It is little wonder so many continue to believe the 2020 election was fraudulently “stolen” from Trump. Conspiracy theories and “alternative facts” abound these days and put doubts into just about everything we thought we knew.
There are many (too many?) social networking sites run by oddballs who project outrageous disinformation. QAnon spins disturbing delusions. TV’s “Ancient Aliens” and UFO stories have many of us doubting humanity’s past accomplishments. And surely “reality shows” are not real; at least they shouldn’t be.
Television, magazines and books all throw doubt on the Kennedy and MLK assassinations, 9/11 and other historic tragedies and events. Tabloids such the National Enquirer dangle provocative “truths” that “inquiring minds want to know.”
The late humorist Lewis Grizzard described these gullible folks as believing “rasslin’ was real but the moon landing was faked.”
Is critical thinking dead or in critical condition? Just because someone has the freedom to express a thought, does that make it true? For far too many of us, it apparently does.