Fake News is a lucrative product. There is a huge market for it. And there are countless buyers. It works among friends, works in a corporation whether it is around the water-cooler or in the board room. It had worked in King’s courts. It works pretty well during election times.
by Pramod Kandanarachchi
Right speech is in the eightfold path to enlightenment for Buddhists. The eighth Commandment forbade ‘giving false testimony against your neighbor’. Quran is quite explicit when it comes to gossip: "if a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest you harm people unwittingly…” Talmud, a collection of the Jewish oral tradition interpreting the Torah, tells us that the tongue is an instrument so dangerous that it must be kept hidden from view.
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| Fate humanity in Fake News era |
That covers most of the world population who believe that propagating fake news is wrong. And the majority of those who are non-believers of any religion may also agree that the truth, although it may get you in trouble sometimes, shall ultimately make you free.
So, why is it that the most common form of human communication, whether it is private, social media, workplace, Parliament or even places of worship is the wrong speech?
Obviously, it is easy to condemn such behavior as actions of bad people. But it is extremely difficult to imagine that there is a person in this world who has never spoken ill of another—justified or not. It is also exceedingly difficult to believe that there is a single person in this world who has never succumbed to a wicked person’s telltales.
Is it OK if I am to say that none amongst us can throw the first stone on this occasion?
Perhaps more important question is why Fake News has been so prevalent in entire civilized world? I presume that cave men (and women) were not any better either.
There are many root-causes. First, primates, especially humans, are a funny lot. Unlike cows, fish or birds, the primates such as chimpanzees, orangutans and humans love humor. What is funnier than sharing a good gossip?
The entire multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry is based on people’s natural curiosity of other people’s lives: both successes and screw-ups. You can see it in TV, hear it in radio, and read it in many websites too. I think this type of celebrity-gossip is somewhat innocent and should get a pass. After all subjects of entertainment industry’s chatter—movie stars, singers, sports persons, politicians, pretty people, rich people, etc. thrive on it. They may protest openly when they are defamed but covertly desire the attention.
So, I guess we need not stop keeping up with Kardashians (I will not name the Sri Lankan counterparts).
The entertainment industry will make the money they treasure, the celebrities will receive the attention they desire and of course we, the lowly primates, will be granted the amusement we deserve.
However, blabbering about public figures has metamorphosed in recent years to an ugly and dangerous form called ‘Fake-News’ in social media. We typically see these during the elections. Such fake news in social media play a perilous part in many racial violence incidences against minorities in many countries.
Even COVID-19 virus is not immune from this behavior (just count the plethora of cures for this decease claimed in Facebook).
This fake news in social media phenomenon is quite complex and I am not trying to discuss it comprehensively in this article. My objective is to try to understand and comment on the ill effects of gossiping in close social groups in terms of personal relationships because the root causes of many social ills in fact are expressions of personal shortcomings of humans.
It is in this close social group settings perhaps only Homo sapiens managed to master this vicious behavior. They gossip primarily for jealousy, disparage innocents to get ahead or to pull down somebody else who is getting ahead of them, and kiss-and-tell to prove that they are bigger and better. Thus, if you work a little harder than your co-workers or a little smarter than your classmates, chances are somebody is right now calling you a stuck-up or smarty-pants or something like that.
And, if you are a female with a prettier face than your friends, you are in the worst predicament. It is quite likely that some of your dear friends are also calling you a slut right now. This of course is a very peculiar case since this behavior deserves more compassion than condemnation.
It is guaranteed that boyfriends (or husbands) of those who condemn you are quite fond of you and that gives lot of grief to their girlfriends or wives. However, that does not prevent those guys who secretly admired you to start calling you a slut too as soon as they realize that your pretty face is not there for their pleasure. That behavior of course does not deserve any compassion but only condemnation.
Obviously, animals must get ahead of others for survival showing little mercy too. But their methodologies are usually direct and there is little evidence for animals spreading fake news about other animals.
It is no brainer that you should be in your guard for those rumormongers. But there is another group of people, a rather huge assembly, that you should be quite alarmed. Those are the idiots who believe just about anything they hear. People who carry tales would never have attained the immense success that they had in this world if not for the presence of those who consume such fables with delight.
It is said that Fox makes up tales, Donkey spreads and Buffalo believes them.
This explains why the fake news is so prevalent. And why so many people have mastered the technique.
Because it works!
Fake News is a lucrative product. There is a huge market for it. And there are countless buyers. It works among friends, works in a corporation whether it is around the water-cooler or in the board room. It had worked in King’s courts. It works pretty well during election times.
This commentary would be useless if it has only stated the obvious. So, let us try to come up with a system to guard you against ill effects of talebearers. How would you know your co-worker is spreading rumors about you while you are enjoying your hard-earned vacation? How do you know your BFF is calling you a klutz behind your back? How do you know that the mother of your daughter’s best friend is demeaning your daughter with her gossip-circle?
Generally, you can gauge it by observing how they treat others.
In general, if someone is talking to you behind somebody else’s back chances are that they are doing the same to you too.
At least gossip Kings and Queens do not discriminate!
If you are mathematically inclined and prefer a quantifiable method, then there is this simple tool. If you suspect your BFF is smearing you, do this math. First, count the number of years you knew him/her = Y. Then count the number of times he/she badmouthed about others with you = B.
There is a quadratic equation to solve this, but I am volunteering to simplify it for you (just kidding).
How many times they have done the same to you already = (B x Y) - 1.
This equation helps you with three rules. First: if ‘B’ stays zero year after year either your BFF is Mother Theresa or Ted Bundy (Google it please). Second: if B > 10 in one-year un-friend him/her from your Facebook account ASAP. Third: your BFF is still your BFF if they get a score of zero meaning everybody is sanctioned to badmouth somebody once a year.
Finally, if you apply this math to me, depending on who you are you will get an answer > 2. That means despite incessant pontifications in this piece I am also quite capable of crossing into the dark side.
What about you?
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