Gullible Much?

May 6, 2010 in Bikers, Bikers' Church, Random Thoughts 18

I apologize in advance if I end up just rambling with this post … but something’s been bugging me for a few days now, and it boiled over yesterday.

How is it that in 2010, people can still be so gullible that they believe everything they read, or see on television, without ever checking the facts? Is it because they are just too lazy to actually look into it? Or is it because we really do want to simply trust those who deliver the news or speak with authority?

As a preacher, I tell people all the time, “Don’t just believe something because I say it’s true. Look into it for yourself. Come to your own conclusion. If you accept something as a spiritual truth just because I’m telling you it is, then you’re foolish.” I say that because I’ve seen far too many people get hooked into cultish-type groups simply because they don’t take the time to discover spiritual truth for themselves.

Since I encourage those who sit under my teaching to do this, I don’t think I’m out of line to suggest that we do it when it comes to others who speak with authority.

Over the past week, I have found myself becoming a news-junkie again. For a season, I was hardly reading any news reports or watching much more than the half hour evening news, but this past week, I’ve been flipping back and forth between CNN and CBC. And it’s amazed me just lazy reporting has become. Much of the stuff that is reported is completely inaccurate. Other stuff contains just enough truth to make the listener buy it fully.

I understand why it’s this way. The news media needs quick, catchy headlines. They needs stories that will cause the listener to tune in. It’s all about grabbing our emotions and our attention. CBC currently has a commercial promoting their news channel. In the commercial, the question is asked, “What makes a great story?” All of the recognizable news personalities answer it with one or two words. What I found interesting is that not one of them used the words truth or accuracy in answering what makes a good story.

As I biker, I’m used to seeing inaccuracies in the media. News reports refer to motorcycle gangs even though there is no such thing. I am not aware of a single motorcycle group that refers to itself as a gang. Sensationalized headlines paint every guy riding a Harley as potential bad news. And people buy it, hook, line, and sinker.

Even the police buy into it. Now, I know a lot of great police officers. In fact, 90% of them are amazing people doing an amazing, thankless job. And yet, let’s be honest, they are indoctrinated into believing that bikers are guilty until found innocent. As a result, they truly believe they are in the right when they pull over a biker for no reason.

I know some of you think that this is a rant because I was stopped yesterday. It’s not. The officer who pulled me over was very nice. I had no issue with him. Actually, I felt sorry for him. He pulled me over for no reason other than how I looked. Yes, profiling. He truly believed that it was legitimate to use the excuse, “Just checking paperwork” as a reason for pulling over a law-abiding citizen. He could have run my license plate while following me and discovered that there are no outstanding warrants, no criminal charges, no reason to pull me over, but all he saw was a biker, and stopped me because bikers are bad.

I spoke with a member of a club this past weekend who told me about having dinner with his brother and his new girlfriend. The girlfriend asked the biker why he feels it’s okay to pimp out girls for prostitution. The biker laughed and asked her why she thought he was a pimp. She told him it was because he was a member of that club, and from what she understood, all the members of that club had prostitutes working for them. Now, this guy has a 9 to 5 job (and yes, I’ve seen him at his job). He also works two other jobs to bring in extra money. He pays taxes on all three jobs. He works like a dog. And yet, he’s painted with a brush simply because of a patch on his back.

My point in all this rambling is this: in this day and age, when there is so many ways to check out facts, why do we as a culture just accept what authorities and news outlets tell us is true? Why don’t we take the time to actually research a few things and discover truth for ourselves? I challenge people to do that with spiritual things, and I try to make the effort to do it with every other area of my life.

What about you?

  • http://www.ultimatevelocity.co.za Buks Saayman

    Dear Rob

    I live in Cape Town, South Africa. Here we don’t have that problem, or at least, as far as I am aware. Motorcyclists aren’t generally thought of, as ‘bad’ people. We still get pulled over by police and traffic officers at random and we do get victimized because of someone’s vendetta against bikers, ever so often.

    I agree with you 100% that the media does not always give the truth on a matter and we as a society should not believe everything we hear or read. I really enjoy a television program called Sons of Anarchy. I don’t know if you have seen or heard of it before. Being a biker myself, I know that the events in the television program does not necessarily occur in every motorcycle club. But unfortunately I cannot say the same of a non-biker who sees the program. Even though it is good entertainment, I believe it could damage the reputation of some biker clubs today. The media should be very careful of what they allow on t.v, in a newspaper or on radio. Our world is not ruled by decision making people, but by the media and the amount of people they can influence.

  • http://www.ultimatevelocity.co.za Buks Saayman

    Dear Rob

    I live in Cape Town, South Africa. Here we don’t have that problem, or at least, as far as I am aware. Motorcyclists aren’t generally thought of, as ‘bad’ people. We still get pulled over by police and traffic officers at random and we do get victimized because of someone’s vendetta against bikers, ever so often.

