I stumbled on a Facebook post a few days ago that stated that a man I know had allegedly embezzled $100,000 from a business he managed. This is a small town and the comments on the post were mostly ugly, having jumped to the conclusion that he was, in fact, guilty, and suggesting his punishments. It was a disgusting display of humanity in the age of social media.
Posting accusations, innuendos, and gossip about individuals involved in legal disputes, employment, and business situations is bullsh*t. And it’s my experience that only those who are less than honest and twist situations and facts in their favor are prone to do that. Honest people with integrity don’t air their dirty laundry on social media. The fallout from doing that is horrific for everyone involved.
I’m old enough to have been brought up believing in truth, justice, and the American Way. That phrase originated in the early 1940s for a Superman radio serial as a way to cheer on American military efforts in World War II and became iconic. It meant that in America we have a right to those things. I grew up believing Americans care deeply about truth and justice, and that we fought to protect those values. Truth, Justice and the American Way was Superman’s credo all those years. I still believe that, by the way, though you wouldn’t know it from the way our American society has been the last 20 years.
In America there is a legal principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty. That means that the those who accuse and prosecute have the burden to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a defendant is guilty of that which he or she is accused. In America, according to established law, a defendant does not need to prove his innocence. The law holds that the proof must be based on evidence and facts, not assumptions or prejudices. It also enables the defense to challenge evidence, present alternative explanations, and remind people not to judge too early.
Sadly, most people are now, unofficially, tried and convicted in minutes in the cesspool that is social media. All social media requires is for an accusation to even be implied. Within hours, a few people jump on the bandwagon, assume guilt, and begin acting and speaking accordingly. It spreads like wildfire. It’s ugly. And it does not bode well for the future of America.
There’s an all too common practice in America called lawfare gaining mainstream popularity. Lawfare is the strategic use of legal systems and institutions to hinder or damage an opponent. It used to be an alternative weapon of warfare, but now it is commonly used on individuals to force them to expend resources (time, money, reputation) to defend against trumped (coincidence??) up charges.
But it’s even worse than that.
There seems to be no accountability or penalty for making wild accusations on social or mainstream media anymore. People don’t stop and say, “Wait…. innocent until proven guilty!!” They don’t stop and think about whether the accusation is reasonable or if the facts line up. They simply believe the accusation is true. The idiots comment accordingly. They call them names, suggest cruel and unusual punishment, and behave in ways that may be even more criminal than what they believe of the accused. And the more it’s repeated, true or not, the more it gains traction. Like a child having an unwarranted temper tantrum, it’s ugly and disruptive and hard to deal with in an effective way.
I’ve heard it said that in America, anyone can sue anyone for anything. That is substantially true. It forces many perfectly innocent people to have to formally answer accusations. That’s what lawfare has become. Doing that in a court of law is not inexpensive from both a time and money perspective. In addition, the stress this process creates takes a huge toll on the accused and those who care about him or her. Why isn’t some lawmaker introducing legislation making it a crime to falsely accuse someone with the intention of engaging in lawfare, with severe penalties for doing so? How else can we stop this insidious practice that has become all too common in America?
It’s too much to ask that we stop trying and convicting people, or misusing social media in other ways. The genie is out of the bottle. Social media is here to stay, and it brings out the worst in people. Florida passed a law in March 2024 to prohibit social media platforms from creating accounts for anyone younger than 14 and requiring parental permission for those 14 and 15 years old. That law takes effect on January 1, 2025. Like that will work. I love Florida, but how the hell are they going to enforce this? And even if it did, that doesn’t solve the adult (??) problem. Most adults are worse than the youngsters. They’ve had a lot more years to hone their hate and stupidity.
Misinformation is the newest buzzword in media and the government. Misinformation is a key point in this discussion, but misinformation isn’t as cut and dried as some would like to believe. Lawmakers advocate appointing (or electing) people to sort out misinformation, or passing laws designed to prevent the spread of misinformation. The problem, in my opinion, is that misinformation is in the eye of the beholder (to mix metaphors), or those screaming misinformation because they want you to believe something else. The only way to solve this problem is to allow open and free flow of information. Let people decide for themselves based on ALL the information. Social media has the capacity to do this if it’s not censored or shut down because someone, somewhere, deems something hate speech, partly or totally untrue, misleading, or counter the narrative they support.
John Adams (Founding Father, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and second President) held that morality and virtue are the foundation of a free society. He said “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” In other words, our government was designed to honor and guarantee truth and justice. That is the American Way. But morality cannot be legislated.
The only solution I see is to restore the morality of our population. Allow God back in government for those who want to credit him for their own values. Teach people to question everything. Teach the principles of discernment. Encourage free discussion of all sides of an issue. Educate the population on how media and government, institutions, and individuals use narrative to shape what culture thinks so they can learn to think counter-culturally and form their own opinions. Encourage thinking again. And create serious penalties for lying and spreading information that a person does not know is absolutely factual when he or she passes it on.
For years I’ve been praying almost daily for truth to be revealed and justice to be done. I’ve seen little progress, but I’m not going to stop. I hope you’ll join me in that prayer.
P.S. Even the DC Comics people have recognized that the American Way no longer resembles truth and justice. In 2021, they retooled the iconic slogan to read, Truth, Justice, and A Better Tomorrow. Wimps. On October 11 of that year, DC Comics also announced that Superman’s son, Jon Kent, who also wears the S shield as a superhero, would come out as a bisexual. He followed Robin (Superman’s sidekick) who DC Comics revealed as bisexual in August. As if we actually wonder (or care) who comic book characters sleep with. Oh, the times we live in.
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