Don’t Believe Everything You Think You Know

Because we’re wrong a lot!

Hey guys, so since the horrid attack in London (where my heart goes out to those affected by the terror) I have been thinking. We can’t trust everything we think we know. So many news outlets apparently delivered inaccurate news about the event. For example, a television broadcast in Russia apparently posted an “image of the assailant” which turned out to be an old image of another attack done in 2013! But a lot of people would take this as fact and believe that the person on their television was the culprit. They could then believe the negative stereotypes that the Russian news cast apparently pointed out, too, where they said that the man wore “a headscarf from Pakistan” and “used a knife that can be found in your kitchen”. This kind of thing causes so much terror, discrimination and breeds hate crime. If you say a man who killed a lot of people looks like this and has this thing and is from this place and practices this religion, you are giving closed-minded people the “tools” and “evidence” for their hate, stemming from a place of fear.

I felt so sad for those who lost their lives or their family members during the attack, but I also felt so heavyhearted for the Muslim community, because time and time again they are attacked and judged because of certain individuals’ movements and how the media treats these stories.

Please, remember that those who are a part of these horrific movements are not a representation of the Muslim/Islamic community. NOT ONE BIT.

So don’t believe everything you read. Not even what I write or say! Online posts can be warped to suit whatever the writer/editors needs are or prejudice is. Images can be photoshopped really well. Things can be taken out of context. And not even the television is accurate all the time!  A lot and often, these news broadcasters just want to get a big story out quickly, without intrinsic study or regard for the facts. These are half-truths and can be very damaging.

Unless you saw it for yourself. Unless you know accurate and intensive research has been done, backed up by valid sources, don’t just believe everything you see. And I don’t just mean with news, either. I mean with anything! It’s fine to be amazed by something or entertained by something, of course. But don’t make yourself seem like a fool by just accepting everything online to be true and real.

Intelligence isn’t knowing everything about everything. Intelligence, for me, can be as simple as having “facts” or opinions presented to you and understanding it, but also questioning it.

The most intellectual people are those with curiosity, questions, and critical thinking. BE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE!