Have you ever been inside a washing machine? No? Neither have I. But sometimes I feel like I am. These days, I go to bed feeling like my brain has been jammed into a load of dirty, smelly clothing. Then it’s tossed around with suds and water to a point I can’t keep my head above the moisture. Then comes the spin cycle. In many regards, this is the worst part. Following this stage the garment is pulled from the machine. At this point, you do your best to make what came out of the machine look and smell better than when it went in. I’m fairly certain this is where someone or something came up with the name “spin.”
Rarely are things exactly as we are told. Most things come to us following the media spin cycle. I am being kind when saying I take everything with a grain of salt. Frankly, today I have a hard time knowing what is a fact. Whether to affect a viewpoint or produce clicks, statistics and story lines are manipulated to tell the story the writer wants to tell.
I rarely watch news of any kind because each network has their own spin. As bad as the media is, politicians are equally horrible. A politician admitting they are wrong about anything doesn’t exist. Here are more examples of spin in today’s world:
- An incorrect news story runs on the front page of a newspaper. It is proven to be false. A few days later on the back page of a different section of the paper a correction admitting certain facts were incorrect appears.
- An interview is conducted on a broadcast. The interview is edited to create a story that wasn’t the intent or crux of the interviewee’s message. The interviewee complains and is accused of sour grapes, or being a liar.
- Facts about a certain subject (climate change, unemployment, inflation, illegal immigration, etc.) are told only from one side. The reader or viewer must decide and discern what they want to believe.
- If you believe something someone else doesn’t believe you may be labeled.
- Labels have always been a way to silence people.
Conspiracy Theorist, Racist, Phobic, Denier, Hoaxer, are just a few examples of the labels permeating the lexicon. They are used regularly and often flippantly. They have lost their impact and relevance.
Between the spin and the labels we now find ourselves in the most divisive times of my life. So what do we do about it?
This spin cycle reminds me of pulling a sheet from the washer. Sometimes it is so twisted and gnarled it is unrecognizable as a bedsheet. It takes time to unwind, pull and straighten out. This is what we need to remember as the media spins and the labels are projected.
- Review the data and make your own informed decisions
- Don’t believe everything you read, see or hear
- Don’t lose faith, but verify your resources
- Understand the root cause and effects of the information presented before you. In other words what is the reason behind the intent of the story. Who is trying to be influenced?
- Don’t be silenced
- Believe in your convictions and in yourself.
Until next time…