donald Trump gaining the black vote because of NBA Player, Dwyane Wade’s recent family tragedy. "Dwayne Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!" he tweeted, misspelling Wade's first name (Scott & Diamond, 2016). Trump’s statement is a case of illogical reasoning. Just because a person was killed walking her baby, doesn’t mean this will suddenly cause black voters to vote for him. There is no evidence to support his claim. 

What does it mean for those individuals who read these articles and believe these errors of reasoning to be true? Simple! They may be actually missing out on receiving factual information. These errors of reasoning can go unchecked for a long time and eventually sway someone else follow the same path or make the same assumption. 

The first step to changing these errors of reasoning are making sure we fact check. Major leaders can persuade people to take one view over another which could be detrimental when making certain decisions or if you're just wanting to know what is actually going on in the world. Whether it's knowing what drives young voters or sway black voters, I make sure I do my own research to get the facts. Researchers can look for ways to show people that there are many errors of reasoning that we tend to overlook. By explaining what errors of reasoning are to people, they will know how to recognize it in their everyday lives. Many people also  take everything the media offers at face value but knowing the difference between a subjective and objective media outlet can guide you towards getting the facts. 

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Scott, E., & Diamond, J. (28, August 28). Trump links death of Dwyane Wade's cousin to black vote. Retrieved September 4, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/27/politics/donald-trump-dwyane-wade/index.html 

Terkel, A. (2016, September 02). 79-Year-Old Congressman Tells Hillary How To Get Young Voters: Rappers, Liquor And Pandora. Retrieved September 4, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alcee-hastings-young-voters_us_57c9a63ee4b0a22de095c2ae?utm_hp_ref=hillary-clinton