Ignorance – can it continue?
By Andrew Klein
Only the ignorant can speak with absolute certainty. This can be a dangerous folly when it starts to spread.
Today the western media model does not provide ‘News and Information’ that can be relied on to make informed decisions. Facts are often confused with opinion pieces or items prepared by the ‘Doctors of Spin’.
This would be amusing if not for the fact that countries live and die depending on the capricious whim of media owners and agenda-driven editing. People are either newsworthy or they simply slide onto to back page into the pulp fiction of history. Ignorance of World Affairs, ignorance of humanity in general allows people to be manipulated to suit short-term political agenda.
Absolute certainty about one’s’ worldly neighbours creates whatever image these pedlar’s of truth desire. Having created these images they can be justly attacked, destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth.
Once you fight images, you forget that they are also human. Mainstream Media is dead. The world really cannot afford the spread of ignorance.
Long live the alternatives and citizen journalism and all those speaking truth to power, such as @AusIndiMedia @BelindaJones68 @independentaus and @johnmenadue.
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13 comments
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wam
Return to home pageI decided to make a donation to AIM for this excellent article. But my donation went to some other entity called “Micca”. I believe I’ve been ripped off, and so has AIM. GOODBYE $100-. I won’t try to help AIM again. Love their articles and perspective, but their website has big holes in the walls. And, Paypal facilitated the transaction, advising that security was ” safe”. Hahahaha.
Second time for me that Paypal has allowed payment to fraudulent entities. But they still collect their commission!!! PLEASE BE AWARE.
Thank you, Andrew. You humble us.
Thank you, David.
It went to the right place: The AIMN. Micca’s just the name of our PayPal account.
We appreciate the donation, btw. It helps more than you know.
“Only the ignorant can speak with absolute certainty”
This is such a false assertion. Ignorance provided it is not wilful, can be forgiven. No one can expect everyone to know everything. The ignorant speak with no authority of certainty, except when they say ‘I don’t know’, free of the constraints of any conscience that informs them that they do in fact know but don’t wish to admit it, i.e. wilful ignorance.
Nor does ignorance spread. it is the default condition that is reduced with the spread of knowledge. Deception can be spread, and that is the real issue to be concerned about – wilful deception. That is not spreading ignorance. It is spreading deliberate falsehood to the ignorant who consequently remain ignorant of the truth. Those who know the truth do not become ignorant, though they may be deceived. There is a huge difference between being ignorant and being deceived. The media are spreading false information. Why? Address that and you will be less likely to confuse ignorance with bigotry.
It seems that our prime minister has got himself into hot-water because of his own ignorance of the Ministerial Code of Conduct that he, himself signed off when coming into office in June 2022.
I wouldn’t raise this were it not for the fact that Albo has said that accepting airline upgrades is not unlawful. Well, it’s not a crime but, the Ministerial Code does say :
3.21. Ministers must not seek or accept any kind of benefit or other valuable consideration either
for themselves or for others in connection with performing or not performing any element of
their official duties as a Minister.
So, at the very least it is an expectation that ministers will not accept freebies. The other question is whether the upgrades in question were sought or offered since the publication of these guidelines in June 2022.
https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/resource/download/code-of-conduct-for-ministers.pdf
Sully re “Only the ignorant can speak with absolute certainty,” and your robust rebuttal, “This is such a false assertion”… good to see you’ve grabbed the bull by the horns, so to speak.
You might want to rethink your position though; words written in haste often don’t stand up to the test of time wrt to their enduring veracity.
It’s almost axiomatic that fools and ignoramuses are sure of their positions and beliefs whereas those of broader knowledge or greater wisdom tend to be more nuanced in their views and less likely to speak of certainties absolute.
Everyone does it.., tax avoidance, fibs, stories, grabbing, onanism (what?), metoofirst stuff.., or do they? Surely Abbott was modest, Morrison was honest, Joyce was sober, Dutton gifted, Pauline Broom-Jockey is gorgeous, Murdoch is righteously valorous, Trump is misunderstood, you and I are clearsighted…
I see where you’re coming from, Andrew. Since the birth of Twitter etc I’ve been privileged to meet 955,422,671 fking know-it-alls.
Canguro, you’re right, this assertion possibly originated with Bertrand Russell — “The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.”
As a generalisation, it’s pretty accurate.
Sully’s other point about the media deliberately spreading lies is a good one, a fact that is well known, but regularly forgotten.
Comment of the year, Roswell.
Why thank you, Paul. That’s given me a lift.
I’m old enough to remember when “Our Washington Correspondent” in newspapers was actually a media department in the Pentagon.
Details have changed but the purpose, players and motivation remain the same.
ignorant truth is reinforced every time trump speaks, a news corp journalist publishes or a tweet reaches facebook. True to yourself is possible, as is honesty but greed is hard to deny. Albo should go.
spot on dance of the cuckoos,
When politicians say ‘I have done nothing wrong’ he/she/it means nothing illegal. But invariably the act is morally, socially and personally wrong. They are adept at avoiding scrutiny using the technique of lying by telling the truth.
Until the public or public service have access to the politicians’ diaries the rorts and the risk of corruption will flourish.