Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Fighting against Fake News

We live in an era where we can't trust news sources.  A big part of this is because so many people share 'news' stories that aren't actual news at all.  Anything at all can be stated, video'd, photo'd or written, and so many people believe everything they encounter, and pass that information along as if it were Truth. 

But worse (in my opinion) is when people or companies deliberately publish fake stories to push their own agenda.  There are so many sources that we expect to be accurate that simply aren't, and this is creating a very real problem in our society.

Because many people base their ideas and opinions on what they think are facts, and it makes them have a very skewed perspective of what is actually going on in the world.  I think this is becoming much more apparent in the past couple of years, as fake news is being called out, and more people are starting to realize that just because a source claims to be a 'news' source (be it paper, digital or video), doesn't mean that the news they are reporting are accurate and unbiased.

Sadly, this is not a new phenomena.  We have been the subject of fake news pretty much as long as there has been news.  Sometimes, this is as simple as a reporter putting their own spin on a story...they may report the facts, but they flavor them in such a way as to imply a completely different meaning.  But sometimes it is flat out changing the facts. 

As Pagans, I think we have been aware of this effect because of how our own history is often remembered.  We have learned to go digging, to seek out multiple sources, and to question how things are remembered and recorded.

These are skills that serve us today!  As we encounter the many different news stories and information sources, we need to put those critical thinking skills to work.  Even when the news reports accurately, there may be other facts, other information, or other sides to the story that aren't being reported.  I believe we owe it to ourselves, and to each other, to not only determine if the news we are hearing is true, but to try to see the bigger picture surrounding it.

I've seen quite a few reminders, in this past week, to fact check before sharing things on Facebook.  Let's face it, memes spread like wildfire.  If someone posts a sensational image or headline, it gets shared by hundreds of people who just hit that share button without even considering checking to see if it is even remotely true.  I've seen some really crazy stuff being spread as if it were Truth!

But I think that it is also important that, once we determine that a particular meme or piece of news is fake, that we spread that, just as we might have spread the fake news.  We are all in this society together, and the more people who are seeing only fake news, the worse off we are, as a global community.

Think of the vast numbers of people who firmly believe all the things that this or that politician are spouting off on their podium!  The amount of crazy that is being passed around as Truth boggles my mind.  And I think a big part of why this spreads the way it does is because we don't have the same intensity for disproving things as we do for just getting angry at things that push our buttons.

It is much easier to see something, become inflamed by it, and pass it along.  Not only do we like to share things that rile us up, but we often have to pipe in our two cents as well.  We are coming from a place of anger or frustration, so we aren't being very logical.  If someone comes up with an opposing viewpoint, we may be inclined to not want to listen, to just shout and rant louder, because we perceive the situation to be dire.

I feel like uncovering and then sharing the truth is a form of magic and a form of resistance.  Words have power, and the less we let our opponents use their lies and propaganda to keep the masses blinded, the more we can work towards true change!

And I am not just saying this from a "I want my side to win, and I think Truth is on my side..." perspective.  I would much rather live in a world where I know what is real and what isn't, even if the reality isn't my idea situation.  Because when everyone's eyes are open, it is much easier to explain our perspective.  If people can't see what is actually going on in the world around them, it is almost impossible to change their mind and perspective, because they literally don't believe that what you are saying could be true.

I am guilty of this, just like the next person.  I often see things that I know aren't true, but I might not feel like doing anything about it right then.  Or I wonder if posting an alternative perspective would make other people think less of me.  But I try.  I try to shine light into the darkness, to illuminate the illusions that corrupt people are hiding behind and to share a little more understanding and truth into the world.

If we live in a culture of memes and headlines, perhaps we need to fight fire with fire!  Make memes that express your truth.  When you fact check something, find the best headline you can that represents what is actually going on, and share that.  When you find yourself start to go on a rant....stop and examine the opposite perspective from yours...does it have any validity?

Sometimes we can be brave and share our story.  But sometimes we aren't ready or aren't safe enough.  If you can't share your own words, find someone else's words who echo what is in your heart and share those!

So many times, it's been said that social media is just a cesspool of negativity, and that in order to be healthy we should avoid it.  But we don't have to!  We can instead fill it with positive images, uplifting words, heart-touching stories.  I work very hard to keep more beautiful things in my news feed than ugly ones.

But I don't think we need to shy away from the Truth, because sometimes it is hard, ugly or painful.  Truth has it's value, and needs to be shared, but we don't need to only focus on the rough places.  Traditional news sources spend almost all their time reporting tragedies.  The front page or headline story is typically something gut-wrenching, because that is what grabs your attention...it is sensational.  We have been trained to look for the bad things, and to stop and stare when we see them.  And yet there are lots of wonderful and amazing things going on every day, all around us!  Imagine what a different world we would live in if we gave as much attention to the positive as we do to the negative.

I think we need truth.  I think that we need transparency.  I firmly believe the world would be a better place if all the facts were out on the table and people could start to agree on what IS....and from there we can work on how we want things to be.  Because we can't create the world we want if we don't first start from where we are.

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