When I was younger, I was a bit of a Star Wars addict.
Now, I never dressed in funny costumes or collected action figures and we didn't have a TV, which made watching the movies tricky. I've seen them a few times, but not that many compared to most people who like the story.
For me, the Star Wars universe was mostly contained in books. I read most that were published, even obscure ones that were fairly loose spin-offs of the original series. It was in one of these - a series about the adventures of the pilots of Rogue Squadron - that I encountered one of my favorite "truth" quotes. One of the pilots was describing something to his friends he called "the gray fallacy".
"One person says white, another says black, and outside observers assume gray is the truth. The assumption of gray is sloppy, lazy thinking. The fact that one person is diametrically opposed to the truth does not then skew reality so the truth is no longer the truth."
Tycho Celchu, Isard's Revenge
I Can't Believe It
I have to admit this quote runs through my mind every time I see a news story lately. They all seem so vital and plausible...until we find out a few days or weeks later they can't be. A retraction is supposed to be a serious and rare thing, but it seems like major news outlets need to start having whole retraction segments to cover all of them. This is insane. I'm dismayed at my needing to needing to wonder with every report if this is "a position diametrically opposed to the truth."
I don't like being manipulated and don't have time to research every story. Assuming that the truth is probably just a grayer area than what's being reported leaves everything up in the air - something either is true or it isn't. So I'm being forced to become a cynic. I don't believe much of anything in the news. Because it's as if the idea of truth is just a mockery right now. "Truth" is whatever a newsmaker wants it to be, pure and simple. And I have this sneaking suspicion that there's a full drive to make news consumers believe in the Gray Fallacy if they can't be totally converted.
Perhaps that is one reason I am really not concerned about nuclear bombs right now. Might be a good opportunity to use the real Star Wars...
Excellent post. I think your observations are right on and like the way you think! We live in a society where what passes for truth seems to be a compromise between actual fact and what will hurt someone's feelings the least. I do not agree with this. Fact is fact and should be kept seperate from feelings. If the facts hurt someone's feelings, then that's a sign they need to start changing the way they live their life.
I also want to add that a large problem with the media outlets is that they are OWNED by foreigners and other people that are interested in serving their own agenda more than they are interested in serving the truth. You can see it just by the stories they write over and over, and the stories they choose to ignore or bury.
Thank you! I agree that most news outlets are most interested in serving their own agenda, though I'm not sure it's because they're foreigners or just come from a philosophical bent that is interested in overwriting and changing history to suit their purposes.
I like the line "facts don't care about your feelings". What's funny is the selection of whose feelings can't be hurt - there is usually no problem in hurting mine by calling several of my sincerely held viewpoints idiotic or even dangerous!
All in all, it's a good time to not have a television. It's probably really helping my blood pressure and ability to think rationally about life in general!
Yes, if you are a white person, especially a hetersexual male, your feelings don't count a bit. But if it's a memeber of the LGBT or a minority or people involved in certain 7th century violent cults, then they tiptoe around and are extra careful to avoid the truth.
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by ironshield from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews/crimsonclad, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
@ironshield got you a $0.83 @minnowbooster upgoat, nice! (Image: pixabay.com)
Want a boost? Click here to read more!