It's a hobby of mine, in the information age: Whenever I learn something that I didn't know before, I always go and read more about it. The reason for this is that so many of the "facts" you get in this day and age are false or misleading.
Two of my relatives don't include me in their daily e-mails anymore after the fifth or sixth time I e-mailed them back telling them, "no, Boeing isn't making a passenger version of the B2 bomber, that photo is a fake," or "no, the Koran doesn't have a prescient passage in it regarding America taking revenge for the attacks of 9-11," or "no, Andy Rooney didn't write that racist screed about immigrants", or "no, that bouncing ball music machine isn't made out of tractor parts by the Univeristy of Iowa Engineering Department", or "no, sperm donor clinics in China don't look like still shots from Japanese naughty-nurse porno movies".
The list goes on... endlessly.
I made a mistake like that once on my other blog when I posted that you can hold your car alarm dongle up to your telephone at home and unlock your car door via cell phone... an e-mail that I fell for. I was exceptionally embarassed by having been duped, but admitted I was wrong and have made really sure that I don't become a chump like that anymore.
What amazes me most is that so many other people don't really care that they are spreading disinformation. They keep doing it. It is almost as if they don't mind being the chump. It doesn't bother them. They don't check for themselves to see whether what they are sending (i.e, what they are claiming they themselves believe, and are telling other people to believe) is true. Due to the fact that I don't receive those "9-11 conspiracy" e-mails and "Clinton coverup" e-mails anymore (knowing that their e-mails are subject to my fact-checking), I can conclude that the only thing some people seem to care about is not knowing what the truth really is.
The point is that the Information Age only means that we have a lot more information... not that all of it is true. It means that with each additional piece of information we look for and receive, there are that many more chances of being lied to. Some people carry on blissfully in these times, putting as much trust in crackpot internet sites or e-mails titled "FW: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!" as they do in network news reporting, science books, or even their own eyes or common sense.
Other people, like me, try to figure out the truth: It's a tough job that annoys a lot of people... and it gets me tossed off more unsolicited-e-mail lists than I care to remember... but somebody has to stop the ignorance.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go work on enlarging my penis.
UPDATE:
My mother, having read this post, and feeling sorry that nobody sends me e-mails anymore, sent me a "see, I still love you" e-mail filled with amusing facts. These amusing facts.
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5 comments:
I think it is more telling though about how people get mad when they find out they have been duped: They don't get mad at the person who duped them, not mad at themselves for being duped, but mad at the person who pointed out that they had been duped.
It's the adult version of telling kids there is no Santa Claus.
People only hear and believe what they want to. Speaking of news and information, hear anything new about TQ2 and Alf and Russ?
The only thing I know is that Alf is back in town, and Stan went to TQ2 with him this past Sunday. Other than that, no Dago, no information.
I went there with Russ about a week ago but Alf wasn't there.
The staff (Mem wasn't there either) were all glad to see him.
We didn't stay long but Russ is Russ and he is doing fine at Shooters.
So, there is your update on the TQ2 saga.
It’s nice to know that others are in the same boat with their families after attempting to dispel the floodgates of Internet misinformation… no matter how many times one suggests things be checked out via snopes.com prior to broadcasting such drivel. One bright side is in researching such things (car alarm dongles & cell phones ) it sometimes leads to very interesting and addictive blog sites. Jil (aka: Chump), you’ve been a mainstay in my daily blog-reads ever since and have introduced me to interesting reads from Brunty, Nan & Rune, Issavalles, The Bushman and many others. You lead a very interesting life and I’m sure many of us enjoy living vicariously through your foreign adventures! Thanks for what you do and keep up the good writing… now just HOW did you unlock your car with your cell phone again???
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