The Myths Will Persist

Brendan Nyhan, political scientist and health policy researcher, in a New York Times op-ed makes some interesting points about the interminable debate about health care reform and the inability to achieve consensus:

Studies have shown that people tend to seek out information that is consistent with their views; think of liberal fans of MSNBC and conservative devotees of Fox News. Liberals and conservatives also tend to process the information that they receive with a bias toward their pre-existing opinions, accepting claims that are consistent with their point of view and rejecting those that are not. As a result, information that contradicts their prior attitudes or beliefs is often disregarded, especially if those beliefs are strongly held.