Did you see this? Shocking video of a Dallas store owner trying to protect his business during a protest/riot and was murdered in the street. It’s horrifying video, if you can stomach it.
No, really. Have you seen this video yet? Have friends of yours posted it to their social media, complete with breathless exclamations about a store owner’s recorded murder? If you know what I’m talking about, guess what: you’ve been had.
The video is authentic. That man was beaten pretty severely in the street. It’s gruesome, really. But here’s the thing…
Everything you’ve been told about the video is a lie. A complete fabrication. Pure, 100 percent bullshit. Fake news. You heard me. It’s actual fake news.
Here’s the truth, as verified and reported by the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (a real, actual, mainstream newspaper…not some mickey-mouse, fly-by-night, click-bait website you’ve never heard of before):
Machete-wielding man attacked by Dallas mob admits ‘bravery to the point of stupidity’
In actuality, it was some, dumb asshole in Texas with a sword acting alone and instigating an altercation with protesters. In his own words:
“Hey, funny story. The guy in this video getting his ass kicked? That’s me,” Shoultz writes in his first of a series of posts. “I had a bit of an adventure this evening trying to protect a bar I love, one that ended with me in the hospital. But I am quite alive, if a bit worse for the wear.”
While I’m sad there was such a violent incident, it never would’ve have happened Shoultz man stayed the f – – k home! You can’t defend an indefensible act, either. He risked his own life and threatened the lives of others when no one asked him to do such a thing.
But my larger point here is not to say Charles Shoultz is an asshole (he really is, though), it’s to once again remind every one of you that you are responsible for the sanctity of truth in this world. You, me, anyone and everyone who communicates via social media or any other channel has to be responsible for the information we process and share. Whether you realize it or not, when you forward on that bogus piece of information that’s all dressed up like an actual news story, you are contributing to someone else’s pernicious agenda.
“Well, I still think it’s the point is true…” “I still believe the sentiment…”
No. Absolutely not. The moment you go down that road, you are creating a dangerous foundation that says truth doesn’t matter as much as how it makes you feel. Lies in defense of any belief, any article of faith or moral stance only serve to invalidate and nullify whatever it is you’re trying to advance. Worse, you are contributing to an environment where facts no longer matter, so long as the intent comports with your worldview.
I’m not wont to be the Facebook hall monitor, but I refuse to allow verifiable falsehoods go unchecked. I wrote a very similar blog entry nearly eight years ago about this very subject—long before the term “fake news” was first uttered (then co-opted and corrupted by dishonest people)—when Ben Stein was attributed to something he didn’t say.
We saw this phenomenon again recently with the “I am a Liberal” essay. No, it was not written by Ron Howard. It was written by a woman named Lori Gallagher Witt. Whether you agree or disagree, she deserves credit, not Ron Howard. Even Opie would agree with that.
Why do people do this? Why do they take someone else’s words and coat them with a celebrity Probably because they think it further validates the message. It doesn’t. It cheapens the message.
Though not the same as this sword-wielding dude story, these attempts to subvert the truth are in the same bucket as truly false, misleading information. The danger is it leads to forming views and opinions on false pretenses. It elevates lying and pushes truth into the shadows.
I think we can all agree a world based on truth is preferred to the alternative, right?
writing. photography. tomfoolery. 