It’s not just social media, of course. One of my favorite teachers of all time taught my second semester of world history in high school. He would sometimes say something outlandish and then add, “It must be true, I read it in a book.”
Sometimes he did it just for effect, but occasionally he would believe something that was really wrong. I still remember asking why the grandson of Frederick William was called Frederick William I. He said that’s the way kings and queens were named. The first person had no numeral, the second one was xxx I, etc. I argued and he bet me he was right, if he was wrong I had to prove it. So I did some further research and figured it out, and he was pleased. (Frederick William was the Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I was the first king of Prussia.)
He’s a man after my own heart. He didn’t mind being wrong, and that’s the way I feel. Let’s check it out. If I’m wrong I’ll learn something. And in the case of the Frederick Willliams, I will never forget it. Bless you, Mr. Webster!
a number of academic lecturers have found themselves, wishing that they had investigated who their more mature students were?
one was lecturing on the Springbok riots here to do with rugby – when a hand shot and said “sir, that is not correct?…” “how would know?” “because I was the policeman in charge of that entire operation…”
oops silence ensured…
quite a few other interesting “this is how it was, and so it is…” scenes!!! Including my own problems when I was marked down for saying a certain type of grave marker, could only have meant the people were rich/wealthy…I hadn’t referenced it, which was the markers problem. Even the main lecturer of the course, who wasn’t even from NZ, said “not true…”
I got more and more dictated by that dam referencing notion to a point sometimes my essays made no sense…and why because someone who has been around the clock a bit, of course has knowledge and opinions that no amount of “looking/researching” will find that I was right…once I did find something that I could have used in a paper eons ago…but it was too late then!
I’m so glad I don’t have to take classes like that!
I have now taken to Google and Snopes to check the veracity of many messages that I get on WhatsApp and email. Otherwise, I can get and have got egg on my face. Incidentally, something to amuse you about checking the veracity, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sainsburys-easter-egg-halal-12266617
What a mess! Human nature in action.
When something I read on social media sounds suspicious, it usually is! Many claims are made with no foundation at all.
I mostly avoid social media, it just doesn’t turn me on.
ages ago when that Beverly Hillbillies show was on tv the young nephew Jethro was saying something to the Pa on the show and the old guy said “oh I don’t know about that Jethro … I wouldn’t be to quick to believe that.”
Jethro said “Ya gotta believe it uncle Jed! its PRINTED right here!” and I think he pointed to the newspaper.
LOL. point not so subtly made even back then.
and there are so many ‘self appointed experts’ anymore whether professors that have to be proven wrong like yours or panels on the endless news networks…
maybe that’s what to take away from it. there are no experts. only extenuating circumstances! 🙂
The thing I admired about my teacher was he was happy to be proven wrong. He was more interested in learning, and in his students learning, than in feeding his ego.
Talking of kings and queens, the history teacher at my prep school insisted we had to learn the complete list of English kings and queens off by heart. If you were tested on the list and got something wrong, there’d be a punishment. I remember one occasion when I got something wrong and ended up with six of the best.
That is so sad! To make kids hate learning. 🙁
that is beyond the pale…