We’ve reached this weird reality where any statement is just as valid as any other. And attempts to refute statements with facts are just other statements that is just as invalid as any other. Statements rise and fall based solely on their appeal to the listener, and facts have zero weight in the equation. We have literally factored out facts, to the point where most people don’t even recognize them as facts, or even understand why they might be important.
This is the new factless society, where rhetoric reigns supreme, where fear and hatred are the currency of the day, and facts are these useless ancient relics that only a handful of nerds collect and care about, like trading cards. No more trying to win an argument with facts, who needs that, way too tedious, just speak your mind and say what you think. If you say it, it is automatically valid, no matter what it is. Everybody gets a trophy.
Wow! Just what I was feeling.
I blame the internet.
I was just commenting on an outrageous Facebook comment earlier today. I used a factual source to rebut the claim that was made. The response I received was that my source was run by a liberal couple that put a liberal slant on everything so they wouldn’t even look at my source because they already felt that it was wrong.
Taken back, I thought I better check my source to make sure that it did not have a liberal slant. But, of course, upon searching the internet I was able to find several suspect websites with no facts or references that wanted to state that my source was a liberal rag. And, I did find some reputable websites that sited facts and references that disputed the claim that my source was a liberal rag.
Still, I proceeded even further to check the sources that were backing up my sources. And, of course, I found several websites that claimed my back-up sources had a liberal slant and several that backed up my back ups.
This could go on and on forever.
When it is all said and done, no matter what your opinion, there is always going to be someone on the internet to back you up.
I love when people tell you to do your research and then get mad when you come back with reliable citations. Of course there angers is followed with the statement “you can find research to back any statement.”
As a researcher – like “Research” it is lefitamatly in my job title – I’m am very astute where my “facts” come from.. Of course, these days, as you pointed out, few care about “facts” any more.