A crazy plea...

[freethrowtommy]

I don't come on this forum very often because I don't feel like debating. I think there are a lot of good things in this forum and I would love to push those things along. I love posting about cards because it is a hobby that I enjoy... politics, not so much, but not because of the people I debate, but because of the places the information comes from.

The whole reason for this topic is to shed some light on what people are post here and everywhere really. I know it is easy to find someone who supports your argument in an age where you can find anything you desire in a few simple clicks of a mouse. My plea is for people to critically look at the sources you are posting and ask yourself, is it fair to show it like this? I can go on a site like the Weekly Standard or Huffington Post and find things that support my argument all day long or I can watch talking heads like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Keith Olbermann and quote them all day at work the next day. That stuff is easy to do.

It is a bit more difficult to find one of those guy's ideas and actually vet it for factual information. The problem in the media today is that there is no accountability for what is being shown on TV or posted on "news" sites. There is no citation page on TV and even if there was, do people do the work anymore? Remember back in school, when you wrote a report, there was a need to show where you got your information. Why when we grow up, is that not a requirement anymore?

My plea to you is read what you like, but take a look where it is coming from. Maybe read an article or two from someone who doesn't agree with your viewpoint. Read the sources if the article gives them... think critically, that is my only plea. There are a ton of very smart people on this board and there are great ideas on both sides of the isle. I want those people to come together, not be torn apart. Our current president isn't doing everything right, but he isn't doing everything wrong either. Same with the many before him. The more we fight about this stuff, the greater the divide becomes.

/end rant... thanks for taking the time to read.

[duane1969]

The source of an article and the source of the information are two very differnt things. Because you do not like the author of an article or the reporting news agency does not make the data incorrect.

For example, if a person with 10 different mental disorders tells me that a building is on fire, just because he is looney does not mean that the building is not really on fire. Just because the source of information may not be the best or your preffered source does not make the information itself wrong.

You are making the mistake of dismissing an entire realm of information simply because you don't like the source of an article or report. That is a very narrow-minded approach. Look at the data, not the reporting agency. Don't just dismiss something simply because it comes from FoxNews or HuffPost. A pro-liberal or pro-conservative spin does not make the data itself wrong.