https://newslit.org/ Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link). How to Debunk: 1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories. 2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information. 3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help. 4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers. 5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news. "Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive." "Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda." Sander van der Linden Social Psychologist University of Cambridge Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
I keep a page of wise statements magneted to the small bulletin board above my desk. It is usually ignored and that is too bad, because what it says makes a lot of sense. Especially when I use it to evaluate myself as I am doing today.
It goes like this:
Worth Remembering
"No one will ever get out of this world alive. Resolve therefore to maintain a reasonable set of values...
I'm good with this. My values have remained consistent throughout my adult life. I learned my values/belief system from my parents, my religious life and my experiences. I am proud of how those values have remained the cornerstone of the adult human being that I have become and continue to become.
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"Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone's major source of wealth. Without it happiness is almost impossible. Resolve to be cheerful and helpful. People will tend to repay you in kind...
Pretty strong on this one. I do admit that it has been difficult at times since 2015 to be ever cheerful. Yet, it cheers me up to stand up for my values. If at times I come across as being angry or abrasive, it is really me expressing the strength of my values. I feel no vengeance towards anyone. Anger yes, vengeance no. I guess this statement belonged down below. As long as it got expressed, it's all good.
My natural tendency is to be helpful to others. Giving of myself is something that I enjoy doing. Sharing my thoughts is one form of giving; Donating platelets is another; singing is another; visiting and respecting my elders is another...
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Avoid angry, abrasive persons. They are generally vengeful. Avoid zealots, they are generally humorless...
I had to stop and take a longer look at this one. I have been angry of late much more than I think is healthy for myself, those around me and the world in general. That anger is usually directed at talking heads on the television and not to real people. Yet anger is anger and should be avoided as it leads to angry actions. That is never ok...never. I have considerable work to do in this area. I ask your indulgence and patience.
As I mentioned above, there are times when I feel anger, but not vengeance. Vengeance is dangerous, very, very dangerous. I don't want it anywhere near me.
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Resolve to listen more and talk less. No one ever learns anything by talking...
You might think that I talk, or in this case, write too much. You might think that I should listen more and read more. You are right. I should do more of both, but that will not stand in the way of expressing what I believe in this moment. By reaching out to you in this blog, I am making an effort to listen more. Please engage with me even if you think it will be unproductive or piss me off. I don't mind being pissed off if it increases our level of dialogue.
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Be wary of giving advice. Wise men don't need it, fools won't heed it....
The only advice you'll get from me is the advice I've gotten from others who are much wiser than I.
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Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime you will have been all of these...
For the most part, including my three decades as a middle school teacher, I have been "tender" with the young and hugely apologetic when I wasn't as tender as I should have been.
Tolerant of the weak. Weakness can take many forms. It can be physical, mental or emotional. I am good at being tolerant of weakness. I have had periods when I was very weak and vulnerable. I'm not always good at turning my tolerance into action to help the weak.
Tolerant of the wrong. That is a tough one to touch. Who gets to determine what is right and what is wrong. In this blog, I express strong opinions about what I think is right and what I think is wrong. None of what I comment and opine about is right or wrong.
Being the judge or right and wrong is way out of my league. For that matter way out of my universe. Beware anyone that claims to have all the right answers.
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Do not equate money with success. The world is too full of miserably unsuccessful rich people..."
This is painfully obvious at the present. Rich, "miserably unsuccessful" people have positions of power in the world today that they should not have. I focus my attention on them. Vote to put those "miserably unsuccessful" people out of office. Slava Ukrani.
Money has never been of much importance to me.
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Bold print material is Unattributed. The italic material is mine as the author of this blog.
A lot of wisdom here, Bruce. Thanks for sharing it.