The article discusses how individuals project their political beliefs onto fictional characters, contributing to political polarization. A study from the University of Southampton revealed that people tend to perceive heroes as aligning with their views and villains with opposing ones. This phenomenon extends beyond fiction to real-world behaviors, where people link 'good' politicians with their party and 'bad' ones with the opposition. Dr. Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte emphasizes that such associations not only deepen political divides but also make individuals more vulnerable to misinformation that reinforces their biases.
People are likely to project their political views onto fictional characters, leading to increased political polarization and susceptibility to misinformation about opposing groups.
Dr Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte mentioned that if we categorize villains as belonging to the opposing side, we associate negative traits with that group, worsening political polarization.
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