I’ve been looking at a few articles about fake news spreading on social media platforms, Twitter, Facebook (unsurprising given that the company has decided not to fact check political advertisements) and am reminded of a Terry Pratchett line “A line can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on.” A sentiment others have iterated.
Be wary, be present, be critical, use multiple sources of information, cross-reference information, when is opinion construed as fact, think about what agendas those sources may or may not have. Consider your own reactions carefully. I ask myself why I agree or disagree with something several times. We are not as logical as we would often have ourselves believe.
If I am tired, annoyed, happy, had a long day, had a drink, etc., my reactions take on different shades. It is important to distinguish between reactions that are emotionally or chemically generated and those that are logically generated and to give space to each and an understanding to each. We won’t see the red blender if we only expect to see the blue one.
Mike Ulen, Grand Marais
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