Another marker of the post-modern age of internet technology is the way that all of a sudden, there is no such thing as the truth. There is a chance that this was always the case and that it’s just being emphasised and noted more now, but there is no longer a definitive reality that we all agree with.
While it is admirable that we are in a position where we don’t have to individually bow to authority figures and accept whatever we are told by the talking heads, it has (as things tend to) been taking to the nth degree and made ridiculous. No longer does it mean that you are free to question, query and enquire about a stated position – now it means that your own personal truth is valid regardless of background.
Never mind that the person giving the accepted position has spent countless years studying, training and working in their chosen profession and field of expertise – in this new world, the local nutjob who graduated from the school of hard knocks has his opinions held in equal high regard. Even better, they dismiss all sorts of official and respected faculties of education as “indoctrination” because obviously googling things you already agree with makes you far more qualified than an expert.
We should absolutely not be going cap in hand to appointed grandmasters of the various dark arts and swallowing everything they’re saying wholesale, but at some point we need to step back and actually think about what we’re trying to do. We are choosing to believe that we are somehow qualified as absolute laymen to contradict tried and tested professionals. As much as this idea might irk us, and definitely wound the self-appointed critical thinkers of the world, a useful experiment is warranted here. Take any subject that you are knowledgeable about. You don’t have to be an expert. Just have an understanding and/or experience in the exact field. Then go on any random website and see what people who aren’t experts say about it.
The level of misinformation, and how proudly and confidently it is presented should be enough to abolish any idea you ever had of knowing better than the experts. The reality is that while there have always been figureheads placed throughout history in order to spread fear, uncertainty and straight up propaganda, in reality, most of the time, if an overwhelming majority of a profession believe something to be true then it tends to be the case.
By all accounts, question the narrative. Never just accept things at face value. But if the “correct” position only holds up when you look at carefully curated sources – and them only – and relies on some massive effort by hundreds of thousands of people lying for no reason, then maybe its time to re-evaluate.
