The Rothston Series – The Power to Influence the Thoughts of Others
Recently, two of my friends posted on Facebook about the failure of a state legislature to timely take action on an issue. One attached an article from a reputable media source stating that the legislature succumbed to the disruption of the protests during its session, with my friend commenting in dismay at the state of our country if we give in to mob-rule. The other friend stated that she was proud to be an American where established rule of law prevails, attaching an article from a different reputable media source that stated that the legislature did not act in a timely manner due to one legislator’s use of her filibuster power. Two different concepts of the facts and two different conclusions as to the state of our country. Why? Because the media, while both factually correct, emphasized and omitted specific information that resulted in the conclusions reached by the two readers. In other words, the media has the power to influence our thoughts and decisions.
Of course, the media are the only ones with this power. As a young lawyer, I used to tell my family about my cases over the dinner – except it would be the same case with different facts emphasized. Their reactions would be very different. Aside from lawyers, we are bombarded every day with ads that influence us to believe that a product or place will help us achieve a happy and fulfilling life. Toddlers learn quickly what to say and when to cry to get attention or influence their parents to give them the treat they want but shouldn’t have. All around us, every single day, people are doing their best in influence our thoughts and decisions, and many of them are quite persuasive.
Is influencing others necessarily a bad thing? Can it be used for neutral or even positive purposes? When would that be? These are the questions that formed the core idea behind The Rothston Series, using adepts who can directly change people’s decisions to aid in that exploration
