Published: July 30, 2006 11:42 am      

How to distinguish spin from the truth?

Beliefs or skepticism?

Many Americans try to squeeze more and more into their waking hours. During the fall and spring terms, it seems that half of our FSU students walking across campus are on their cell phones. I have seen adult drivers pulling onto heavily traveled roads from small roads while talking on their cell phones.

Some adults are adept at watching two television programs at once (on two different televisions). I have heard that it is not unusual for high school students to be talking on the phone while they type up their homework. There are long lines for the take out windows at local fast food franchises for people who likely eat while they drive.

Regular Sunday attendance is down at many churches, owing to people saying they are too busy (I hope God doesn’t get too busy to care about us!).

A number of parents drive their children all around the town for opportunities (dance lessons, sports practices, school supplies, etc.), so after all the pick ups many parents collapse into chairs in front of the television to watch comforting programs.

And then there are adults who have to act as caregivers for aged parents, taking them to doctors, driving to family reunions, shopping for groceries, cooking for them, bathing them, etc. Thus free time for many has become rarer. Keeping up with the news is harder.

With this squeeze on free time, many rely on just one television network or even one television or radio personality to hear their take on the news. Naturally, the television new sources that attracts the most listeners are those that put an emotional spin on the news, coloring one party or one group as ’bad’ and their opponents as “good.”

When you are somewhat frustrated with the pace of your life, it feels good to displace your pent up feelings onto others, particularly outsiders. Then you are drawn back to these programs day after day, to hear the host rant about this person or that group. Eventually, some of the spinners go over the line and doubt the patriotism of these individuals.

Then this anger gets to occupy part of your mind. So when you have a bad time, you can even blame it on this group or person. This emotional poison worked very well in Nazi Germany, leading to the deaths in persecution camps of millions of Jews.

Science teaches individuals to be skeptical, not to slide into fixed ways of thought or beliefs. For any scientific theory or principle is subject to replacement if a better explanation comes along.

So don’t become a devotee of any single television network, television or radio personality. Listen to a variety of sources as to what is going on locally, nationally or internationally. The Internet allows you to read articles from overseas papers (likely not ruled by powerful corporations), any of the television networks or a number of organization across the political spectrum.

If a particular source makes some amazing disclosure, wait a while to see if other sources pick up on it. I also note how much information a particular article or book has. If the article or book is full of name calling and personal attacks, the writer likely is using this as a smoke screen for their lack of insight and thought.

Remember that it is far easier to slam an individual in the news, putting them on the defensive. Their rebuttal will get far less attention in the media.

Real leaders don’t come off well in the current media. Interviewers want quick and easy characterizations of situations. So if one talks in simplistic terms and uses little endearing stories, the media hosts lap it up as it keeps their listeners satisfied and not changing the channel.

Beliefs are necessary to sustain one’s religious faith; but no political leader or party is deserving of your complete trust. Be skeptical, our leaders are only humans; they perspire and make mistakes like me or you. Giving a leader or party your unquestioned support (along with many others) can lead to excesses that may take decades to undo.

August sky sights

In early August, the moon will appear near the bright planet Jupiter, shaped like a tilted letter D. On August evenings, the Big Dipper appears about half way up in the north northwest. Its two bottom stars point right to the North Star, a modest star about half way up in the north.

The Big Dipper’s handle can be extended outward to the bright golden star Arcturus. Nearly overhead is the very bright white-blue star Vega. On moonless evenings (for about ten days starting in mid August), the Milky Way can be seen as a ghostly glow running from low in the north northeast to below Vega and then down to the southern horizon.

Bob Doyle’s next column will consider our shrinking attention spans. Dr. Doyle invites any reader comments through e-mail: rdoyle@frostburg.edu.