Words & Numbers
About this podcast
Insightful weekly commentary on news & current events from economist Antony Davies and political scientist James R. Harrigan.
Join the conversation
How Politics Distorts Our Perceptions
July 4, 2018
What do you know about the political party you disagree with the most? Who do you think makes the group up? Is it a bunch of “libtard snowflakes” who are all union-backed? Or is it a bunch of offensive alt-right wackos with too much money to know what to do with it? Either way, those perceptions are both completely off-base—caricatural, even—and dangerous. A study, titled, “The Parties in our Heads: Misperceptions About Party Composition and Their Consequences” discusses exactly how Democrats and Republicans perceive both themselves and each other, and shows exactly how inaccurate those perceptions are. From exaggerated numbers of union-affiliated democrats to impossible statistics of Republicans who make more than $250,000 per year, join us as we discuss the dangers of political misrepresentation and more in this week’s episode of Words and Numbers with James Harrigan and Antony Davies.
Show Notes:
Harley Davidson moving overseas
Largest U.S. nail manufacturer on brink of extinction
FDA approves marijuana-based drug
Foolishness of the week
US is the 10th most dangerous country for women
Topic of the week
Each party is wrong about the other
The Parties in Our Heads: Misperceptions about Party Composition and Their Consequences
