The age of ignorance

Call me a coastal elite and you’ll be making my point. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s begin.

One of the many disappointments of the Trump era is not only the emergence of  “alternative facts” and downright disregard for truth, it is the certainty and defensiveness of those holding to clearly ill founded notions of reality. For example, on Facebook recently, the wisdom of getting flu shots drew comments both pro and con. There are legitimate reasons for someone to choose to forgo yearly flu shots. But some of the reasons cited for not getting a flu shot were gross exaggerations or simply not true. When I pointed out that flu shots save lives, one reply stated, “they also claim lives.” That comment drew support from somebody asserting that “everyone” who gets a flu shot gets the flu. Without belaboring the point, it is true that in rare cases a severe allergic reaction might lead to a death. And someone getting a flu shot might still get the flu, particularly in years when the strains chosen don’t match the predominant varieties afflicting people. But these exceptions are casually cited as if dominant reality in an attempt to discredit the benefits of an important public health tool. The point here is not to argue about whether or not to get vaccinated. Simply, it’s to point out that popular gossip and hearsay, in some quarters, take on the status of settled fact sometimes masquerading as greater wisdom.

The most disturbing part of this is that alternative facts, deliberate misinformation, are being promoted by not only the President of the United States, but political and cultural partisans with the intention of deceiving those who will believe anything that re-enforces their own points of view. The notion of testing hypothesis and critically evaluating information is not nearly as important to them as proving that they are right especially when they are dead wrong. If you don’t like what someone says, call it “fake news.” Truly fake news should be recognized and exposed. But having the critical thinking skills to be a literate news consumer is the foundation for making such judgments.

I’m afraid Bob Dylan nailed it decades ago in “Idiot Wind”, though today’s context is different. “Now everything’s a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped, what’s good is bad, what’s bad is good, you’ll find out when you reach the top, you’re on the bottom.” 

I, and those who might share my views, have no monopoly on wisdom and knowledge. But respect for wisdom, knowledge, and truth have to re-emerge as important values in today’s discourse. This should not be a “right/left” conflict. It is simply about respecting truth.

May the USA and countries of the world, along with the greater universe, survive the celebration of ignorance that has become so popular today.