Tell ‘em, then tell ‘em again, and finally, tell ‘em one more time!
And if they don’t believe you after that, you continue telling them until by golly, they do believe the message that you are delivering. This is the age-old mantra of motivational speakers, instructors and politicians, among many others. We seem to be living in the age of “if we tell the people something enough times, they will believe it, even if it’s not the truth.”
This is the national media that we have today. Regardless of your political belief, you can’t be so naïve or gullible to believe that some of the stories that are being spun are actually the truth. This is especially evident with the tragic and senseless shootings in the Atlanta area. Despite the shooter himself telling the Cherokee County Sheriff why he did what he did – the media wants us to believe that it was a hate crime against Asian Americans. My suggestion is that you do the research yourself rather than believing what “they” want us to believe and find the truth for yourself.
I believe that we will need to do more and more of our own research, versus believing what the talking heads are spouting forth, who are, in some ways, little more than a spinoff of a political party. The days of Walter Cronkite are gone, and they aren’t coming back anytime soon. Maybe the national media thinks to themselves that we, the American population, to pull a well-known and oft-quoted move phrase, “You can’t handle the truth!” I think we can, and even more, we deserve the facts, not half-truths or a story that follows a pre-determined agenda.
The men’s NCAA March Madness basketball tournament delivered some real shockers over the weekend with the Buckeyes being taken down by Oral Roberts University – who then proceeded to knock off Florida, becoming only the second ever 15 seed to make the Sweet 16. The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, along with playing some really terrific basketball, continue to ride the pregame prayers of now 101-year-old Sister Jean, in a true Cindarella story. Knocking off number one seed Illinois did not seem that large of a hurdle for the boys from Chicago – and many a bracket was busted with the Illini loss. Many probably had them winning it all.
This is certainly why they call it March Madness. As I write this column on Monday, March 22, eight teams have punched their ticket for the Sweet 16 with eight more teams making the round of 16 today or tonight. The Ohio University Bobcats have a solid opportunity against Creighton so here’s good luck to the Bobcats! My prediction of four Big 10 teams making the final four is busted for sure. But I imagine your bracket is busted too.
It’s chamber auction time! This highly anticipated community event raises funds for the Coshocton County Chamber of Commerce and the list of items up for bid is in this weeks’ issue. Be sure to review the list, get ready to bid, and bid often! You may end up with something really cool and you are helping a great local organization that helps all of us move forward!
Category: Mark's Musings, Opinion
