I recently wrote two blog posts here ("Truth and Facts...A Challenge for Democracy" and "Patriotism is a Virtue") in which I discussed the viral emails we all regularly receive from those who insist that America is on the brink of destruction, primarily because of our President, who they insist upon calling Barrack Hussein Obama...as if including his middle name proves that he is not an American citizen and that he is secretly a Muslim who is hell-bent on destroying our constitution and the American way of life.For proof of this, these hate-filled emails offer up all kinds of false and misleading diatribe. The exaggerations, lies and fear-mongering propagated by these messages have necessitated the creation of rumor debunking sites such as SNOPES.com, FACTCHECK.org, TRUTHORFICTION.com and others.
Nine times out of ten, if you take the time to do a little research, you find that the emails are littered with falsehoods and misleading innuendo. Often they will contain one or two facts, surrounded by misinformation and lies. They are nothing more than the clever manipulation of the natural human tendency to trust.
Worst of all...they call upon you to forward the emails to others in an effort to somehow prove the lies are the truth by virtue of how many others receive the emails, believe the falsehoods, and then forward them on to even more unsuspecting readers.
The messages are never meant to inform, only to inflame. They are intentional redirection from reality and progress, to a paranoid delusion and the fomenting of hatred of Americans by Americans.
We see the same thing from many of the TV and online news media outlets - in particular, Fox News.
Consider these tallies from Glenn Beck's show on Fox News since President Obama's inauguration: 202 mentions of Nazis or Nazism, according to transcripts, 147 mentions of Hitler, 193 mentions of fascism or fascist, and another 24 bonus mentions of Joseph Goebbels. Most of these were directed in some form at Obama -- as were the majority of the 802 mentions of socialist or socialism on Beck's nightly report. (Source: Dana Milbank, The Washington Post)
Isn't it ironic...and utterly arrogant...that the crusade to prove Barack Obama a foreign influence is led by an Australian named Murdock and his second largest shareholder Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud of Saudi Arabia?
I don't know about you, but I have had enough.
The right to freedom of speech is one of our most cherished rights. It is also a double-edged sword: the same right that allows us to criticize our government's policies without fear of reprisal also protects those who endorse and promote racism, anti-semitism, ethnic hatred and other socially divisive positions.
And therein lies a significant threat to democracy, because voters that choose to believe unsubstantiated "facts", false innuendo and speeches and videos taken totally out of context become susceptible to voting based upon ignorance and misinformation, uniquely unenlightened by facts or truth.
Choosing the above path is a real threat to our American way of life, and it's unacceptable to me.
How about you?
Jay,
ReplyDeleteI disagree with two parts of your post. First, it is an American right and duty to exercise free speech. There are an equal number of journalistic bias errors in both the left main stream media, and the right wing blogs. Most folks listen to the side they favor. I happen to enjoy it all, and listen to the better shows such as Charlie Rose, John Batchelor, and Mark Levin and lots of Blogs. It is anything but a threat to American life. Worrying about Lindsay Lohan and Brit Spears, that's a threat to all life.
Second, Obama was the most liberal senator from the most corrupt city. He now runs the most liberal administration with the most thuggish behavior. As a result, his popularity has fallen, as has his ideology, and racial polarity is the highest it has been in generations. The economy is in the tank, the budget is immense, and our health care system is headed to ruin. I think it makes sense to discuss all this, and if folks get a little excited, I don't blame them. Think of all the folks who have all their retirement tied up in real estate, who are devastated by the criminal behavior of the Dodd-Frank FNMA and Freddie Mac. I hope folks speak out.
But at the end of the day, thank you for all the work you have done for Hamilton and the budget. You make a real difference.
Anonymous...Thank you for your comments, particularly in light of the fact that they serve so well to reinforce the very points I sought to make.
ReplyDeleteKeating...Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Like you, I also enjoy listening to both sides and seeing how the same issue can be portrayed so differently. I did not mean to imply that free speech should be curtailed, only that it seems to have become much more hate-filled and racist-defined since Obama was elected.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that free speech is a "right", but I do not believe it is a "duty", particularly when the "speech" is made up of lies and false innuendo, as I have noted in my post. Getting excited is one thing...Making up fake stories and spreading false rumors is something quite different.
I agree with you that worrying about Lindsay Lohan and Brit Spears is a definite threat to our way of life!
Jay, I appreciate that you sent me this blog, and it is a good thing that we can exchange ideas within this context.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that; I totally agree with Keating. I am a constitutionalists, and have total faith that our founding fathers knew what they were doing. there are checks and balances within our system that allows diverse ideas and thoughts.I believe our country is strong enough to live through the most liberal president this country has ever had. Unfortunately, he has ignored some of those checks and balances. I believe he was unprepared to be the president of this fine country.Our right to vote is our right, and our duty if we do not like what is happening. If more people vote instead of complaining then changes can be made. We are the people, and we can exercise our inalienable rights!
Dale...No one, least of all me, is questioning the founding father's brilliance. But let's be realistic...the world is a very different place than it was in the 1700s...or even the 1800s or 1900s for that matter. That's why there are amendments to the constitution.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I would like to see more citizens excercise their right to vote, and spend less time complaining...and less time spreading lies and misinformation, which was meant to be my point.
How do we accomplish that goal? I do not know. I do know, however, that cognitive dissonance plays a significant role in the propagation of false information and that is a shame and a clear threat to the dissemination of the truth.
Jay, your statement in the Salem News: **...the sad part is when freedom of speech is used to perpetuate lies and false information and, for whatever reason, those that read or hear the lies fail to do the research in order to learn the truth.**
ReplyDeletethere it is...in a nutshell.
Hi Jay,
ReplyDeleteGreat things you are saying. I agree with you completely. Unfortunately, the only way to combat the spread of misinformation and lies (such as Obama is a Muslim or wasn't born in the US) is to keep on just repeating the truth. The spread of this misinformation is very deliberate and the purpose is to make it impossible for Obama to govern. The President took over when the economy had completely tanked under eight years of Bush policies. It may take a generation to get us back on an even keel. Obama has righted the ship, but it is still taking on water. I feel we need more economic stimulus to really get it going again. But the Republicans continue to block his every move, thinking that if the continue to keep the economy anemic then they will be rewarded with more votes.
That may be true, but it is terribly short sighted.
Best wishes, David