YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY BRISTLES MY BEARD? EPISODE ONE

We live in an age unlike any other. Never in the history of man has collecting, analyzing, and redistribution of information been so easily available to all walks of life. The internet, in many ways, has replaced the traditional way that we, as a society, educate ourselves, and share our views with the masses. Yet, with all this power available to anyone with an IP address, we have legions of people contributing in the relentless spreading of misinformation.

Rather than research a topic, or obtain exact wording of a law, we rely on the ramblings of tin hat wearing conspiracy theorists for our daily dose of factually incorrect information. Had my father not been so stubborn and learned how to turn on a computer, he would be in all his glory among the brotherhood of the wrong. “A speeding ticket would be null and void in the area between the population sign of a town and the actual geographic boundary of said town.” My father was a boss of misguided truths even before my brother and I rocked dial-up ICQ conversations.

We are a strange bunch. If what we want to hear fits our beliefs, we can easily pass it on to the next minion as verified truth. Don’t like something that you’ve just read? Give it a few more clicks, go down a few more rabbit holes, and you’ll find a truth that fits your agenda. Let your Facebook friends know, post it on your wall, and argue your point by ridiculing anyone that questions the authenticity!

Personally, I’d rather be an Informed Ian. I’ll take the extra 2 minutes to read legislation, dig into a free legal resource, or contact someone who is educated on the matter. I’d rather find out the legal ramifications of cutting a tree branch on my neighbours property before I trust the “fact” of what someone thinks should be legal.