We have never heard of so many references to false facts, as we have since Donald Trump began his candidacy for the highest office in the country and, especially since his election, as president! Who can forget, when her adviser, Kellyanne Conway, actually told the press, what she said was Alternative facts? Often it seems, every time, that someone does not agree with any action, statement or narrative of this so-called leader, he and his supporters proclaim that those statements are false facts! While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, there is only one set of facts and therefore there can be no false and / or alternatives! This horrible pandemic, which has so far infected more than 2 million Americans and claimed the lives of more than 120,000 of our residents, has brought this to the fore! While this situation has been clearly explained by public health professionals / experts, in factual, data-driven, and science-oriented ways, President Trump, and thus many of his leading supporters, appear to be ignoring these and, therefore, endangering the health and well-being of others. For example, the facts are, wearing a mask and avoiding crowds / social distancing is the most effective path, moving forward, denying the science and data, and articulating some unfounded theory, it doesn’t work! With that in mind, this article will briefly attempt to consider, examine, review, and discuss the differences and what each actually is.
1. Facts are facts: Something is factual or it is not a fact. To be so, it is essential and necessary to be a true, well-founded, researched, science- and data-based statement. We have witnessed, many times, how Trump claims that he is a stable genius, that he knows more than the experts, and refers to any contrary and different ideas and / or approaches as false! He often complains about the supposed false press, whenever they report something that does not support his preferred narrative. This becomes even more dangerous when the president publicly refers to these reporters as the enemy of the people!
two. Opinions are opinions: There is a significant difference, sometimes, between opinions / beliefs, etc., and facts! Everyone has the right to have their own opinion, but that does not mean that it is so! When someone seems to intentionally blur the lines between the two, it is not only often a false narrative, but it can be false / a lie, misleading, and a false statement.
3. A false fact is a lie or is due to a lack of complete understanding / knowledge: While everyone, at some point or another, can misinterpret the facts, a responsible public official must accept responsibility, when he finds out, he may have made a mistake and admit his mistake! Just because something doesn’t sit well with you doesn’t make it a fact! Therefore, do not automatically accept what you read on the Internet. Look at the original data, instead of someone’s narrative! We should have learned that lesson from the way Attorney General Barr published the Mueller Report and then discovered that his version was much smaller than the full story.
Wake up America and demand genuine integrity from those you choose to serve and represent you! Do it, or there could be undesirable ramifications!