Microchipping Babies, Giant Squids, and Mermaids

With most everyone connected to the internet, the “news” is easy to access and easy to share.

We have constant reminders, though, that not everything is true. How many times have we heard someone say, “But I read it on the internet, so it has to be true.”?

I know I’ve fallen for it once or twice, and it always makes me feel a little bit like this guy:Diana Beebe's Blog, Mermaids Don't Do Windows, Diana Beebe, science fiction, middle grade

Gone are the days that we could trust the news to check all the facts. We should do a little of our own, right? At least we should check out snopes.com and hoax-slayer.com before sharing “news” as if it’s true, especially if it’s weird and scary.

OK. So that’s assuming those guys aren’t part of a bigger conspiracy to make us think that the stories aren’t true, even if they are.,, So, yeah…

Maybe I shouldn’t watch so many Search for type shows, huh?

😀

My favorite example is the TV show that seemed to make many people believe mermaids aren’t real. It was so successful, that they did it again.

And unicorns are real and living in North Korea. (By the way, North Korea, theonion.com is a satire site. Satire. Look it up.)

And a giant monster squid washed up on shore in California.

And then there are the stories about Europe forcing all newborns to be microchipped beginning in May 2014. (That link goes to the snopes.com debunk article, because it’s not true.) I didn’t include the link to the site that has the story, because it also presents a bunch of stories about other urban legends, aliens-are-real conspiracies, and mythology as if they are true. Maybe they are true…

So, yeah…

What are we to do in a time when news is happening all the time and most of it is made up or recycled rumors, urban legends, and modernized science fiction. I just made that last one up. “Modernized science fiction.” Catchy. It’s when someone tries to pass off science fiction as current fact. It’s sometimes hard to know what’s real and what isn’t—science is catching up to science fiction all the time.

I’m still waiting for the fully-functioning clone creator though. It would have to be full-proof and stupid-proof before I used it though. Oh, wait. That has the makings of disaster all over it. (Have you seen Multiplicity?)

I suppose part of the problem is that we seem to be SO close to the reality of Big Brother right now. Our phones have apps that track everything we do. And we just accept the terms of use without reading anything, because we want that app. Did you know that the Facebook app on your smart phone can read any and every text message you send and receive?

Then there are the apps that track our exercise, eating, and even sleeping patterns—all in the name of making life easier and better for us.

Hello? Have we all read (or seen) 1984? Or Matched? Or Brave New World? Or Divergent? Or Minority Report?

All these societies had a few things in common:

  • The government dictated what roles people played and worked in society.
  • Everyone was tracked in some form or fashion or in every way possible.
  • People were administered tests and drugs to keep them all in harmony.
  • Dissenters were taken away quietly (or not so quietly) and eliminated from society with no questions asked or answered.

We must use our powers for good. Also, we shouldn’t blindly believe the crap we read on the internet.

It could be that I’m a closet conspiracy theorist and I should just embrace who I am. LOL. Nah. I’m really just a big dork.

What are some of the craziest stories you’ve seen that people thought was real? Have there been any that you wished had been true? I mean besides the obvious mermaids, dragons, and unicorns, of course. 😀

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