    I agree with you 100% that the media does not always give the truth on a matter and we as a society should not believe everything we hear or read. I really enjoy a television program called Sons of Anarchy. I don’t know if you have seen or heard of it before. Being a biker myself, I know that the events in the television program does not necessarily occur in every motorcycle club. But unfortunately I cannot say the same of a non-biker who sees the program. Even though it is good entertainment, I believe it could damage the reputation of some biker clubs today. The media should be very careful of what they allow on t.v, in a newspaper or on radio. Our world is not ruled by decision making people, but by the media and the amount of people they can influence.

  • Trevor Hilton

    Found you on MrZips blog. Even when I visit a new Church, for the first 3–4 sermons, I’m not listening to learn. I’m listening to see if he’s really preaching the Bible, or his version of it.

    May I suggest you listen to Fox News instead. They tell the truth.

  • Trevor Hilton

    Found you on MrZips blog. Even when I visit a new Church, for the first 3–4 sermons, I’m not listening to learn. I’m listening to see if he’s really preaching the Bible, or his version of it.

    May I suggest you listen to Fox News instead. They tell the truth.

  • http://www.robdale.ca Rob

    Well, glad you found me!

    Not sure if you’re joking or not when it comes to Fox News (since I don’t really watch too much American news), but I think every major television news outlet is guilty of what I’m suggesting from time to time.

  • http://www.robdale.ca Rob

    Well, glad you found me!

    Not sure if you’re joking or not when it comes to Fox News (since I don’t really watch too much American news), but I think every major television news outlet is guilty of what I’m suggesting from time to time.

  • Craig Jackman

    Perhaps if the media outlets in this country weren’t controlled by just 4 companies, and if those companies weren’t so hung up on improving “shareholder value” and increasing seniour executive bonus structures, and if those 4 companies hadn’t slashed costs to the bone to make up for decreased revenues … maybe, just maybe, those very news outlets you are complaining about would have the money and resouces needed to actually do their jobs properly. But what do I know … I just work here.

    When I started in media, the local private station had reporters working out of trailers as they were out of office space. The public (CBC) station took up a 6-story building. The fleet of yellow cars for the local newspaper was legendary. Every media outlet had dedicated specialty reporters to focus on one specific topic … crime, city hall, provincial and federal governments etc. Sure there was some fat to cut, but they’ve used every excuse to go too far. Now the reporter not only has to research his story, write and report it, but now they are their own video technicians and editors. One guy doing what was 3 or 4 jobs. Not only do they need to file for their local outlet, they need to file for the on-line service, and file to any national outlets they are affiliated with. Again, doing not-quite 3 times the work, but certainly much more than before. One day they are working on a crime story, the next a business story in the suburbs, the next following up on a press release from some wanna-be local politician. Is it any wonder they don’t go deeper and deeper on a topic? Oh, and there’s less of you reporters out there, but somehow you still need to fill the same amount of airtime.

    Can the media do better? Hell yeah, but I think given what they have to work with and in, they do an outstanding job. As for Fox News, since I have a very close friend enjoying a career with them, I will defer from commenting other than to say news by blowhard and commentary does not constitute journalism, and Fox as much as anyone needs to do more thorough research.

  • Craig Jackman

    Perhaps if the media outlets in this country weren’t controlled by just 4 companies, and if those companies weren’t so hung up on improving “shareholder value” and increasing seniour executive bonus structures, and if those 4 companies hadn’t slashed costs to the bone to make up for decreased revenues … maybe, just maybe, those very news outlets you are complaining about would have the money and resouces needed to actually do their jobs properly. But what do I know … I just work here.

    When I started in media, the local private station had reporters working out of trailers as they were out of office space. The public (CBC) station took up a 6-story building. The fleet of yellow cars for the local newspaper was legendary. Every media outlet had dedicated specialty reporters to focus on one specific topic … crime, city hall, provincial and federal governments etc. Sure there was some fat to cut, but they’ve used every excuse to go too far. Now the reporter not only has to research his story, write and report it, but now they are their own video technicians and editors. One guy doing what was 3 or 4 jobs. Not only do they need to file for their local outlet, they need to file for the on-line service, and file to any national outlets they are affiliated with. Again, doing not-quite 3 times the work, but certainly much more than before. One day they are working on a crime story, the next a business story in the suburbs, the next following up on a press release from some wanna-be local politician. Is it any wonder they don’t go deeper and deeper on a topic? Oh, and there’s less of you reporters out there, but somehow you still need to fill the same amount of airtime.

