Run Go Tell That! The Grand Age Of Misinformation.....

Eggs on Windshield Hoax

At some point the world spun backwards on its own axis. It used to be that reporters, writers and the like did their due diligence before releasing a story for mass consumption but at some point that all changed. Was it pre or post 9-11? I'm not quite sure, but the one thing I do know is with the advent, accessibility and popularity of social media the age of misinformation is in full bloom.

Semen in Mayo Hoax

Social media like Facebook, Vine, Twitter and Instagram have sprouted a wave of freelance journalist, reporters and photographers. This in and of itself is useful but when the person reporting, writing and capturing pictures or video of critical moments in a bystander's life has absolutely ZERO integrity, there is a high probability that misinformation will be spread. There's also the chance that  threads of ignorance will be spewed as pious opinionated assholes give unwanted and more importantly un-researched opinions on subjects that they are just not an authority on. All this while the fears of an already overly fearful society will be realized and acted upon by the "town criers". Those that stand downtown on their soap boxes screaming "Run for the hills the end is nigh!" "Get batteries and water the world will end in 2000!" or "Dec. 21st 2013 is the end of of the Mayan Calendar, get your affairs in order !"

Crying Baby Gang Lure Hoax

The issues that I have are these:

1) Spreading misinformation makes you part of the problem.

2) Refusing to fact check makes you a non-credible source for information.

3) A failure to understand what satire is makes you an idiot that should want to stop posting.

4) Posting scandalous nonsense for likes or hits makes you desperate for attention. * They have help for that....

5) Profiting from lies and rumors make you a smut peddler.

6) Spreading fear leads to erratic behavior, control and violence.

Spider Under The Toilet Seat Hoax

At the end of the day we all do what we do for our own personal reasons and that's fine. I'm a chef, blogger, photographer, writer, cyclist, traveler and humanitarian that happens to be opinionated, but I tend to base my opinions on factual, tangible and provable information before I throw it out for consumption. The media carries out enough smoke and mirrors tactics on the public at hand (that would be you & me) so there is no need for us to follow suit with them. We should want for more and demand more from them, but that's got to start with us checking ourselves and each other first and being receptive to change once we are called out on it. Some may still ask, "What's the big deal?", the big deal is FEAR, it's controlled the masses since the beginning of time and cost lives, millions and peace. I'd much rather do my part by spreading truth and understanding.

NAACP Gives Zim Lifetime Achievement Award Satire

I have pledged that this year whenever I see a post like the examples that I have given in this article, I would do my best to research the story and post its origin so that people have both sides of the story. It may seem petty to you and some may even be offended but I have my agenda which is to hold myself, my friends and those that want to "Run Go Tell That" accountable for the things that we post and by that hold the media to a higher standard.

Ignorance & Rap (Not Hip Hop there's such a difference) 

On a separate but related note I saw several post about the damage that VH1 and its programming is doing damage and harm to Black men, women and children. I tend to agree in some ways but I have a different take on it. After all the participants aren't White people dressed in Black face acting out the parts, these niggas are actually Black, ignorant low-brows that have found a way to make money off of their "caricaturized", stereotypical ghetto azzes. We can refuse to watch those things by simply changing the channel. We can refuse to acknowledge them by not posting about them. We can refuse to allow them to profit off of the smut they peddle by avoiding their sponsored events, websites or related entities. The one thing that I know for sure is the way to make change is to take the ability to profit monetarily from a thing. Posting about these things only  brings more attention to it. *I'm sure some of you are asking "Ain't you the pot calling the kettle black as you post about these things here and now?" To that I say, I'm doing so responsibly by posting truth and an educated opinion of the things that I would like to see changed positively. I'll support anyone else in their venture to do the same but if you happen to spread misinformation I will come at your post. Please don't take it personally I just have a penchant for wanting to see more truth than lies, a need for seeing more positive than negative and a duty to spread more love than hate.