Yet another bit of verbal authority and oversight on what happened Jan. 6th in my nations capital.
I also noted that was the only example you chose, partisan as it is, to note your expertise regarding conspiracy theories and their influence.
You did however offer an excellent overview of how mainstream media conducts itself in reporting to the public and its abandonment of honest journalistic principles. That source is always noting what works best for its own agenda, not the publics while it regurgitates its convoluted stories based on social and political preference.
Always adhering to which story will generate the most income.
Follow the money, its not as high and mighty and full of integrity as you allude to.
Be it print or broadcast.
As you "write" to the rescue ("got to Gortnipper") of so many of us from the sort of stuff any sane person would ignore, why Jan. 6th was the one and only reaction you noted?
Could it possibly be a personal political stance? There are a lot of people in uniform who end up "paying". I cite defund the police or black lives matter as just two of so many examples based on your response of "it's the guy in uniform put there by authority who pays".
If you are trying not to get slapped in the face on a motorcycle site (poor guy) stop pontificating your judgements upon the other participants or simply stay out of the bar
Well put Lineslinger and not without merit, but with respect I would like to wander in and out of the bar as I please (as you do). It’s not a bar really (no security), it’s a forum for discussion and entertainment. I guess that requires multiple parties to include their thoughts, opinions - and yes occasionally ‘judgements’ (guilty as charged sir) as you have done here with my content. I have no problem with that at all - long live free speech, as long as it doesn’t have significant detrimental outcomes. You are also welcome to characterise my exchanges as using my ‘authority‘ ‘expertise’ and ‘oversight’ if it better suits your purposes.
For me, not so much a political stance as a practical ‘actions have consequences’ stance. My firm belief is that the deluge of disinformation in contemporary discourse is as big a threat to our society as any Cold War dictator. Yes of course there is mis/disinformation and corruption in the MSM (always has been), but ‘fringe’ media outlets, issue motivated groups (and individuals) have taken this to beyond extreme.
The truth is now whatever the internet/TV ‘talking head’ says that it is, and we had better check that the talking head is not an AI construct. How did we get to a situation where there is more than one set of facts leading to that ‘truth’? I contend that it is often through orchestrated disinformation; the currency of those wishing to profit (financially or politically) whilst sewing maximum discord and succour for the disenfranchised and/or readily manipulated.
Examples of the harm caused by conspiracy theories is not difficult to find IMO. If you can identify a trusted information source, research ‘are conspiracy theories harmless’ (or similar) - my guess is that you already know the answer. I mention only Jan 6 above for reasons of brevity (not my strong suit) and because the theory was proven false (damages awarded) by a court of law. Some forum members have no trust in the media, government or science. Don’t know whether that mistrust extends to the judicial system.
A personal example I’ve cited before though:
A retired military friend of mine and his new young family were visiting my area (touring by caravan) when the pandemic began. Stuck on the campsite and unable to travel he started reading ‘the news’. I watched as the more he read the more ‘truth’ he was fed (I guess that’s how the algorithms work). No matter if it was possible to definitively prove that a particular nugget of ‘truth’ was in fact false, he was immovable. Until relatively recently, he (and family) were still stranded in the caravan park unable or unwilling to fly home. He (and family) did not vaccinate (personal choice entirely) as he now believes this to be an organised population control measure. He won’t visit a doctor as he does not now trust the profession (they were ‘bought and paid for’ to implement said measure). Won’t put his money in the bank because a faceless cabal of elitists are going to take it and leave him with nothing (although he’d be ‘happy’ apparently). Severe personal, financial and career implications resulted - from (a) the truth, (b) disinformation or (c) somewhere in between?
Without getting political, how can we avoid reference to the pandemic when discussing mis/disinformation and conspiracy theories? Ridiculous 5G implants aside -
is it a fair question to ask, how many lives
may have been lost because of mis/disinformation? Let’s leave that door closed, or the thread will undoubtedly be.
Interesting chat - from re-branding a beer to conspiracy theories. I like this bar, then again it’s the only one in town.