Sensationalism & the Real World
It is extremely frustrating to me how often I come across people - people that I would otherwise consider intelligent, kind, and even reasonable human beings - behaving like nincompoops. On Facebook, in the news, in every day face-to-face conversations, it seems to be rarer and rarer to find someone who will actually say, "Wait a second, let's look a bit deeper into that issue, perhaps consider the underlying motivations and influences at work, and see if we can suss out what actually happened," rather than jumping headlong into an emotional fury and throwing themselves into the supportive arms of their similar-thinking peers.
The most recent example that has crossed my path is the Facebook furor over the Planned Parenthood 'selling aborted baby body parts' video. Pro-life supporters are rushing to condemn the 'evil' organization and its nefarious doings, completely ignoring several warning signs: a) the video is packaged with old footage from 2000, which starts off with a condemnation - preparing the viewer to be outraged, despite the fact that the introductory footage was filmed 15 years before the Planned Parenthood video; b) the video is heavily edited and taken in total, inconclusive about the subject matter - maybe Planned Parenthood is indeed selling aborted baby body parts, but they could equally be discussing what they said they were - the donation of body parts for research; c) the motivations and plausibility of such actions - the sale of aborted fetus body parts is illegal - something which every doctor (and certainly the head doctor at Planned Parenthood) would know. Why would they engage in such behavior without - at least - a valid legal excuse?
Yes, perhaps Planned Parenthood is indeed culpable of such gag-inducing actions. I'm certainly not naive enough to think it isn't possible, or even to be surprised if it were true. But rather than jumping to conclusions - especially when the 'evidence' is presented with such a clear agenda - it behooves us to take a step back and wait for the results of a proper investigation. [And by the by, for those outraged by Federal support of Planned Parenthood, the government provides financial support to all kinds of organizations which are involved in sketchy dealings - military contractors, oil and gas companies, agricultural and farming corporations, banks, etc.]
And before some of you bite my head off, no it is certainly not just the conservative and right-wing cohort that is guilty of swallowing such sensationalized propaganda. Liberals are just as ready to accept such ridiculous accusations, provided they're aimed in the opposite direction. Surprise! Yes, Obama has done some really terrible things, and set very bad precedent in a number of areas. No, not all religious people are idiots, and no, not all priests are pedophiles. Yes, people should be allowed to carry guns (although yes, gun regulation needs serious reform). Yes, people should be allowed to display the Confederate flag as a sign of heritage and history. And no, I won't argue with you about it.
My point is not to say that certain people are right or wrong, or even to deny the possibility that there is a right and wrong. My point is that, in the real world, when dealing with real people and real issues, it is NEVER as black and white as the propaganda portrays. Sometimes, although the right answer or solution is clear, the implementation is fraught with obstacles and difficulties. Often, the answer or solution is not clear. Or sometimes, it must be different for different groups of people. Characterizing any person, organization, opinion or issue in terms of 'good' or 'evil'; 'right' or 'wrong'; 'true' or 'false'; or even as the 'same' is merely a way to simplify it for easy categorization. And when you simplify something, you are inherently losing data, losing nuance, losing reality. It can be difficult for people to accept - perhaps because its difficult to hold such conflicting ideas in mind at the same time - but in reality, there is no easy solution or determination - no 'good' or 'evil' as such, just like there is no 'black' or 'white' in nature. Reality is not a soundbite.
