There is an old saying in Korea: Good medicine is bitter in the mouth.
Think about our childhood. Those unhealthy snacks we strived to have more were all sugary and sweet while healthy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and asparagus were so bitter and astringent. We always wondered 'Why can't medicines taste like lollipops and popsicles?' every time when we had to swallow the bitter pills. Looking back into our history solidifies this saying even more. Notorious kings and queens who suppressed our ancestors and darkened the era tended to cut off the heads of the loyal, faithful, and outspoken subjects and bestowed the fanciest titles and rewards for the whisperers. Why? Because what came out from the loyalists' mouth was too bitter--in other words, straightforward and right-to-the-point--for them to swallow while the whisperers knew what did the majesty wanted to hear. Think about Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi and Jeanne d'Arc, for sure those unwise kings spitted out the bitterness.
So, why on earth am I talking about an old Korean saying? I started today's Legibilus article with such adage since I found a perfect example of bitter truth preventing people from learning and improving--misinformation.
Misinformation is a serious--and by serious, I mean SERIOUS--problem these days. With the social media network and an endlessly evolving internet technology, false information and fake news continuously contaminate the truth and taint the value of accurate information. Within a second or two, people can deliver a false information to more than hundred people and in less than an hour, more than half of the entire human population consider it as a genuine truth without any hesitation or doubt. Let's go back to the 2016 presidential election in the United States. Remember how 'The PizzaGate' rumor completely ruined Clinton? If you cannot agree with this example, turn on the TV and look at the scepticism towards COVID-19 vaccine originating from misinformation. See how people believe the least scientific arguments that go against vaccination; see how easily people get persuaded by false information without spending the slightest portion of their time to fact-check them; see how a couple of tweets and hashtags can devastate the credibility of an organization, a figure, or even a solid fact.
Many people say that this phenomenon of being tricked by misinformation originates from the lack of education. In other words, they claim that educated people do not buy them and it is always the less-educated population who consumes, spreads, and enlarges false information. Well.... I do not agree with this. Of course, being educated provides people the slightest ability to detect the flaw of information. They can at least start thinking about the logical fallacies and figure out what is happening by using their educated mind and knowledge. But do all misinformation deal with something academic? Do they all have something to do with psychology, archaeology, sociology, geology, astrophysics, and biology? Are they all even logical? The answer is no. Most of the time, misinformation is highly illogical, rarely well-structured, extremely unprofessional, and so to speak, a total nonsense. And the only reason why people--regardless of their level of education--buy them is because they are SWEET. They target what people want to hear. They do not care what is necessary for people to learn but rather focus on what can please people. They scrutinize people's deepest minds and decide what to tell based on their desires. In other words, misinformation is a sweet candy bar while uncomfortable facts that we can actually learn from and we have to listen to are bitter cold syrups. As we find good medicines difficult to swallow, perhaps we are relying on misinformation and letting ourselves to be fooled since we just want to taste something sweet instead of enduring the unpleasant flavor.
As always, Legibilus is totally open to your thoughts and ideas. Let us know anytime!