Our Ideological Funnel (the key to understanding why people think the way they do)

Imagine a baby in diapers, running around the house soaking up every bit of information fed into him.  Fed from a vast array of sources, from his outwardly devoted parents, to Big Bird on Sesame Street, to the children he will meet on the playground in school.  The child does not stand a chance against the millions of bits of information that will be sent in and out of his brain.  He will develop a "funnel" that will be vital in his search for political, or religious, or social truths.

When that child has grown into a man, he will encounter bits of information that his "funnel" will easily accept or discard according to his developed ideological preferences.  Some people are able to restructure their funnel through an open mind and an information seeking plan.  Other people lack a complete funnel and are easily swayed one way or another (these are the people who cant decide who their gonna vote for until the last day).  The next time you face a political opponent who is unwilling to listen to another side of the argument think of them as a child in diapers, unable to restructure the funnel cake that is their brain.   

Oh the US of A...