Too Much Information (Not Enough Truth)

The internet, for all its myriad and wonderful benefits, has a dark side.  It gives everyone a forum and, unfortunately, not everyone deserves one.  This is symptomatic of the always-on, always- connected culture that the internet has fostered.  Put a person in front of a microphone and chances are that they will feel compelled to say something.  Give a person an internet connection and the same thing happens.  Everyone wants a say, even if no one else wants to hear it.  Negative feedback doesn't sting nearly as much as boos and catcalls, so there is little downside to broadcasting your opinion. As a result we now are awash and liable to be swamped by the (dis)information of the Information Age. There is way too much information and too little veracity out there.  

I got an email last month warning me that the passage of the healthcare bill would mean medical coverage for illegal aliens.  How many emails do you get each day containing some purported fact like this that makes you say, "Huh?"  I mean, really.  Since illegal aliens cannot vote, why would any legislator champion such legislation that he/she knew would be universally derided by those who CAN vote?  Exactly. Since this made no sense to me, I decided to confirm it on the websites snopes.com and factcheck.org. In about forty seconds I was able to verify that this claim had no factual basis.  Of course.

It goes on and on. Interestingly, given that Republicans are without much of a voice on Capitol Hill at the moment, they seem to have found a forum on the internet.  The majority of these alarmist emails I receive seem to have a right-wing bent to them, although I am certain that both parties are equally adept at fear mongering. When the Republicans retake the Hill, the Democrats will crank up their own disinformation program.  The party out of power and its disenfranchised adherents must operate on the fringes, content to fight a guerilla war of words and obfuscation while waiting their turn.  Why is the national mood so divisive these days? I daresay that the proliferation of these hardline views and the ease of access to them contributes more than a little to our collective funk.  People naturally seem more willing to accept as true something outrageous when it squares with their own beliefs or casts a negative light on the opposing side. However, when everyone talks and no one listens, the net result is shouting, not progress.

So, for the good of the country, I am taking a stand.  Send me your politically-tainted emails if you must, but do so with the knowledge that I am-even at the risk of bringing bad luck down on myself or of not receiving a $500 Best Buy gift card for sending this along to ten friends-not going to attempt to influence my friends by passing along to them stories that they most likely will not attempt to verify. Everyone can thank me later.