A Deep Breath (#9)

I spent the last thirty minutes trying to explain this feeling of intellectual inadequacy that has plagued me since college. However, by the fourth paragraph, I realized this particular topic required more time. Once again procrastination undermined my blogging. But I am not allowing this bad habit to prevent me from writing my weekly post. Instead, I will share with you what triggered today's attempt to chronicle my struggles with my ignorance.

(I've shared Gustave Courbets' the Desperate Man before. And, again, it fits my reaction so well.)

Unfortunately, like too many things, it started with a post on social media. It included a video, but without any comment from the OP. At the very least, tell me your motivation for sharing information! Whether you realize it or not, leaving things without explanation is a form of manipulation. 

So, from the start, I was wary.

Then I read the title and source/ The Anti-Human Agenda. From GB News. More warning bells. I should have stopped there, but I was pissed, really at myself, for even glancing at the post. Since the 2016 election, I have refrained from clicking on these types of links. Yet, every once in a while, I let my guard down, and have a go.

I hit play. Within the first minute, my suspicions were confirmed. The man in the video was some man named Neil Oliver. He is British, has an MA in archeology, did some documentaries, and wrote some books. He is against Scottish independence. And he considers the Covid lockdowns in Britain "... the biggest single mistake in world history." Hyperbole! Another red flag. 

With a sense of rhythm, he presented one offense after another. Within the first few seconds of listing a horror, I predicted the rest of his attached diatribe. I had already come across these same exact talking points, whether on Fox News, OAN, or Epoch. Verbatim. 

At this point, I would love to dissect the video. There is so much there, not about what he actually claims to be true--most of it is misinformation and disinformation--but in how he presents it all, including his voice, the background image, the flow of his dialogue, the talking points. All of it is premediated, with the goal to control the viewer's thoughts.\

(In fact, I would argue, Neil Oliver is a stooge himself, with little understanding of his own part in someone else's agenda.) 

However, this analysis requires time, effort, and research.

And I have to make dinner.

(Fuck you procrastination!).

Yet, I want to leave the following, because it has been on my mind since the 2016 election. It is a series of questions, ones that I think every person should answer before deciding to post something. I have spent countless hours answering them each time I come across a video, meme, or post that elicits a strong response in me. It is about time other people do the same.

• Why are you sharing the video/meme/post? How did it speak to you? What were your emotional responses upon seeing it for the first time? Did you agree with it on you first viewing? How about subsequent views? Did you even bother to watch it more than once?

• As you were watching the video/examining the meme/reading the post, did you question any of the information or arguments? Did you stop at any point, and look up if the facts were true? Did you research the person making the arguments? Did you go through their other videos/memes/posts? 

• Did you bother to research counter arguments to the information or opinions presented in the video/meme/post? Did you determine if the presenter was trustworthy through research, or did you just assume? Why did you assume?

• Finally, when you shared the video/meme/post, did you consider the possibility that someone would object to it? Question it?  Ridicule it? If not, why not? Did you assume that your audience, your circle of friends, would agree with it automatically? If you did foresee controversy, what did you hope to achieve by posting it? An actual dialogue, or drama? If people presented counter claims and different opinions, would you attempt to see it from their perspective, put the time and energy into researching their information? Would your responses be filled with memes, or actual facts?

At some point, I will come back to this video. But for now, I have much better things to do. Like start dinner for my family. Continue to read a book. Fold laundry. Write something creative and worthwhile...