Frame Attacks and Confirmation Bias

I do everything I can to avoid talking about the presidential comedy show we have going on in the US.

Well, I've avoided talking about it for a couple weeks. But I can't stop my fingers from typing this now. You have too much goofiness to learn from this weekend.

Now into the nitty-gritty.

Trump's taxes were leaked. He lost over $900,000,000 in 1995. According to IRS rules this could allow him to pay zero taxes for about 18 years.

Trump's friends say he's a genius for understanding the tax code so well.

The opposition say he's crook for avoiding taxes (legally). They've also said he's a moron for losing almost a billion dollars in his casino business.

Let's understand this critical piece...

When you control the frame you control the rules of the communication.

Depending on which team you're rooting for you buy into their frame. And that's the position you argue from. Anything else violates the rules and is ignored.

This also falls into something called confirmation bias. We believe things that confirm what we already believe. And we ignore anything else.

Now, let's look at the last, laugh out loud piece of this tax deal.

Instead of owning up and saying the taxes are true/false, Trump attacked Clinton for her deleted emails and said she's only created jobs at the DOJ and FBI.

Back to framing.

Trump is swinging the frame from his taxes to the frame of job creation and the investigations of her activities.

And, because we buy into all sides of these frames, the public missed that he never denied these tax return.

What a weekend.

Remember, if you're attacked. Attack the other person's character. You won't have to defend your actions and you put the other person on the defensive.

It's a great way to switch the frame. Which controls the argument.

Now, is it too late to find someone who could make a decent president?

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