Believe It Or Not

 I have discovered that in the world that I currently live in it is impossible to always tell the truth from lies. That is a sad state of affairs. The internet has provided us with an informational engine like no other. However, it has no filter, and, in our democracy, you can say almost anything you want, true or not. The ads for products can tell you they are great on one platform and a complete scram on another. People can observe things with their own eyes but is actually true or some sort of virtual stimulation. Recently, I viewed a segment on 60 Minutes that demonstrated how people are making videos of celebrities, to post on the internet, using artificial intelligence software. They can post video and make claims that the person is making statements of performing acts that they really didn't. How dangerous is this that it may not be possible to believe your own eyes because of possible deception? What impact long-term will this have on our justice system, when evidence can be refuted, and people can just say that wasn't me. It's a fake. And what about everyday relationships, when people can post fake information on social media. Many people are already facing that problem.

The traditional media is somewhat better, but it has its problems too. There is a bad news bias in this area where the bad news is always considered the best news to present. This includes anything the is divisive or controversial. This has a tendency to skew the data. For example, the idea of providing welfare entitlements like food stamps, social security, VA benefits and other services that the richest country in the world should be able to do, the media normal portrays people of color. The majority of these benefits go to white people in this country. Information with visuals of these people might have a better impact on improving these services and everyone would benefit. Immigrants are portrayed as a drain on the countries resources because illegal immigration is the only form of immigration shown. 

 Alot of this problem comes from our leaders at the top of the food chain in our society. It is a "win at all costs" in politics today. The us against them mentality leads to no compromises, and has been foster by the conservative right, basically the Republican party. Of course, they will say it comes from the progressive liberal left of the Democratic party. Donald Trump has led a wave of change where misinformation is the goal. If you say something enough times, to enough people, you can convince the majority of them (or enough) to believe it. Supporters can pass along conspiracy theories for sport and power with impunity. People's perceptions and assumptions are passed along as truth. This type of misinformation will eventually destroy us, as we lose faith in our policies, systems, and relationships. It is a sad state of affairs which I hope we can pull out of, but all the information I get says it will get worse before it gets better. (or is this misinformation)