My question is this, who Snopes Snopes? We are becoming so leery of misinformation in this media rich culture, when does the site that you trust, need another site to check to see if the information that they say is trust worthy, is actually trustworthy?

Keep up the good work Judie.

But now, I’d say he’s decidedly on the lunatic fringe. There’s always been a lunatic fringe, but they’ve never gotten the media coverage that they do now. It’s not the media is for or against their ideals. The media doesn’t care, there’s no such thing as “the liberal media” or the “conservative media” (at least in the mainstream!) – it’s just about ratings. If it looks good on tv and stirs the pot, then people watch and that’s good for them. That’s all it is.

He’s totally programmed now by what he sees, so he fact checks nothing. I tried the snopes approach.

The response? That I am unamerican and am in fact a traitor, and that I’m being persuaded by foreign influences and foreign sources aren’t valid. Snopes is “foreign” I guess.

I also reply-all’d and his was the only response I got, and as a result, we don’t talk much anymore. I feel like I lost my dad to this madness.

Things like this are why I subscribe to GD RSS feeds!!!!!

I work in internet tech support, surviving 11 years so far, and I am pretty disgusted with the level of ignorance out there. Too many people raised on TV, left alone with the TV as the babysitter, and just plain stupid.

No wonder the US is falling behind in so many ways.

sigh.

Intelligent writing and conversation is a true pleasure.

thank you again

David

I myself have done the “Reply to All” on such things as virus hoaxes and the “forward this to as many people as possible and AOL with donate money” to a supposed “brain cancer” kid that doesn’t exist, imploring people to check any such stories out, and pointing to the Snopes pages as well. I embarrassed the hell out of one, and I don’t think I’ll be getting anymore from them.

It’s the quickness and ease of sending email, I think, that motivates people to abuse it and pass these things on. I also have to sometimes remind co-workers that politically-based emails are against corporate policy, and not to send their favorite “Joke of the Day” to me since my PDA Phone has limited storage, and I don’t need the cute videos clogging it up.

You know, if the Post Office did start charging per-email (like a popular hoax email claims) maybe this would all stop!

Criticize the health care proposal all you want, that is actually a healthy thing – but call Obama Hitler and you might just as well wear a sign around your neck that says “I am a mindless lemming with no clue about either current events or about history’.

I had to do a similar ‘chain response’ to the same basic disproved stuff last year during the election … again, vote your conscience … but please use your brain!

I think one of the things the people making up the lies are depending on is the fact that there is a psychological truth that after hearing something three times we begin to internalize it as TRUE even if it is not. So take an outlandish lie, state it publically and then let it pass from person to person. Thanks to electronic communication we see it multiple times and, eventually, begin to accept it as true.

We have big issues in the country. Regardless of your political leanings you HAVE to know that.

When we focus on the lies… when we repeat them over and over and over again… it only distracts us from starting to find solutions. Maybe that is what the hatemongers want. I. for one, want to see the issues fixed and people no longer suffering.

Let’s finally get back to real debate in this country. Only then can we hope to make things better.

I do hope people reading this see your main point- or what I see it to be- use the forward button and reply all button with care. Take time to fact check. Don’t be part of the eProblem.

Oh, and nice choice in picture- that says it all… and why SOME of this may be happening.