Egypt accuses US of being the mastermind of Paris attacks

Two days ago, the most widely circulated Egyptian daily, Al-Ahram, which is understood to be loyal to the state, continued its demonization of America by running a cartoon depicting Islamic State as a man, marked “Made in USA,” eating another alive, while a person-world is pointing two fingers at the victim, saying “Muslim, terrorist.”

 

I work in the area of cognitive sciences.

 

I study how individuals think and how language and images work.

 

The most fundamental understanding is that most thought – about 98% – is unconscious. My job here is to spare no effort to make the unconscious conscious.

 

Here goes: One of the basic findings of cognitive science is that we think in terms of frames and metaphors. The frames exist in the synapses of our brains, physically present in the form of neural circuitry.

 

When the facts don’t fit the frames, the frames are kept and the facts ignored, even ridiculed.

 

The frames the Al-Ahram cartoon activates are: A villain (the US, the creator of Islamic State or IS), a victim (the Muslim community), and an unfair judge (the international community). We have neurons that are connected to emotions.

 

So, for example, when you hear the word “villain,” you feel angry. Similarly, when you hear the word “unfair,” you feel bitter. In this scenario, these emotions are channeled: the villain, for instance, must be fought and excluded.

 

Read More: Egypt accuses US of being the mastermind of Paris attacks – Opinion – Jerusalem Post

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