Stay Woke: Accept Nothing on Face Value
“Now, yet another front has opened up in the battle against deception. Technology has advanced to such a degree that the adage ‘seeing is believing’ is no longer a guarantor of veracity. So, accept nothing on face value.”—Tim Bayer
Won Over By Reality
By Tim Bayer
BRIGHTON New York—(Weekly Hubris)—June 2018—These days, identifying deception and outright lies requires . . . engaging your brain. It may also require a little research using credible sources to verify what’s on offer as factual. However, climate change deniers, the anti-vaccination contingent, and lying politicians are easily exposed as just wrong when confronted with . . . just facts.
Now, yet another front has opened up in the battle against deception. Technology has advanced to such a degree that the adage “seeing is believing” is no longer a guarantor of veracity. So, accept nothing at face value.
Take a look at this video:
This is an early implementation using some cutting-edge technology that is still in its infancy. However, it won’t be long before this technology matures to the point where the subtle video glitches and rendering errors will be gone. A smooth, error-free, HD video of any event, promoting any agenda, will be possible.
What can you do?
Engage your brain! Fact check! Do not take a video, a Tweet, or a Facebook post as immediately credible—EVER! Engage your brain in the same way you would when someone tells a lie to your face. Challenge what you see and hear. Does what’s before you seem reasonable, or do you smell a rat? Then, verify the veracity using independent, unbiased, and credible sources.
Win the battle. Stay woke!
Tim Bayer
Tim Bayer, Webmaster, and Assistant Editor of Weekly Hubris, was born and brought up in Webster, New York. He attended St. Bonaventure University, earning a BS in Computer Science, and then worked in the hi-tech world. In 2002 he turned his creative energies to product development and video production with the release of his first independently produced products. When the demand for web site design and freelance writing increased, he once again switched skill sets . . . to writing and web work. An avid or, to be more accurate, rabid, disc golfer, he may often be found chasing plastic while in pursuit of the perfect round on a disc golf course, or designing and developing disc golf products for Demogrid.com. He says he tries to find the humor hidden in everyday experiences, because, “life is too important to be taken seriously.” (Author photo by Tim Bayer. Author Head Shot Augment: René Laanen.)
2 Comments
Jean
Thank you, Tim. This is the age in which the old rule of three independent sources is not only helpful but absolutely necessary. Do you think that is one of the reasons we are, as a society, so paranoid? It seems to me that living in a time when films and pictures of anyone can be manipulated in this fashion is at least as frightening as the present political nightmare. In any case, thanks for the excellent reminder.
Tim Bayer
Hi Jean,
I would say in my case, it is not paranoia, it is concern. There seems to be a large segment of the population that lacks scientific literacy and the skills for critical thinking. Without an educated, scientifically literate populace with an ability to objectively evaluate facts and identify non-truths, lies and liars, bad decisions are destined to be followed by worse decisions. This ignorance leads to uninformed decisions on a personal level as well as bad voting choices producing horrible politicians on a national level. To me, this is very troubling.