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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

"Don't Believe Everything You Read on the Internet" -Abraham Lincoln

Yes! I get a chance to use my new favorite Lincoln quote!

Robin Williams as Mork speaking to the Universe (actually, Orson)
A Facebook friend (who shall go nameless) posted a crazy thing about Robin Williams spouting some rather reactionary conservative screed. I didn't think it sounded right (except for Robin being crazy - but even that's mostly in a good way). I had the same reaction that I had with George Washington supposedly promoting the NRA the other day. So I googled the first part of the quote and "Robin Williams" and came up with several sites debunking the scam. I went with Snopes.

Snopes is, of course, part of some communist plot of the Illuminati and the Tri-Lateral Commission with some link to the Templars. They are "in the tank" for any liberal cause like "reality." I hope you can appreciate the sarcastic humor there because I need to hide behind it so I don't start writing in CAPS!!!! oops - moderation recovered.

So now I ask my rhetorical question, is it conservatives or liberals who spread more bunk on the internet? Maybe it's just that I have so many conservative friends, so very few liberal ones, and a moderate measure of moderates it just seems like it's the conservatives. And it does seem like the eternal burden of the moderate is to be ever vigilant to bring us back to truth and reality (just so we can be accused of liberalism).


ADDENDUM
September 25, 2012
As this is rapidly becoming one of my most-viewed posts (I think because of Lincoln, not Mork), I provide an actual quote of Lincoln's (with reference) that actually helps address the issue, even if he never actually said anything about the internet:
"I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false, is guilty of falsehood. . . ."
--A. Lincoln, August 11, 1846 Letter to Allen N. Ford
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4 comments:

  1. DanielJune 13, 2012 at 3:10 PM

    I have quite a few liberal Facebook friends who post crazy stuff on their walls. However, I at least notice the conservative stuff at a much higher frequency. I don't even read all that much of it (it angries up the blood), yet my gut reaction is that I see more of the conservative variety than liberal.

    And I love the Lincoln quote.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GrantJune 13, 2012 at 5:49 PM

      Well, I should have acknowledged you as the inspiration for the Lincoln "quote." But it's hard to give attribution to someone when you're misquoting someone else.

      Delete
    2. DanielJune 14, 2012 at 10:46 AM

      Exactly. I couldn't get the wording right and I'm glad you found the better wording. I'm now going to steal your version.

      Delete
  2. Papa DJune 13, 2012 at 8:03 PM

    "The eternal burden of the moderate is to be ever vigilant to bring us back to truth and reality (just so we can be accused of liberalism)."

    and be called wishy-washy or a sell-out by liberals

    Life in the muddle in the middle is interesting. It's where I want to be, but it's interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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