Tag Archives: bias

Gold or Filthy Lucre — The Politicking of Information

By Jay Menard,

When it comes to choosing for whom I want to vote, I take my cues from the Bard of Mersey, because more and more it’s getting harder to know who you can trust.

In John Lennon’s song “God,” he lists off a number of things in which he doesn’t believe, ranging from religions to politicians to philosophies to musicians. At the end, he quietly intones, “I just believe in me.”

John follows that up with “Yoko and me. And that’s reality.” And since Yoko’s not on my speed dial, I have to trust myself. In today’s world, that’s an even more challenging proposition.

Thanks to social media and the Internet, we have access to a wealth of information. But that wealth has vastly different values – ranging from pure gold to filthy lucre. And, sadly, there are far too many snake oil salesmen and women promising one thing, but working only in their own interests. We have access to more information than ever, but that doesn’t mean the information is better. Continue reading

Keep Your Biases Where I Can See ‘em – Or Step Out of the Kitchen

By Jason Menard

I like to keep the wackos where I can see them.

Call me strange, but I’ve always preferred to have racists and bigots, misogynists and misandrists, crackpots and whack jobs out in public. I’m not afraid of the guy who posts pro-NAZI propaganda on his Web site. Him I can avoid and at least I know where he stands. What scares me more are the people who keep their biases to themselves – they’re the ones that are the most dangerous because you never see them coming. Continue reading