glumshoe:

imnotafraidofhospitals:

glumshoe:

I see a lot of progressive young people get angry when propaganda for perspectives they agree with is debunked. Back in 2016 I had a lot of people accuse me of supporting Trump because I pointed out that the photo of his parents wearing Klan robes was photoshopped. Obviously I didn’t support Trump, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s best to base your opinions about the world on things that are true and not things that are lies.

It’s important to remember that every single political and social movement produces artificial propaganda. Even the most pure and righteous cause will have supporters creating fake bullshit or manipulating to inspire pathos and conform to a convenient narrative. Try not to fall for it. Many absolutely outrageous claims turn out to be true, while many others turn out to be fabrications designed to sway opinions or undermine the credibility of a movement by introducing seductive fictions. Critical thinking is good. Suspicion is not a sin. The fact that something “feels” true is not real supporting evidence.

Isn’t this the dude who makes a bunch of bullshit up and gets really mad when people speculate/call him out for lying and saying he remembers his birth or could fully articulate sentences at 6 months?

I share weird anecdotes from my experiences working at a summer camp and growing up as a living history reenactor. They doubtless seem implausible to anyone who is not familiar with the sheer weirdness of both environments. I also write them in a fairly narrative style and do not post photos of children in my care, because providing proof of amusing encounters to inconsequential strangers is less important to me than children’s privacy. Also, many people dislike me, which creates a bias against even my most mundane anecdotes.

I did once mention that, as a baby, I was reportedly able to describe the experience of being born to my parents. I made the grave sin of not cross-checking my age with both parents. My dad shares my inability to judge infants’ ages and I do not trust the details of his memory, so I am not certain of the age I began speaking or the age I told them about being born. I do not remember the events myself, as I was a literal actual baby and am now an adult, but I do not think my parents would have invented this story out of nowhere. I think you can guess why I cannot provide proof of this story without the help of a time machine.

Weird stories from my childhood and personal life aren’t quite in the same ballpark as fake news and political propaganda, but whatever.

Ok but… Even if you don’t like someone personally that doesn’t make everything they say irrelevant or wrong…? This post is literally just about how being aware and critical of propaganda is good. Which is true. The whole reason for the far right’s insistence on fake news is cuz they consume lots of propaganda and believe what feels true/what they want to be true despite the actual, verified facts and evidence to the contrary. There are more than enough factual reasons for why Trump and his administration are unethical, abusive, and corrupt, without even needing to falsify photos or lie. Feelings are valid and make up a lot of our individual realities, but we should also be grounded in facts and truth.