That logo? Oh, just something I picked up from a hundred years ago. A contestant sent it in to a movie magazine called Shadowlands. The past: the same, and different. I thought it fit with this series, which is called 'Deep Thought', since it involves the pretence of mystical knowledge. In other words, the image should be read ironically. Non-ironic readings are not welcome.

Quite a long time ago, I was teaching an English-as-Second-Language (ESL) class in North Carolina. My students in this particular class were mostly Southeast Asians who worked in the local textile mills. They were looking to improve their English, help their kids with schoolwork, and possibly get better jobs. One way I tried to help them do this was to make sure they could read instructions for all the things they used: appliances, home repair, etc. Which is why we found ourselves standing in a group around the community college's photocopier.

Instructions in hand, one student read, 'Open cover. Place material to be copied on glass, printed side down. Close cover.' They did. I beamed.

'Now, push the button!' I said.

Blank looks.

'Press the button?' Headshaking.

One student said, 'That's not what they say.'

I reflected on the local dialect. Anxious faces watched me concentrate. It obviously looked painful. Then I brightened.

'Mash the button!' I declared triumphantly. They nodded comprehension.

One does, indeed, 'mash' buttons in southwest North Carolina. It can't be helped.

When Mashing Buttons Is the Wrong Thing to Do

Today as I write this, I have finally had it with the nice ladies on Twitter who advertise themselves as independent historians. One is a retired archivist. One has a PhD. I don't care: if you contribute to misinformation and aren't ashamed of yourself, you're not a historian. You're adding to the litter on the information highway.

One day, I saw a really good, obviously old photograph of a man in buckskins. I'm always looking for reliable historical photos, so I asked the person who posted it where it came from.

'Oh, I don't know,' was the airy answer. 'I just liked it.'

Now, in the first place, if you retweet things, that's fine. You're just passing on a tweet. But if you save a photo and use it, you may be violating someone's copyright. You may also be spreading misinformation. You are certainly getting between the information and everyone else with a wall of confusion. Stop that.

What tore it today was the posting by someone who should have known better of what appeared to be a newspaper clipping from 1865. The newspaper clipping contained an advertisement for a bride by a lovelorn bachelor farmer. This started a long Twitter thread of commiseration with the fellow, speculation as to whether he ever got a nibble, etc. Of course, I had only one question: what newspaper did this come from? Location, date, etc? And, of course, nobody knew. They just reacted as if the information were gossip.

I did some searching – it took me less than five minutes – and found out that the story about the newspaper advert was printed in Harper's Weekly in 1865. In the humour section. Some researchers found other versions of the story that had been going the rounds, sometimes with a different location for the bachelor farmer, etc. In other words, it was a joke/urban legend in the making. All of which I had to research myself.

What's the Harm?

Right now, people all over the world are complaining about the fake news era. Politicians are 'gaslighting' them. Push polls and social media are influencing elections. Misinformation is being spread on vital topics, such as Covid-19. 'Oh, how awful!' everyone complains.

Has it occurred to you that you, too, may be contributing to the problem? Every time you pass on a story that's 'too good to keep to yourself', you may be spreading the plague, as surely as if you went into Costco without a face mask. Stop it. Stop it right now.

Before you pass on that delicious titbit, ask yourself, 'How do I know this is true?' Ask yourself, 'Who, what, where, when, why?' Also ask yourself, 'Do other people need/want to know this?'

Not sure how to fact-check? Try this guide entry for suggestions. Also memorise the word 'Snopes' and use it often. They work hard at tracing rumours.

'Can't be bothered' to do all that? Then quit mashing the 'Forward' button. Don't retweet dodgy stuff. Give everyone else a break. You can help save civilisation by exhibiting restraint in passing around misinformation.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

17.08.20 Front Page

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