The truth, what is it?


The truth, what is it?

I read an interesting piece of research the other day that sums this up beautiful.

Crime in Australia is on the decline—it has been for 11 years (either declining or remaining stable). Burglary is down 55% (between 2000-2009), motor vehicle theft is down 62%, murder is down 39%.

However if you believe the politicians and the media, crime is out of control and needs to be dealt with by introducting tough new laws.  Researchers looked at news-reports after crime statistics were released and noticed that the media “habitually distort, misrepresent and exaggerate the facts on crime”. They mis-led the public, creating sensational headlines when the facts said something quite different. 

The fact is, the public are being lied to, repeatedly . . . and the politicians jump on the bandwagon and continue to “grow” the lie . . . until we think it is the truth. Sadly, if we are told enough times that crime is "out-of-control", we will believe it.

But beware of politicians during election times (both here in Australia and in the USA) — both sides of politics love to lie (or  take "factual shortcuts" or "brazenly twist the truth") — they want you to vote for them, so they will tell you what you want to hear.  Each side of politics spend millions of dollars finding out all out you and what you believe in and then they use this information to manipulate you. And don’t think for one moment that those who call themselves Christians are excluded from this, they are just as bad and there is plenty of evidences that Romney & Ryan are doing this in all their speeches.  Politicians will stretch the truth as far as they can and will use any method to do so.  Honesty doesn’t buy votes — this is a blood sport.  And you are part of it.

But what is scary, is that people such as church leaders will pick up this information and shares it with their congregation on Sunday and once again the information is passed on, whether it is truth or not. Because once the information is "out in the public arena", people believe it — the internet is full of mis-information, it takes a good researcher to work out the truth from the lies.  We are all a very gullible bunch and they know it.

How many people check the facts in a speech given by a politician? Not many. But maybe it is time to do just that. In particular when it comes to economic statistics (including debt, expenditure and taxes), because the aim of misleading the public when it comes to the economy is to make the other side look as bad as possible and this is what Ryan has been doing with Obama or Tony Abbott to Julia Gillard (in Australia).

You often hear the quote “lies, damned lies and statistics”,  the statistics aren’t lying, it’s how they used by people who want sensational headlines that are lying or providing selected information or simply ignoring the facts.

Good news stories do not sell papers and certainly don't help a political party in opposition.

So the next time you read the newspaper or listen to your local politician — think twice at what they are saying, its likely they have distorted the truth. Winning is the name of the game.

PS, no one should be surprise by this, nationals when to war in Iraq based on mis-information and stretching the truth and we all believed our politicans — would they lie to you or me? The answer is yes.

***

And finally, don't get me started on political slogans — catch phases that don't mean anything but people seem to be sucked in by them e.g. "create more jobs" (how) or "stop the boats"????

Comments

  1. Jo, do you really believe that "crime in Australia is in decline" just because certain traditional forms of crime that you mentioned have declined? For example, immobolisers and other sophisticated security features have made it much harder to steal cars, do house break-ins, etc. But what about identity theft, cypercrime, hacking, scams, spamming, sophisticated fraud, etc - they are increasing exponentially! And I am thankful when the authorities introduce improved measures to fight new or increased crime threats - even if they make our lives a bit more complicated at times - Stephen

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  2. Stephen,

    Yes, crime rates are on the decline - the statistics aren't lying and no, these other forms of crime are not out of control at all, even though the head of federal police would like us to think this - they are very small in comparison. I also don't think that a small percentage undertaking cypercrime gives the government (any government) the right to create a police state by keep all our records for 2 years. I don't believe in hitting an ant with a sledge hammer and everyone is affected. There are better ways of doing this.

    Jo

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  3. This is very interesting. And as you say, no-one would know it because of the media and hype.
    However, even though all those kinds of crimes - (recognised crimes against our modern laws) are in decline as you say, other things that are sinful (eg. "legalised" crime) are certainly NOT in decline. By this I mean sexual perversion, adultery, fornication, pornography, lying, stealing (all forms, not just physical stealing of someone's property - I'm even including stealing someone's spouse through an affair), idolatry, blasphemy, swearing, immodesty, murder (wartime or otherwise eg abortion), abuse (all kinds of forms of abuse should be included here - think of the amount of parents who raise their children abusively by allowing the children to have rights they should not have, not giving their children the love they should, etc etc), and think of the sin of pretending to be a Christian - false teachers etc, and doing things falsely in God's name... This list of crimes could go ON and ON.

    Unfortunately, if crime could be rated, some of the worst crimes against God and man are legalised and allowed as a matter of course in daily life.
    However, I AM thankful for the decline in the crimes you mentioned, Jo! We can do with all the improvements possible, because we DO live in very evil times.

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  4. In Poland most politicians are this same as in the communism time - and younger are under their influence. I don't believe in lots of our media - for example, they don't tell us about real level of inflation - everything is more expensive about 50% or more than in past year, but politicians tell us that everything is good... So, I treat most our news in this way: half is true, half not.

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