When Jesus of Nazareth appears before Pilate in Jerusalem, Jesus tells Pilate that “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37) Pilate responds with one of the most famous questions in history, “What is truth?”
Yes. The only thing I find more disturbing than the faux political commentaries are the people that embrace them without due diligence. I learned the hard way that digital information can be manipulated in such a way as to give credibility to even the most outlandish premise.
We live in an era where media clips from verifiable sources can be downloaded and edited so that the subject of the video appears to be saying something that was not said. Video and sound editing apps and programs are myriad and are used in daring ways to subvert facts.
There is a lot of money to be made as an e-celebrity. My daughters work editing game videos for a YouTube channel; sounds hokey until you find out that there are hundreds of gaming channels (generally referred to as LP's/Let's Plays) on YouTube that clear in the millions of dollars. Several years ago, one channel in particular made national news when the owner garnered millions of subscribers and in one year cleared 12.3 million dollars. All for sitting at home and playing video games on YouTube.
There are equally lucrative channels on YouTube that cover politics - some even lay claim to being citizen journalists. They aren't. Their 'journalism' amounts to sitting at their laptops and perusing websites, news sites, opinion sites and compiling 'facts' that support whatever spin they believe will be the most eye-catching and therefore profitable.
Digital media is easily manipulated - the software to do it is readily available - words, pauses, a glance or smirk can be added or deleted or exaggerated with the click of a mouse. We are living in a time where conspiracy theories can be dreamed-up and then 'substantiated', not by facts, but by a software program. Common sense and a discerning spirit would be useful these days, unfortunately, neither appear to be in abundance on the internet.
This morning I opened your email just after my morning devotional and got a bonus. I am so grateful to have a voice in the media whose foundation is godly.
So many are heartbroken (and mad as hell) at the injustice that ended Mr. Arbery's life and the injustice didn't end there. Thank you for using your voice to perhaps give strength to those who seem indifferent to this and other horrific matters. It's time to step up and speak up against this and so much injustice that has crept into our lives and gone unchecked.
Look forward to hearing you at 9 this morning. God's blessing's to you and your family.
I think there is a very large difference between truth and opinion. One can find statistics that show that Covid is absolutely deadly, and one can also find data shows that it is no more deadly than bad flu strains. To disagree with you about it's mortality rate and the actions to be taken is not about "truth," but disagreement.
Further, I would opine that as a Christian, there is one Truth. Foundational truths that emanate from the Word. After that, it is opinion. We cannot know the "truth" about what happened to Arbery. We were not there. Therefore, we have opinions as to what happened, and why. To disagree about any of these things is simply that, disagreement. Even with a trial, we won't know the "truth," only what a jury decides on the evidence presented. We will still disagree.
"The malignant obfuscation to undermine healthcare experts and public policy..." I surely hope that all people would challenge the experts and demand data and proof, not just reliance on a person's reputation. One reason people are advised to get a second or third opinion, no?
We conservatives should seek truth. That’s hard as long as the great prevaricator is in the Oval pretending to be conservative and as long as “conservatives” don’t call him out.
In watching the video of the shooting, it was clear that Ahmaud Arbery should not have been shot. He was clearly jogging and after heading around a truck parked in the road, he ended up dead. Even though he had recently trespassed in a house under construction to look inside (as many people like to do), this is hardly a major crime calling for a citizens arrest at gun point. The fact that no official brought charges for months is also a disgraceful event that should not have happened.
That being said, I don't believe it is proper to tie this event to other issues, even though Erick is correct in pointing out that the truth doesn't seem to matter to a lot of people. The modern political world is full of truth distortions from the persistently anti-Trump fake news to the conservatives who suggest keeping one's distance from people potentially infected with the deadly Corona virus will do nothing to prevent/slow its spread, as if Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are corrupt morons for suggesting such common sense measures. However, when discussing Ahmaud Arbery's case, the focus should be on the individuals responsible for his death and the failure to bring his killers to timely justice, if truth is the primary goal.
