"Constant lying is not aimed at making people believe the lie, but ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A person that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies, cannot distinguish between right and wrong."
Hannah Arendt, German Historian and Philosopher
I encounter so much information every day. So much, in fact, that It’s become increasingly challenging to determine when I am being delivered objective facts versus being fed scripted narratives. When people try to sway your opinion, they typically omit essential details or only provide the content of a video that supports their view. I’ve found conducting simple research quickly uncovers whether I am seeing truth or a carefully constructed narratives. Let’s take a look at quick actions I use to understand what’s real and what’s fake.
- Be skeptical
- Locate the data or the source
- Search for counterpoints
Start with Skepticism
As I read content on-line or view it on television, I do so defensively. To me, it’s like defensive driving. As I drive around Nashville, I drive with an expectation people may act in an irrational manner or may act like not all traffic laws do not pertain to them. I take the same approach with the Internet. I cannot expect all people to be true to the facts or follow ethical statistics guidelines. My Internet surfing posture is defensive at all times.
Because of this posture, I take very few news stories or social media claims at face value. I assume they need defensiveness and research. I typically start with a straight browser search, and I may use multiple browsers. Why? Because much of the information we are presented is filtered using other people’s bias. When I get a results set returned, I see a combination of news, private articles, web pages, and paid studies. All of these include an array of facts and opinions, or exclude relevant details altogether.
When I get a results list, I’m looking for content that appears to balance multiple perspectives. If it focuses exclusively on one side of the issue, I’m not interested. Whatever I click on, I quickly assess if it’s expressing opinions or facts. Does it omit relevant data? If it’s factual and piques my interest, I spend my time to read or watch their information. I often get quite a bit from it.
Become Better Informed
When I read information presented to me, l focus on words the author uses. People trying to fool me often use words like always, never, and everyone when delivering their narratives. Hmmmm, if everyone agrees on a topic or something is always true, why are they trying to convince me that it’s true? If the science or statiscal evidence is compelling and settled, I should be easily able to locate the source. Once I find it, I read the information for myself and determine if they are making the correct conclusion or if they may be cherry-picking data. Also, I take note of who funds the research and content. It can be telling.
Seek Out Counter Narratives
I’m happy to report I have changed my mind on issues. When I’m researching issues, I often come across people holding a different view, but they present their position in an open manner with facts, deep rationale, and solid statistics. Regardless of whether it changes my stance, I benefit from reading it and understanding their position. I have enriched my knowledge of the issue and opened myself to more potential solutions and conversations on that topic in the future.
A couple of years ago, I posted about “How to Forgive Like a Kid“. In that post, I review several different mindsets that kids use to be curious and grow their knowledge. As we age, we close off these techniques. We lose curiosity. By reminding myself of these techniques, I lean into more open-mindedness, not less.
By practicing open-mindedness, I’ve discovered many people that I align with philosophically that are very different from me, whether it be race, sexual orientation, theology, or other lived experiences. For example, I believe adults should be free to transition to whatever gender they feel most comfortable. But, I do not agree with allowing minors to do the same. I have found common ground with transexuals, gays, dads, and famous fiction writers who share this perspective. It gives me hope we can find common ground in more areas with people from all backgrounds.
Fool Me Once?
In my view, we should be striving to find common ground, even if we disagree. I would rather talk and debate facts than narratives. Unfortunately, I can’t do that by blindly following unfounded opinions or by disregarding those that don’t appear to match my world view. To do this most effectively, I need to avoid hyperbole and red herrings. Here are my 3 simple rules to get closer to the truth:
- Whether it’s news media or social media, be careful what you take at face value
- Research, using multiple sources, to improve your knowledge
- Seek out opposing viewpoints, especially those originating from different backgrounds/experiences