Facts & Trivia

Are facts important?

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• facts
• trivia
• history
• culture
• Rnieves27

[russelsparadox]

Read Stephen Pinkner's "On Bullshit."  (*wink* MAYBE it wasn't by him *wink*) I haven't, but I intend to. Yeah, you're right, facts matter, but not to people who simply want to add false credence to their point, story, ideology, etc.

Oh, and there are 535 members of the United States Congress, which includes 100 senators and 435 representatives. :P

[Rnieves27]

I stand corrected!

[ExperimentsinHonesty]

I would not have sent the email that you did, because the fact that they would send such trite sayings around already gave you a indication of what they find relevant. But in answer to your question, you are not wrong, facts do matter, and I limit my friendships to people who either know things like the Scopes trial and Casablanca or are trying to learn. That doesn't mean I don't have lots of acquaintances that don't, I just don't consider them intimate friends.

[Rnieves27]

I found out today that the person I responded to was not offended in the least. It was someone else who took me to task for sending it. Thanks!!

[beautifulspam]

Maybe it's not what you said but the way you said it. Soften the blow. "Thanks for sending that to me. It's obviously meaningful to you. By the way, this doesn't sound like something Carlin would say. Are you sure he really wrote this?"

[oldguy1944]

I get emails where a poor soul in Nigerian needs my humble help to move 20.5 million dollars his father earned as a potato farmer, emails that will make me fabulously rich if I send it to 10 people (Bill Gates is tracking it and wants to share his wealth). I reply to the sender(not the scammer) and ask them not to send me garbage. If they continue I block them. I hate having my intelligence insulted.

[RDJim]

Also, I think the reason you know all these facts is probably because you are a reader? Just a guess. I'm an engineer by training and I can confess that I do not read, nor do I have the depth of trivia knowledge that readers do... but I don't believe critical thinking relies on trivia... an active mind of any kind will do.

[RDJim]

I've burst many bubbles when I get these emails. Even very smart people who send me these internet chain letters are surprised to read what Snopes have to say about it.

[scrumsrus]

Why have our governments and educational establishments allowed society to be dumbed down. Indeed they are even perpetuating the problem. What are we if facts don't matter? nothing.

Take Care,

Health & Happiness,

Seasons Greetings

Andy

[puddysma]

Boy, oh boy, is that the truth!

Just because something is told as fact does make it so...schools, newspapers, books, TV...

A very well educated friend once said to me if it's on PBS it must be true...i can only shake my head...

[ExperimentsinHonesty]

That's pretty funny actually. That means that there are people out there who like getting those emails my father is always sending everyone (which I kind of suspected). Whenever I have a critique/correction on one of his chain emails, I just send it to him. Thanks for taking on the experiment so I didn't have to ;-).