Yes. The only thing I find more disturbing than the faux political commentaries are the people that embrace them without due diligence. I learned the hard way that digital information can be manipulated in such a way as to give credibility to even the most outlandish premise.
We live in an era where media clips from verifiable sources can be downloaded and edited so that the subject of the video appears to be saying something that was not said. Video and sound editing apps and programs are myriad and are used in daring ways to subvert facts.
There is a lot of money to be made as an e-celebrity. My daughters work editing game videos for a YouTube channel; sounds hokey until you find out that there are hundreds of gaming channels (generally referred to as LP's/Let's Plays) on YouTube that clear in the millions of dollars. Several years ago, one channel in particular made national news when the owner garnered millions of subscribers and in one year cleared 12.3 million dollars. All for sitting at home and playing video games on YouTube.
There are equally lucrative channels on YouTube that cover politics - some even lay claim to being citizen journalists. They aren't. Their 'journalism' amounts to sitting at their laptops and perusing websites, news sites, opinion sites and compiling 'facts' that support whatever spin they believe will be the most eye-catching and therefore profitable.
Digital media is easily manipulated - the software to do it is readily available - words, pauses, a glance or smirk can be added or deleted or exaggerated with the click of a mouse. We are living in a time where conspiracy theories can be dreamed-up and then 'substantiated', not by facts, but by a software program. Common sense and a discerning spirit would be useful these days, unfortunately, neither appear to be in abundance on the internet.
This morning I opened your email just after my morning devotional and got a bonus. I am so grateful to have a voice in the media whose foundation is godly.
So many are heartbroken (and mad as hell) at the injustice that ended Mr. Arbery's life and the injustice didn't end there. Thank you for using your voice to perhaps give strength to those who seem indifferent to this and other horrific matters. It's time to step up and speak up against this and so much injustice that has crept into our lives and gone unchecked.
Look forward to hearing you at 9 this morning. God's blessing's to you and your family.
I think there is a very large difference between truth and opinion. One can find statistics that show that Covid is absolutely deadly, and one can also find data shows that it is no more deadly than bad flu strains. To disagree with you about it's mortality rate and the actions to be taken is not about "truth," but disagreement.
Further, I would opine that as a Christian, there is one Truth. Foundational truths that emanate from the Word. After that, it is opinion. We cannot know the "truth" about what happened to Arbery. We were not there. Therefore, we have opinions as to what happened, and why. To disagree about any of these things is simply that, disagreement. Even with a trial, we won't know the "truth," only what a jury decides on the evidence presented. We will still disagree.
"The malignant obfuscation to undermine healthcare experts and public policy..." I surely hope that all people would challenge the experts and demand data and proof, not just reliance on a person's reputation. One reason people are advised to get a second or third opinion, no?
Thanks Erick! Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the light”. Solid proof truth matters.
We conservatives should seek truth. That’s hard as long as the great prevaricator is in the Oval pretending to be conservative and as long as “conservatives” don’t call him out.
In watching the video of the shooting, it was clear that Ahmaud Arbery should not have been shot. He was clearly jogging and after heading around a truck parked in the road, he ended up dead. Even though he had recently trespassed in a house under construction to look inside (as many people like to do), this is hardly a major crime calling for a citizens arrest at gun point. The fact that no official brought charges for months is also a disgraceful event that should not have happened.
That being said, I don't believe it is proper to tie this event to other issues, even though Erick is correct in pointing out that the truth doesn't seem to matter to a lot of people. The modern political world is full of truth distortions from the persistently anti-Trump fake news to the conservatives who suggest keeping one's distance from people potentially infected with the deadly Corona virus will do nothing to prevent/slow its spread, as if Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are corrupt morons for suggesting such common sense measures. However, when discussing Ahmaud Arbery's case, the focus should be on the individuals responsible for his death and the failure to bring his killers to timely justice, if truth is the primary goal.
Excellent column! Thank you. The hucksters of all stripes are everywhere these days.
I was just pondering this today. The extremes i see on my Facebook feed make me tired. Thanks for your comments, I find them helpful.