86 Do You Really Believe That?

Topic 86 Do You Really Believe That?

1. Here are some English words and expressions for a person who believes things too easily: gullible, credulous, a sucker (slang), a mug (Australian slang), naive (without experience) , a dope (slang for a fool). What % of people do you think are like this?

2. How do you make up your mind what to believe?

3. Some doctors say supplements like vitamin tablets, minerals etc are a waste of time. Some other doctors advise you to take some of these things. How do you decide what to take or not to take?

4. There is a great deal of conflicting advice about what you should or should not eat. What do you believe is a safe diet? Why? [For example, for many years doctors said fat and dietary cholesterol were evil. Now the story has changed. Sugar is the bad guy]

5. Some people have always done exercise (Thor has been running for 57 years), but now exercise has become fashionable. How much exercise do you believe you need? When you become older, will you need more exercise or less exercise? Why?

6. There are many news stories lately that all countries will soon be in deep financial trouble (like the Great Financial Crash of 2008). Do you believe this? Why or why not?

7. The news organizations are always hungry for stories. So we have endless stories about murders,disasters, scandals etc. Do you think these things are better or worse than they were 100 years ago. Why or why not?

8. Advertising each year costs companies worldwide about US$529 billion. Some of you believe these advertisements. Otherwise the companies wouldn't advertise. What kind of advertising do you believe. What kind of advertising don't you believe? How much influence does advertising have on what you do?

9. In English, when we say 'you are a lemming' it means you will blindly follow a crowd (even if it kills you). It means you are willing to believe and act on what the crowd believes without thinking critically for yourself. Are you a lemming? What % of people do you think are lemmings. [Lemmings are actually small animals (rodents) and there is a myth that they commit suicide in large numbers when their population becomes too large. The myth is not true].

10. What are some of your own 'core beliefs'? A core belief is something that you believe very strongly, and which affects your everyday behaviour.

[* Note: the photo used for this topic is not meant to be political, in spite of the Iranian flag. If you want to read the story, it is about an engineer (crazy, I think) who says Iranians used a flying saucer and 'tractor beam' to bring down an American drone : https://www.wired.com/2012/01/iran-ufo-drone/ ]