No Way In Equals Loss of Freedom
Exclusion because of race, or gender, or class is suppression of freedom because there is no way in for that person without systemic change.
Freedom Means We Have a Way In
Exclusion until we pass the driver’s licence, get the passport or visa, put on our shirt and shoes, snub out the cigarette isn’t loss of freedom.
The ball is in our court. We’re in charge of the next move. We can put the ball through the hoop or we can walk away. Our choice.
High Stakes
The U.S. just surpassed 900 000 COVID deaths January 28th. 900 000. That’s the combined population of Vancouver proper and Richmond.
Canada has over 33 000 COVID deaths. That’s approximately the combined population of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.
And worldwide, we’re over 5 000 000 COVID deaths. That’s the whole population of B.C. And this is just from COVID. Deaths from suicides, drugs, gun violence, accidents, starvation, wars, and other diseases are on top of these numbers.
I’m not okay with this as I’m sure you’re not either.
Purveyors of Doubt
I’m reading a book called ‘Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Climate Change’ by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway.
It’s a fascinating expose. Though written pre-COVID, there’s so much we can learn about why and how disinformation is spread.
Two quotes from the book
“Purveyors of disinformation have learned that they don’t have to prove the scientists are wrong; they just have to create enough false doubt so that the public throws up their hands.”
Oreskes & Conway
“Doubt is our product,” ran the infamous memo written by one tobacco industry exectutive in 1969, “since it is the best means of competing with the ‘body of fact’ that exists in the minds of the general public.”
Oreskes & Conway
A Question
This is all too familiar today. Scientists and doctors and nurses are desperately trying to educate us about COVID, while purveyors of doubt, using the shield of free speech, are undermining the very things that hold the most hope for saving lives and moving beyond restrictions.
How can we help convince people to want the truth, even when the truth is hard? Especially if the truth is hard.
Some time ago I wrote about the ‘4 Essential Ingredients of a Truth Sandwich‘. It’s a helpful way to debunk misinformation/disinformation without inadvertently amplifying it.
And a Challenge
Seek truth. Speak truth. Demand truth.