Of course, nowadays, technology allows anyone to manipulate images so easily, who knows which "facts" are real and which aren't? The question is, who do you trust? The guy who made this movie? Rupert Murdoch? That little CNN logo at the bottom of the screen? Is that a seal of trustworthiness? It is a fact that all the major media are run by a bunch of rich bastards who don't give a hoot about whether or not your or my version of reality is accurate. They're dealing with major $$$ in a federally regulated industry, so truth and honesty aren't their top priorities, (though they may tell you that they are).
It's also a fact that anyone can prove whatever they want by selecting certain facts and omitting others. People will believe whatever they want, logical or not. (Try having a conversation on a touchy topic with any kind of fundamentalist, be it religious, political, or whatever. Reason, let alone open-mindedness, goes out the window.) I categorize things as either "true", (I was born, I'll probably die, the sky looks blue, etc.), "false", (The holocaust never happened, Iraq had WMD, etc.), or "unknown", which is where I file this topic.
There are a lot more "unknowns" than "facts", a lot being a gross understatement. Don't trust anyone who claims to know it all.
"An expert is one who claims to be ignorant in all but one topic."
It's also a fact that anyone can prove whatever they want by selecting certain facts and omitting others. People will believe whatever they want, logical or not. (Try having a conversation on a touchy topic with any kind of fundamentalist, be it religious, political, or whatever. Reason, let alone open-mindedness, goes out the window.) I categorize things as either "true", (I was born, I'll probably die, the sky looks blue, etc.), "false", (The holocaust never happened, Iraq had WMD, etc.), or "unknown", which is where I file this topic.
There are a lot more "unknowns" than "facts", a lot being a gross understatement. Don't trust anyone who claims to know it all.
"An expert is one who claims to be ignorant in all but one topic."
* This post has been modified
: 19 years ago