John Lennon was famous for his Beatles period, and his “Imagine” has become something of a hymn to those who seek a better world.
He may have had his faults as a human but he certainly could pen an excoriating lyric when the mood took him:
I’m sick and tired of hearing things from
Uptight short sided narrow minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth
I’ve had enough of reading things
By neurotic psychotic pigheaded politicians
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth.
Truth used to be an absolute. In today’s world, it feels less so. Our perceptions have always shaped the “truth” and this inevitably creates ambiguity. In recent times that ambiguity is skyrocketing.
If it appears on social media is it a fact or an opinion?
Are all opinions of equal value?
Just because you believe it, does it make it true?
Just because hundreds or thousands believe it does it make it true?
Did man really land on the moon?
What happened at Area 54 and Roswell?
And people believe(d) that:
In 2016, Oxford declared its Word of the Year to be “post-truth”. In 2018 dictionary.com named “misinformation” the word of the year.
Lies, misinformation and disinformation are not new. Some examples from history include:
In our world truth is taking a beating. Increasingly, it’s getting hard to watch the news and trust what we hear and see. Each day we either log in or turn on the TV or radio to figure out what is going on in the world. Not uncommonly, we find ourselves surrounded by facts, opinions and opinions masquerading as facts.
The constant barrage of information and opinions enabled by the internet and a 24-hour news cycle is not only disorienting, but also makes it difficult to discern between what is “news” and what is “opinion.” This confusion has led to a decline in trust in politicians, scientists, leaders, journalists, etc.
Politicians bemoan “fake news,” seemingly absurd conspiracy theories are taken seriously and social media gives everyone the opportunity to construct their own narrative of reality.
Is it any wonder that people are claiming: “Everybody’s lying! Nobody’s telling you the truth! ”
Bloggers and influencers become source material for what many people choose to believe.
Conspiracies thread their way into people’s “reality” via social media and if they get traction they can migrate into the mainstream as “alternative opinions”.
So, for the young people who will lead us into the future, who will teach them how to find and discern truth in what is increasingly becoming a “post-truth world”?
I am afraid it will be parents and schools who provide children and young adults with the intellectual rigor, research skills and discernment to analyse and interpret what the world broadcasts at them.
Some of the skills we will need to impart include:
Or Else…..
Mr Terry Muldoon Principal, St Columba Anglican School |
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