I used to believe in conspiracy theories, I don’t now, and this is why

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho There is an echo chamber of paranoid conspiracy theory online regarding many issues. Often, it comes from a lack of understanding of how things work when it comes to certain subjects. It is why, I credit my college education for steering me clear of online websites masquerading as truth, when often they come across as carefully manufactured fiction. Infowars, is one of the most egregious of offenders, along with wearechange.org What they often do, is create an audience of paranoid, vulnerable people with kernels of fact and twist it into a narrative to sell a product. While I am skeptical of mainstream press due to its 21st Century track record on its reporting of important issues. I am even more skeptical of the so-called alternative media for its perpetuation of conspiracy theories based on flimsy evidence. It is important to know, anyone can fall for a conspiracy theory, even those who are extremely intelligent. Even I once fell victim to conspiracy theories before going through the process of achieving my education. One problem for me was, “confirmation bias, the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs.” This approach in decision making often leads to the ignoring of inconsistent information. What you must ask is, “Is it too good to be true?” This axiom can be both applied to Mainstream and Alternative Media equally, so long as you know where to find the scientific studies mentioned by these outlets. I learned how to see through a narrative by learning how to properly engage in research through appropriate sources. Google Scholar comes to mind, along with certain .gov, .org, and .edu websites that have shown they can be reliable. I learned to apply the SIFT method when it comes to an online source. SIFT stands for, “Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace.” This method is used by college libraries as a guide for Digital Literacy. When it comes to images that you see online a good tool to use is www.images.google.com This allows you to search an image you find online to see where its original source came from. Images and photographs can be doctored through a program like Adobe Photoshop, altering the original context to something other than the original intent. Sometimes images are made through computer programs powered by Artificial Intelligence. A good rule of thumb is unless you can find its original source through a reverse image search, be skeptical. A video from Common Sense Education outlines how you can use reverse Google Image Search, For forensic analysis of video footage posted online. European Union grant funded InVid Project allows the user to look at the origins of individual videos posted online. The tool only works for select websites, and has limited functionality on Baidu, a Chinese search engine. It covers Metadata, essentially a timestamp of when the video was published. It also allows for analysis of stills of the video to see where it was originally published. Google Scholar is a database where you can find scientific research as well as academic articles on a variety of subjects without having to pay fees. www.scholar.google.com When looking through Scientific Papers there are different sections you must consider. The Abstract describes in brief detail what the paper is about, the general methods used, and a summary of the findings. For the average person, it serves as a vehicle to see if the paper is of interest to you. The Introduction of a Scientific Paper is one where the research question and background information are presented. It is there to lead the reader to understand the authors hypothesis and means of testing it. This video explains the process by which a hypothesis is formed, according to YouTube Channel Ashford Science. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the statistical data in the Methods and Materials Section, along with the results. Don’t worry, it will be explained in the Discussion and Conclusion sections. The Discussion and Conclusion sections of the Scientific Paper is where the Scientists explain the implications of their work. They also explain why they have come to certain conclusions about the way a set of data has been presented in their findings. If there are academic papers that require you to purchase to gain access, you can always go to your Public Library and have your Librarian order them for you. This works for databases, such as JSTOR, where you would have access through your Library. As you set off to do your own research, hopefully, some of these resources will be of help.

Reflection: The US Constitutional Debate in the 21st Century

Note:This was a written reflection I did for my Poli Sci 240 class. Mark Reinhardt-Boise Idaho The debates between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists are still playing out today. They are just taking a different form looking at various aspects of society as they stand today. In fact, society is taking more of an Anti-Federalist approach, with a push for decentralization in the modern age from governance to technology. I see the elites of society in the United States treating the Constitution as a prop or largely irrelevant to their aims within the modern age. With economics being largely global, the push for Anti-Federalism becomes even more relevant in how we look at global affairs as a society. While the Anti-Federalists were largely correct in their predictions as to how the government would turn out, the Federalists were correct in their predictions as to the nature of factions. What they failed to consider or did not foresee was proliferation of the conspiracy theory mobilizing the faction to actual violence. The political parties are even further split into smaller factions, making it seem as though they can’t get the process of governing done. I am of the thought process the debates that occurred in the 1700s are even more slightly modified to represent something different than what is portrayed in the media landscape. What I learned in the process of taking this class is the Vice President can only count the Electoral College votes, he cannot switch electors like what was presented by the 45th President. I also learned that Treason is only applicable during a time of declared war. The thing about representation guaranteed by the US Constitution is Congress fits the definition of the natural aristocracy defined by Melancton Smith. With the wealthy contributing a great deal of money through Super PAC groups surrounded by circular prestige. The poor and what’s left of the Middle Class is left out of representation through a great deal of diminished influence. As super wealthy Senators and Congressman continue to chip away at rights guaranteed through the constitution through legislation. The Supreme Court who goes along with it, the US Constitution will ultimately become less relevant in the eyes of the average person, as most are just trying to survive economically. They are kept too busy to be able to research what the three branches of government are doing to take action about the situation they find themselves in with their liberties.