I think I finally understand the world
around me – or at least why it is traveling in its current
direction. It was a simple post on Facebook that made me become aware
of the entire picture. The graphic to the left apparently circulated enough
that Snopes saw fit to add it to its long list of internet myths.
When it came to my attention I was shocked that any single individual
could believe that Facebook legal staff could pass laws.
Each day there is something new about
which people become outraged. Some of it is fact, some a blend of
fact and fiction, and some obvious mistruths. We have Alex Jones who
has a huge following. There are those who accept everything he says
as gospel. There are the Art Bell followers who do the same. I'm not
here to say what is and what isn't truth from either of those. All
that interest me is why do others believe almost 100%.
People love a conspiracy. People love a
good mystery novel. I'm sure science can point to an area of the
brain that is stimulated by such things. But I think there is more to
it than simple mind stimulation. There are the people who are
skeptical of everything – to a fault. There are those who often
look at events with cold logic.
For now let's stick to those who want
to believe and how they are being manipulated. There are items like
the fake graphic about Facebook banning religion. Someone likely did
that for amusement. Many love to watch the gullible fall for the
obviously outrageous.
There are those who do the same thing
for power and money. Marketing is this type of manipulation. Someone
made a fortune selling Pet Rocks. Not because they were anything more
than a rock, but because they made it become a novelty – something
popular.
Each day people are sucked into these
Nigerian money scams. People open virus filled files because they
promise riches. This is because people have a deep seeded need to
believe. People need to believe government will keep them safe or
that there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Just this week there was a local
incident where a York,
SC police officer shot and severely einjured a 70 year old man simply
because he exited the car with his walking cane. We are seeing these
incidents daily all over the country. That in itself is a problem,
but possibly the bigger problem are those who make excuses for the
officers. There are those who say, “The old man should have
followed the rules.” We now live in a society where it has become
acceptable for government to kill innocent people simply because they
broke the rules.
We have the NSA, politicians, and
citizens alike who support spying on innocent Americans. We have the
CIA killing people with drones, occasionally Americans. Many support
these actions. Too many people want to believe what they see and
hear, especially on the internet and television. It doesn't matter
if your political orientation is left, right, or middle, you are
likely a victim of falling for propaganda and mistruths. We find
people along the full IQ spectrum that are acceptable to propaganda.
The human has some innate need to
believe. This is especially true if the information comes from
friends or those in the media and government they trust. Those
people are often themselves influenced by propaganda and mistruths.
Many people don't intentionally lie except in cases of scams and
practical jokes, or to cover their butt.
The only thing we can do is to take no
information for granted. Unless we become a society of moderate
skeptics then we will fall for many evils. The people of Nazi Germany
put their faith in government. Governments, monarchies, and
oligarchies throughout history have committed atrocities against
their citizens.
Become aware of your surroundings. When
in the grocery store know who is behind you. When you hear your best
friend tell you something – double check. When your favorite
politician or television/radio personality tells you something,
double check the information. Our generation has been blessed with
the greatest research tool ever devised by mankind. We have the
knowledge of Einstein at our fingertips – we must take advantage of
those tools.
When you see someone with the title
doctor or nuclear engineer, don't assume they know their job. More
people in our society are addicted to prescription drugs than those
made illegal by government. People pop those pills into their mouths
simply because a doctor tells them they should.
Justina
Pelletie was taken from her parents because one doctor disagreed
with another. The parents were treated like criminals simply because
they sought the best medical treatment for their daughter. This young
girl is now near death because her parents were not allowed to seek
the best medical treatment.
Ladies, gentlemen, and the gullible, I
present to you your government and the police state that you have
allowed them to create. We now live in a society where the lower
middle class will be fined because they can't afford health
insurance. We live in a society where police attacked and broke the
bones of a 90 year old, or shot a 70 year old for the simple act of
getting out of his car with his cane. We live in a society where Stop
and Frisk is an accepted practice. Our world is one where we allow
government employees to frisk our bodies before boarding a plane. We
willingly step into machines that will electronically remove our
clothing.
We buy goods and services we don't need
simply because of what we are told. We lock ourselves in endless
cellphone contracts simply because we must have the latest phone. We
go into debt for houses and cars we can't afford. We demand
government keep us safe at any cost. We never want our comfortable
lives to end. For these things you have gladly traded your liberty.
You are willing to vote for someone who simply offered Change when they had no history to back up their words.
I will still cry for you when it is
your child the government takes and nearly kills. I will cry when it
is your mother or father that is killed on a lonely highway by an
overzealous representative of the police state. I won't cry when you
lose your home and car you never could afford. I won't cry when your
child ends up in the hospital almost dead because of prescription
medicines, or when the government refuses your heart operation – because it is your fault.
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