Dark Sucker Theory
This is an article you can find various places on the net. It was also given to us by our grade nine science teacher.
I tried to post the entire article here, but WA won't let me under plagiarism, so if you'd like to read it, click this link!
http://web.mit.edu/kolya/misc/txt/dark_suckers
Essentially, it proposes, quite convincingly, that light bulbs and other light sources do not actually produce light. Rather, they suck dark.
Go ahead and read it. I'll be here when you get back.
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If it weren't for the fact that we all know this is absolute baloney, it sounds pretty legit, right? There are facts that are juuuuuust believable enough to lend Dark Sucker Theory some weight. Just enough to make you think, "huh! I never thought of that!"
We fall for this kind of information all the time. I do it. I see a post on Facebook, it sounds legitimate, and I excitedly tell everyone in my household about it. Only to eat my words later when I find out it's a hoax, or just simply untrue.
With COVID-19, there is so much information out there it's absolutely overwhelming. But not all of it is true.
Something I learned after growing up as someone who trusted authority to a fault, is to question everything. I'm still working on it. Sometimes you really want to believe something. But a good rule of thumb is to never repost or pass on information that you haven't triple or quadruple checked the authenticity of.
That means making sure there are reputable sources. That means making sure it's not the exact same phrasing copied and pasted to multiple sources. That means, if you're not sure, but you still want to share it, you post "I'm not sure this is true, but...." instead of writing it as fact.
Fake news can actually cause real world harm. In simulations of disasters and epidemics, one of the things countries try to control is the amount of misinformation that circulates.
Please, we're all overwhelmed as it is. Be careful what you share as truth. As bloggers and people with various platforms over the internet, we have a responsibility to back up our claims. We have a responsibility to not contribute to the misinformation. Remember that some people are more interested in having their post go viral than they are about telling the truth.
Most of us are not epidemiologists. Some of you are doctors and are on the front lines. You know more than I do. Most of us are not disease specialists.
There's nothing wrong with writing about what's going on. But be responsible about it. Give WA, and yourself, a good name by refusing to pass on information that you're unsure about or that you haven't taken the time to look into.
That means good news as well as bad news.
Okay. I'm stepping down from my soapbox for the day.
Stay safe, everyone.
Recent Comments
3
True. We must be responsible for what we share. Indeed,innocent lives can be seriously affected. Thanks DST.
This is an intriguing post, and you make a very valid point about misinformation! Be safe this weekend!
Jeff