Why is it, I wonder, that some folks will believe almost anything?
I remember my grandmother used to read trashy “newspapers” along the lines of the National Inquirer and believe every word, because my grandfather had been the editor of a pair of religious newspapers. Even as a little kid I was aware that the weird photos and tales were like modern day Grimm’s Fairy Tales … which were pretty darn grim!
I’ve recently meet yet another person who seems so well informed, until you actually listen to what’s being said.
I am not a conspiracy theorist. I’m an Occam’s Razor sort of person. I do not get my news off conspiracy theory websites. I do not read a headline and assume it is correct. If I cannot verify information I ignore it. I assume those who are in competition with each other and who have criticized each other in the past and done so unfairly will continue to distort and lie in the future.
I offered a book on the Atkins diet to someone who is already following it (although he did not really know it) and he sneered, “You know what he died of, don’t you?” It was the know-it-all “I know something you don’t know” tone, I think.
I responded, “Yes, I do! He was a 72 year old man who was physically active and, except for cardiomyopathy caused by an infection, he was in great health. He was 6 feet tall and weighed 195 pounds. Walking to work on an icy sidewalk, he slipped, fell, and hit his head. He went into coma on the way to the hospital. During the time he was treated he gained 60 pounds of water weight and went into organ failure. His death certificate states he died of blunt injury trauma to the head.”
My friend looked thunderstruck. “But I read the headlines.” (He gets his news from AOHell.)
Those headlines were retracted because they were lies. In fact, Newsweek had to print a retraction because Dean Ornish was untruthful about his old rival, Dr. Atkins. However, lies live far longer than truth in this world. We can thank the dishonesty of Dean Ornish, the Committee for Responsible Medicine (which is so freakin’ irresponsible) and PETA for defaming a caring, honest, and committed medical man. Agree or not, he did his homework and his legacy lives on. And, in the case of the guy I’ve been helping to control his blood sugar, reduce his weight, and get fluid out of his system – Atkins has risen from the grave to save his life.
And the moral of this story is – believe half of what you read, less of what you hear, and in these days of digital manipulation, assume the image has been PhotoShopped.
I kept the book. Offer is no longer on the table.
Another Boomer Blog 