What came to mind immediately was the idiom “ring true”. I looked up its origin:
Ring false and the antonym, ring true, which means “seem genuine,” allude to the old practice of judging a coin genuine or fake by the sound it gives out when tapped. This practice became obsolete when coins ceased to be made of precious metals, but by then the idioms were being used to refer to other matters. [Mid-1800s]
The phrase ‘ring true’ takes on a lot of weight these days. Our media has worked overtime sensationalizing everything and simultaneously has avoided doing much factual investigation.
I don’t know about you, but I feel as though I’m in a never-ending game of “Gossip”.
To anyone who is unfamiliar with the game of Gossip, it starts with a phrase whispered into a person’s ear then that person hastily whispers it to the next and so on around a ring of several people. By the time it reaches person #1 again, the phrase’s words and meaning are completely different. It’s comical as a game but tragically lacking as a source of reliable information.
Our media is a ‘for profit’ group of businesses that rely on getting the public’s attention. So, using flashy, salacious, material, and misleading headlines, works well for them, especially in our fast-paced (short attention span) American society.
Clever a-moral people have discovered this lovely way to spread ideological propaganda AND make money. Worse than that, social media companies are “in” on it too by manipulating search engines and censoring sites who might ruin their hypnotic promotion of a single ideological message. I fear that a large number of people are becoming unwitting tools of a totalitarian movement. I also fear that our Constitutional Republic is in grave danger. Freedom of Speech and ‘thought diversity’ are the most essential elements of a free society. We’re losing them both at an alarming rate.
Those who question mass media information as not “ringing true” are being cancelled, arrested, and destroyed (many are now labeled domestic terrorists!) while a comfortably numb public doesn’t even notice… most don’t care to know. Seeking comfort, a group belonging, and a sense of virtuous superiority, has replaced the need to be ethical, reasonable, and truth seeking.
I know this sounds like a finger wagging rant and I suppose it is. Telling-it-like-it-is and pursuing Truth aren’t things I will watch die off without speaking my own mind.
Have a nice Saturday and please keep your ears, eyes, and minds open. Our country’s future needs your support. ❤
Sillyfrog's Blog 
You may be pleased to know that our Governor Newsom is now challenging the social media orgs to step up and protect children
This sounds like a first good step in protecting children from ‘predatory adults’.
Sorry if I am skeptical about its overall success, though.
Actions such as this create more bureaucracy which is costly while usual inefficient. Our hopeful hearts on fine sounding legislation often overlook the vagueness (subject to interpretation by bureaucrats) in its wording leaving the actual protection we expect lacking. Terms like “in children’s best interest” or ” age appropriate” aren’t defined. Knowing about California’s progressive views on “what’s best” and “what’s age appropriate” doesn’t give me confidence that most people would agree. Transitioning gender, CRT, sex education in kindergarten, dismissing parental rights, etc. are considered ‘best for kids” there. The interpretation of sweet-sounding legislation by people with questionable values doesn’t work out so well. I hope it works well but doubt that it can be used for the ‘good’ more than it can be used for powerful means to promote an agenda. Thanks for this! ❤
Our views diverge greatly 🙂
I appreciate that. What we may agree on is that legislation ought to be as specific as possible so its intent cannot be arbitrarily changed.
(IMHO When it is vague… it is meant to be interpreted according to ‘taste’. ) 😉
This is specific: AB 2273 prohibits companies that provide online services, products or features likely to be accessed by children from using a child’s personal information; collecting, selling, or retaining a child’s geolocation; profiling a child by default; and leading or encouraging children to provide personal information.
Oh yes! That part is why I said it looked like a great first step in protection from predators.
It goes on to add age-appropriateness and intends to ‘supervise’ addictive and mentally ‘unhealthy’ content.
That was the vague part that jumped out at me. A bureau might not have any ways to measure those things and having brand-new well-meaning administrators they’ll have to create all kinds of rules and warnings (whether or not there’s much evidence.) Ruling ‘on a hunch’ is what that seems like.
I may be over thinking it but that struck me as a wonderful purpose without a direction. People get nice newly created jobs, endless rules get to be made, a company gets tentacles of government involved, yet no one knows what to do or what they’re looking for.
At least that’s how it seems to me. I’m not a fan of unelected people having government backed rulemaking privileges. Perhaps, I’m just too sensitive. I’ve seen too many well-meaning policies cause more in trouble than they helped. Ah… guess I have a smidgeon of Libertarian in my conservative blood. LOL
You’ve been a great sport and I hope I’m wrong and this makes the kids safer.
It’s nobody’s job to be deciding what news I can and cannot hear. Tell me everything and let me sort it out for myself. I’m tired of being fed a narrative instead of the raw facts.
You’re not alone! Thank-you, John.
Interesting post, Susan. I agree with John Holton!
George Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’
is in full swing, and watching us 👁️
For sure! Thanks David.