If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it really fall?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bubba
I never used to believe that and it seems a bit presumptious to say it but in the age of lightning fast media I cannot see how anything can happen behind closed doors that doesn't eventually come to the surface somehow. It does reek of the same arrogance that sank Titanic and the same arrogance that allowed a mass murderer to lead a country but times have changed a bit since then.
Now it is possible to spin the story prior to it breaking which very well could be used to misinform people and broadcast only to manipulate but the actual story itself will break no matter what.
Certain countries are trying to stop bloggers and free speech in the internet and they may succeed to some extent but all of us know anything can be subverted or bypassed in computers. There's always a way and always someone out there willing to find it.
But I understand your statement robwhit and I sort of agree with it but I also agree with mine. Trust me when I say I completely understand the danger in my statement and the attitude behind it.
The thing is, though, when we think about "spin", we usually imagine blatent bias, carefully chosen words, and unscrupulous intentions, but really even the most "straightforward" reporting (when based on generalized assumptions) can lead to the wrong conclusions.
Suppose you recieved the following report:
"Early this morning park rangers found a tree fallen over. According to officials, the tree was very old. There were no witnesses."
Now assuming no misinformation, most would probably relate the following facts:
1) What happened?
- A tree fell over.
2) Where did it occur?
- In the forest.
3) When did it happen?
- Yesterday.
4) Why did it happen?
- It died of old age.
5) Who was involved?
- No one.
In fact, none of those answers are really substantiated:
1) It may have been that way to begin with (eg: grown that way, physically placed, etc) and simply went unnoticed.
2) The report doesn't actually specify (eg: the rangers could have spotted it on the way to work, in their own yard, etc).
3) It could have happened the day before, last week, ten minutes ago, etc.
4) It also could have been pushed over, cut down, struck by lightning, etc.
5) Someone may have seen it happen, but didn't report the incident (especially if they were somehow responsible).
In other words, the only thing we know for certain is that there is a tree lying on the ground! So my point is simply that human perception tends towards the path of least resistance (ie: the most simple explanation) and our tendency to "fill in the blanks" is often responsible for much of the misunderstanding of the situation. All of those little missing details can add up to quite a different story! Couple that with the more insidious variety of spin that is so common, and what you get is the typical ignorance that prevails these days.
None of this is revelationary, of course, but it is something I think we all overlook from time to time, so I just thought I'd point out the obvious, anyway.