I swear, I dunno why I get so triggered by certain things sometimes, but this was one of those that just got to me…
There’s this whole informal “truther” movement, that’s supposed to be all about ”seeking truth.” Yet, the more time I interact with many in it, the more I see the same kind of robotic reactivity & programmed responses lacking discernment & critical thinking as in the “mainstream” they frequently judge.
Came across an IG post last night:
And well, if you’re at all familiar with the “truther community,” some of y’all might be able to imagine/predict what came forth in the comments section.
And in all fairness, I was taken aback at first too - whether influenced by the reactivity of the crowd or the same ideas implanted in my mind, like where “3D-printed = lab grown meat = Bill Gates = evil = eugenics, etc, etc.”
But, I didn’t stop there. Something urged me to actually investigate a little before stopping at the same conclusions - to see what the actual ingredients in this stuff are, so as to discern for myself whether it’s as horrible as everyone assumed or not. So, over to the Redefined Meat website I went and looked around to find out. And I was surprised. Not because it is full of chemicals and questionable components never heard of, but cuz it’s actually really just a vegan product - no additives & preservatives, non-GMO, nothing that fairly raises any red flags. (Unless there’s still a question mark around the generic “flavourings.”)
The crowd was tripping over what…?
Seriously.
Here we have “communities” of people supposedly dedicated to researching truth… none of whom have taken even one minute to do any investigation for themselves, jumping to false conclusions, regurgitating predictable responses to faulty assumptions, up in arms over a fucking vegan product that actually looks healthier than Beyond Meat, which is goddamned everywhere. No critical thinking. No pauses to question. Just jumping on a counterculture bandwagon, spewing forth hate towards Bill Gates and paranoia based on programmed beliefs that have absolutely nothing to do with the reality of this company or product.
Why do I give so many fucks here? Why some compulsion to go back to the comments thread as the black sheep of that herd to challenge the stupidity and plant some seeds that might make even one person realize this dynamic?
Maybe I expected too much of humans. Perhaps I overestimated their intelligence. Maybe there’s part of myself distraught with having somewhat identified with such movements/communities that continue to display the same type of unintelligent herd mentality as the masses they commonly judge as “sheep,” semi-resentful for having repeatedly given a portion of my own life force energy to collective egregors that’ve diminished my own capacity for intellectual clarity.
Either way, mannnnnn.
Maybe I need more compassion - seeing & understanding where I, myself, have repeated such errors in judgement and jumped to faulty conclusions too quick. Perhaps I’m not one to judge, still committing certain errors in critical thinking & proper discernment in regards to different matters - holding onto pessimism & cynicism regarding issues commonly discussed in “conspiracy theory” circles, equally under the grip of cognitive biases & logical fallacies when it comes to other topics. (Perhaps I’ve been continuing to make myself look like just as much of an ass when communicating them to others who see those matters with the same clarity I do this one.)
And from here…? I dunno… maybe it’s yet another (of many) lessons that not everything needs a response - or at the least, not a heated one. Guaranteed, nothing I write in that comments thread is gonna make everyone reading it “see the light” - and it isn’t my place to.
Maybe the intensity of response is indicative of there being some truth being spoken - not for the sake of proving anyone wrong or “changing minds,” but merely for the purpose of speaking truth; though I definitely still am working on pacing it, so as to respond from a place of neutrality & clarity rather than frustration & hostility. Though these triggers are a challenge. Part of me wishes I could simply “let go” quick & easy, moving back onto making music or something “productive.” Though I dunno, maybe there’s somereason certain truths need to be spoken/written through me that I can’t consciously know. Blah, blah, blah.
Moral of the story? Be smart. Use your noggin.
In this day & age of decreasing attention spans on social media where it’s super easy to robotically react to short-form content that doesn’t paint accurate pictures of the whole truth, it might be more important than ever to take that extra moment to pause, think critically, be discerning, and question everything before jumping on the bandwagon of any collective opinion.
Or don’t, and just be a self-righteous dumbass. Your choice. 🤷♂️😼