We are living in a world that is becoming more and more
fragmented; at times it feels like a never-ending twilight episode. Whole
sections of society become blind to the meaning of facts, especially when those
facts conflict with their worldview. People go into rants because they have a
particular point of view that they want to push, and when the known facts don’t
back this up, they ignore those facts, sometimes making up others to replace
them.
I believe a lot of that is caused by relativism – the notion
that facts or truth are a personal thing. We have been cowed into a politically
correct framework that says when you are wrong; it isn’t nice to tell you. In
this new world order, there is no right or wrong – no one has the right to
judge anyone else (UNLESS the judge holds the right, politically correct
views.) Two prominent examples come to mind:
Man-made Global Warming is a religion masquerading as science.
Statistics were twisted, climate models with no true foundation were presented
as fact. The name had to be changed to Man-made Climate Change because we
haven’t been warming for at least a decade. Proponents have been caught
red-handed, throwing out or suppressing data that conflicted with the theory
they wanted to push.
As John Adams said in defending the British soldiers on trial
for the Boston Massacre, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our
wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the
state of facts and evidence.”
Ignoring facts and evidence is not science; science is based
on examining and accounting for ALL the facts, especially the ones that
disprove your theory. Despite a profound lack of proof, there are still people
pressing to fix a problem that has existed - forever? – and is mostly caused by
variations in solar activity.
The killing Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri has become a
rallying cry against racial injustice and police brutality (and a convenient
excuse for lawless rioting and looting), with no evidence to support either
charge. All physical evidence and verifiable eye-witness accounts validate the
officer’s account, and a Grand Jury has refused to indict the officer for
defending his own life. Yet people with a particular political axe to grind
refuse to pay attention to these stubborn facts, and continue to act as though
we’re talking about an angel killed by white devils. Regardless of the facts, they
insisted on an indictment – and then a conviction – or they would protest/riot.
And if there was an indictment? They would still riot anyway. Neither the
evidence nor the decision really mattered.
In relation to this story, it would be nice if we could see
some honesty in reporting. Using the phrase “unarmed teenager” to describe
Michael Brown may be factually correct, but it is a way of using the
connotation behind those facts to lie about what happened, and I still see it
used today. Here’s a test: close your eyes and visualize an unarmed teenager,
then open them and watch the video of Mr. Brown stealing cigars. Does that description
really match the person?
A thug regardless of his color is still a thug. If he performs
a strong-arm robbery, refuses to respond properly to authorities, then assaults
a police officer, and when pursued charges that officer to assault him again,
tell me why he shouldn’t be shot?
There also seems to be confusion over the use of the words
PROTESTOR and RIOTER, as though they are one in the same. That needs to be
cleaned up, too. People exercising their freedom of speech by expressing their
opinion in the public square are PROTESTORS, and have a CIVIL RIGHT to do this
whether I agree with them or not. People breaking into and burning buildings
they don’t own, or stealing the property of others, are violating our laws and the
CIVIL RIGHTS of others, and should be behind bars, no matter what color they
are.
You can have your own opinions, because there are plenty to go
around. Why are there second opinions? Because opinions can be wrong, and they
can also change. You can’t have your own facts. The truth is fixed – not
malleable. Facts don’t lie; they can be manipulated, misinterpreted, or
misrepresented, but they don’t change just because you want them to.
Can’t we all just deal with reality? REALLY.
Just
saying…
<<<>>>
William Mangieri’s writing (including his
latest ePublication “Dead End Jobs”) can be found in many places, such as:
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