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HOW CAN ANY OF US REALLY DEVELOP AN INFORMED OPINION ABOUT MOST OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED ON THIS SITE?

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HOW CAN ANY OF US REALLY DEVELOP AN INFORMED OPINION ABOUT MOST OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED ON THIS SITE?


[+] ballot by CletuSlackedJawYokel
created Mon May 30, 05

In reality, we are, for the most part, entirely dependent on the media for our information, and many of us are convinced that our views are right. However, watching small clips and getting reports of the action in the Iraq War, for example, or any other major event on Earth, is not even close to the experience of actually being there. Now, in a sporting event, we often hear the term "Monday morning quarterback", meaning that the fans and media nitpick about the decisions and actions of the players and coaches, but nobody can make a completely accurate judgement about any event unless they take part in it. An example I can think of is the US soldier shooting the unarmed Iraqi. Now, I think we pretty much all agree that was a terrible thing to do, but put yourself in his shoes. You have virtually unidentifiable enemies shooting at you, bombing you, etc. every day. You never know when your last moment may be. Your adrenalin is pumping all the time and you have been in a battlezone for quite some time. I sincerely doubt that every one of us would have been able to think clearly and make the correct decision there. Not to let this guy off, but I think we sometimes just see an evil deed without considering the events that lead up to the mindset of the individual(s) involved. In essence, I think many of us just make assertions and judge people without knowing even close to the full information needed. Feel free to comment on this rant. Thanks.

you're right, we dont have all the facts
Go beyond TV fodder for (a few) more of the facts


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COMMENTS:
It's possible to acquaint ourselves with more (not all) of the facts by reading a wide variety of sources. But you're right, insofar as it's impossible to judge the exact motivations of any particular individual, like the example you cited above, unless we are in the exact same place at the exact same moment as that individual. We can only draw conclusions which may or may not be accurate based on what we read or hear. But as regards world news in a broader sense, the wider we throw our nets, the better the catch, as long as we apply good old Occam's Razor, do our homework, cross-reference our research and filter everything through our personal, inbuilt BS meters.
by xxxxxxxx on Mon May 30, 05 3:45pm [+]

I think I know what you're saying, Cletus. We really rely on the media to form our opinions about events that we haven't experienced or even seen. I guess the best we can do is seek out more than one information source, and then make comparisons and base our judgement upon that. All we can do in here is exchange information and debate.

I think that soldier who shot the wounded Iraqi point blank did something wrong, he murdered an unarmed civilian. It was such a cold-blooded act the way that dude did that. In combat that is a big no-no according to the Geneva code. I'm of the belief that you must behave professionally in whatever you do, no matter what the risks are. If there are any soldiers out there, I know that may seem hard to comprehend, but If that was me, I would've risked it and taken those wounded Iraqis to a medic.
by um__yeah on Mon May 30, 05 4:32pm [+]

^Again, were you at the scene when these so called events were planned? I have no idea whether they were or weren't. Do you have irrefutable proof about your claim about 9/11? The point I am making is we cannot be certain of anything unless we were there, are watching the events unfold live on TV, etc.
by CletuSlackedJawYokel on Mon May 30, 05 4:56pm [+]

^Huh, I just saw a comment there by Keithsheen....that wasnt to um_yeah. Weird.
by CletuSlackedJawYokel on Mon May 30, 05 4:57pm [+]

I saw it too. He deleted it.
by xxxxxxxx on Mon May 30, 05 5:01pm [+]

Keithsheen, post that again please! I want to talk about that with you for a second...
by xxxxxxxx on Mon May 30, 05 5:03pm [+]

Cletus, if we can only trust what we physically see with our own eyes, then everything else is suspect. Is that what you are saying? Because, if so, none of us should be expressing any opinions unless we are witnesses at the scene of the event in question.
by mojo on Mon May 30, 05 5:03pm [+]

Not to give you a hard time, but to discuss the DVD... I saw it too, if it's the same one I think you're referring to.
by xxxxxxxx on Mon May 30, 05 5:04pm [+]

^ Last comment was to Keithsheen.
by xxxxxxxx on Mon May 30, 05 5:05pm [+]

^ I agree. However, some make statements as if they are 100% factual when they obviously have a slant in either direction. Now, it's pretty safe to assume that the facts in a story, such as 25 people were killed, a bomb went off, the player scored a basket, etc., are accurate in most cases. Im talking about people passing off their views of conspiracy theories or the reasoning used in certain decisions as facts when they are at best opinions.
by CletuSlackedJawYokel on Mon May 30, 05 5:07pm [+]

^To mojo, lol.
by CletuSlackedJawYokel on Mon May 30, 05 5:29pm [+]

That's what I try to do, ZIG, draw from as wide a spectrum of source materiel in order to make my decisions on issues. And it IS nigh impossible to make a call similar to the ones our troops have to make in the field daily. But, with regard to Cletus' stated case (if we're referring to the same case), that unarmed Iraqi was being stared at by a cameraman standing directly over him, while this soldier was several meters away securing the area. If that cameraman saw no threat at point-blank range, then HOW did the soldier find one at a DISTANCE?
by Truthseeker013 on Mon May 30, 05 5:44pm [+]

^I agree, and I think it was a terrible action. However, I cannot say, for certain, that I would not have done the same thing, because I have never been in a war-zone. I have never been shot at daily and had bombs going off around me. I have never seen someone I care about living fully one moment and killed the next. I have never been in a foreign land where I don't know who is a regular citizen and who is planning to kill me. Id like to think I wouldn't make the same decision and probably wouldn't. However, I have never been in his situation and do not know for sure how I'd react.
by CletuSlackedJawYokel on Mon May 30, 05 6:05pm [+]

^^ Good points, Truthseeker and Cletus.
by xxxxxxxx on Mon May 30, 05 6:29pm [+]

I agree with you cleu on the souldier thing,. how could we possibly know what we would have done, nice some people can say they would have acted differently, that souldier might have said that too before he went to Iraq. I'm not condoning what he did, but I'm not judging him either, because as you said, unless you were there , you really don't know what you would do.

But also as you said, and proven here, some people do love to play monday morning quarterback
by larrynelmira on Mon May 30, 05 7:09pm [+]

There are lots of alternative information sources available on the Internet. It is really not that hard to find them. For example, try reading the news on Al-jazeera and then on MSNBC. You can see some things that are similar and often a completely different take... or a story completely missed by American/British media.
by FiddleFaddleOnLSD on Mon May 30, 05 9:55pm [+]

I believe it's up to us, as individuals, to try and see all sides of a situation despite what is being reported by the media and this is why this site is so helpful to me. I get the viewpoint of the world to help me in my decision or opinion. It's an eye opening experience!
by Tadema on Tue May 31, 05 6:14am [+]






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