Check Yourself (Before You Wreck Yourself, Or America)

If you haven’t noticed the volatile, and unprecidentally loud arguments of our current political situation, then you need to put down Candy Crush/Game of Thrones and pay attention to some of the media around you. The significance of the allegations against both Presidential Candidates are so substantial that it’s amazing either one of them is allowed on their respective platforms. That being said – I’m not here to sway your vote. I’m not going to tell you who I am voting for (although my past posts would probably indicate which side I would generally lean towards) instead this post is to remind you that not everything you hear/read/see on your choice of news outlet is truth. It’s your responsibility to have all the facts and understand them.

Recently the Clinton Campaign has requested that the moderator for the Presidential Debates also fact check the candidate who is presenting. This has been denied, siting that it is the job of the individual to ascertain if their opponent is telling the truth – the whole truth – and nothing but the truth. Personally, I don’t think a moderator would make a good fact-checker anyway, especially if they are partial (or not partial *cough* Megyn Kelly) to any one Candidate. We should be the fact checkers. We should be the ones keeping our politicians in line. If you are opinionated enough to have a preference as to which Candidate you’ll vote for, then you are capable of understanding their positions and statements, and are solely responsible to know what is true and what is false at the up-coming debates. Don’t rely on anyone but yourself to fact check.

It’s important to know your facts. It’s important to understand the difference between a fact sited from a respectable and unbiased source, and a fact sited from an opinion.

It’s a fact that the sky is blue. It’s an opinion that the sky is “royal blue”. Certain websites will give you the answer you want to hear. Plenty of people have opinions published in respected sources. The Washington Post would print anything if you paid them enough. A credible source with reliable information is more than just a BIG NAME. It’s really not as complicated as some would have you believe.

People will try to confuse you until you give them what they want: your voice. Don’t allow someone else to be your voice because they “sound smart” or “know what they’re talking about”. Make your own voice one of reason and credibility.

I’ll give you a tip: Wikipedia is not a credible source. News stations such as CNN and Fox are not the ultimate authority: find out where they got their facts, and go to the source yourself. For more information on how to identify a credible source, check out this link.

Vote for Trump. Vote for Hillary. Vote for a Write-In. Or Don’t Vote at all! That’s the beauty of this nation – You have the right to choose. But don’t choose flippantly. This is bigger than eeny-meeny-miny-mo!

Don’t be the person who doesn’t care to understand anything about what’s going on in the world of politics – even if our current political situation is a joke, understand why it’s a joke! Don’t be the person who can’t be bothered to look into things a little deeper. Don’t be the person so completely wrapped up in taking photos of your pets/children/new car/people of walmart that you can’t step away from Facebook to do a little research on our Candidates.

Be informed. Be credible. Be aware. Your vote is your responsibility. America needs you to pay attention. No seriously – America needs YOU to pay attention.