No this isn’t about the war in Ukraine although I trust Ukraine over Russia when it comes to managing the site. No, this is about my family’s choice of Christmas viewing.
Christmas Day conversation revolved around 9/11 and the survivors and the physical toll on them. That led to talking about the HBO docudrama on Chernobyl.
So Boxing Day we’re all watching Chernobyl because that’s how we roll. And that led to some Google for history and where are they now answers and did you know that more people died in the holiday snow storm in New York than the Russians and therefore the UN admit were killed by Chernobyl? The official death toll for the nuclear accident is 31.
This led to a discussion of what happens when society conditions you to believe that lies are truth. And both sides of the political aisle are guilty of misusing opinion as facts. Try looking to see where the often quoted statistic about 50% of marriages end in divorce came from you’ll find it’s an estimate not actual data. (Latest estimate is that almost 60% of first marriages will last until death parts them, it’s the 2nd and additional after that that skews the data up to over half of marriages fail).
But back to Chernobyl – the scene that hit many of us hardest was the “it can’t be graphite, you must be mistaken” and the one where it’s pointed out that 3.5 is the maximum reading their detectors can register. People are willing to accept misinformation if it fits their narrative. It’s how we start believing social media is reality even if real life doesn’t match the screen.
So ask yourself – what beliefs am I looking to support when reality doesn’t match? What facts and reality am I ignoring in order to support my beliefs? Are there any beliefs I hold that should be re-examined given the reality happening outside of my screen?
Just So you Know 