Episode Synopsis "Public opinion is not the public's opinion - Interview #12 - James Hoggan"
James Hoggan, public relations expert and co-founder of DeSmogBlog, talks with me about the impact of PR to persuade people to pick up opinions that preserve a status quo that is trending poorly for the future of the planet. James is author of "I'm Right and You're An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up". It's a great book full of great science on human psychology, political and economic behaviour, and in particular, justifications for why people in power do the things they do and why people support them even when it hurts them. The Civics Factor is a podcast about the ideal civic education if democracy wasn't screwed. Like a lot of education, civics was politicized under a flawed paradigm that doesn't do what we desperately need democracies to do: elect good leaders who will follow-through on solving problems. Subscribe or add wherever you find podcasts and on YouTube! www.civicsfactor.com