    Can the media do better? Hell yeah, but I think given what they have to work with and in, they do an outstanding job. As for Fox News, since I have a very close friend enjoying a career with them, I will defer from commenting other than to say news by blowhard and commentary does not constitute journalism, and Fox as much as anyone needs to do more thorough research.

  • http://www.robdale.ca Rob

    Craig, I knew you’d comment on this post :-)

    And, I think you are 100% right … the issue is that 4 companies own all the media outlets, and they are in it for one reason: to make money.

    I certainly don’t blame the average reporter on the ground trying to make deadline. But, that’s part of the problem … he/she doesn’t have time to check the facts, because they have to get it on air as quickly as possible, so they skip the old “check the facts, sir” part of reporting and just find the easiest way to get enough ink in the story.

  • http://www.robdale.ca Rob

    Craig, I knew you’d comment on this post :-)

    And, I think you are 100% right … the issue is that 4 companies own all the media outlets, and they are in it for one reason: to make money.

    I certainly don’t blame the average reporter on the ground trying to make deadline. But, that’s part of the problem … he/she doesn’t have time to check the facts, because they have to get it on air as quickly as possible, so they skip the old “check the facts, sir” part of reporting and just find the easiest way to get enough ink in the story.

  • https://twitter.com/EmmaB_73 Emma Brett

    Growing up on Vancouver Island in the 1980’s, I was raised to ‘fear’ anyone who wore the Hell’s Angels colours on their motorcycles. It was commonplace to see guys on their bikes, wearing their Hell’s Angels gear, and I never did understand the fear I was supposed to feel, even though it was drilled into us. Then when I was 16, working at my first job as a professional ice cream scooper at Baskin Robbins in Victoria (woot!), I was pleasantly shocked out of my ‘fear’ of these people who I really saw no problem with. 3 bikers came in, in full Hell’s Angels regalia, and they all ordered ice cream sundaes with the bubble gum ice cream. Now how on earth are you supposed to be afraid of someone who’s thoroughly enjoying the bright pink goodness of gum and ice cream combined?!
    What’s ironic is that there are some groups, even some churches, who say that we’re all supposed to ‘fear’ God. Personally, I prefer to think of Him hunkering down with the cool bikers, enjoying His ice cream sundae!

  • https://twitter.com/EmmaB_73 Emma Brett

    Growing up on Vancouver Island in the 1980’s, I was raised to ‘fear’ anyone who wore the Hell’s Angels colours on their motorcycles. It was commonplace to see guys on their bikes, wearing their Hell’s Angels gear, and I never did understand the fear I was supposed to feel, even though it was drilled into us. Then when I was 16, working at my first job as a professional ice cream scooper at Baskin Robbins in Victoria (woot!), I was pleasantly shocked out of my ‘fear’ of these people who I really saw no problem with. 3 bikers came in, in full Hell’s Angels regalia, and they all ordered ice cream sundaes with the bubble gum ice cream. Now how on earth are you supposed to be afraid of someone who’s thoroughly enjoying the bright pink goodness of gum and ice cream combined?!
    What’s ironic is that there are some groups, even some churches, who say that we’re all supposed to ‘fear’ God. Personally, I prefer to think of Him hunkering down with the cool bikers, enjoying His ice cream sundae!

  • http://www.mrzip66.com MrZip

    I do internet marketing as a living. I guess a competitor on a site I had once was ripping people off right and left, not shipping etc, and he was pissed at me and named my site. Mine was legit, but I was owning him. One morning, I woke up to a phone call from my crying mother because she heard my name on the TV news report and possible jail time, etc etc. I was livid. I called the TV station and newspaper and raised hell. They printed a retraction on page 75 which noone saw, and nothing on TV. I trust the media about as much as I can throw Al Roker. They’re all competing for a story.

  • http://www.mrzip66.com MrZip

    I do internet marketing as a living. I guess a competitor on a site I had once was ripping people off right and left, not shipping etc, and he was pissed at me and named my site. Mine was legit, but I was owning him. One morning, I woke up to a phone call from my crying mother because she heard my name on the TV news report and possible jail time, etc etc. I was livid. I called the TV station and newspaper and raised hell. They printed a retraction on page 75 which noone saw, and nothing on TV. I trust the media about as much as I can throw Al Roker. They’re all competing for a story.

  • Trevor Hilton

    Check out this news source:

    http://www.canadafreepress.com/

  • Trevor Hilton

    Check out this news source:

    http://www.canadafreepress.com/

  • Craig Jackman

    This just in … CNN and CBS are involved in talks about extensively combining their news resources. Want to bet how many layoffs there will be world wide should this merger proceed? … Updates when they become available, film at 11. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog.

  • Craig Jackman

    This just in … CNN and CBS are involved in talks about extensively combining their news resources. Want to bet how many layoffs there will be world wide should this merger proceed? … Updates when they become available, film at 11. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog.