Is That a Fact?

The internet can really be a horrible place. The worst thing about it may not be the lasciviousness, but the constant purveying of bad and unsupported information.

I can't count the number of times I have seen people post pictures of the supposed time-machine settings from Back to the Future with the caption "Today is the day Marty McFly went to, in the movie!" Well, it ain't and it won't be for another three years.

For your info, the date was October 21, 2015. Cripes. How much of a hurry are we in to feel old? (You can check me -- I looked it up on Snopes, whose writer cites an article in The Chicago Tribune, that verifies.)

What really got me thinking about this, though, is a Twitter account I decided to follow. It is called "Injustice Facts." I, too, spent some time reading horrible "facts" about injustices around the world and shaking my head in sympathy. Then, after seeing a "fact" that claims that 43% of women who move to Hollywood to get into movies wind up in pornography, it occurred to me: they never seem to offer documentation for their claims.

43%? It makes a solid impact on the reader, but can this possibly be right?


I will keep you posted of developments, but I have started responding to their posts by asking, "What is your source for this information?" So far, I haven't received a single response from them.

If they are full of it, they are manipulative turds in the guise of crusaders for truth and for the oppressed.

We all need to start calling these people out. We all need to check sites like Snopes.com when we see outrageous claims and before we start up panics among Facebook parents with stories of drug-tainted pixie sticks and of other urban legends designed only to freak people out.

We have to be smart out here in cyberspace, dear readers. We need to double check the "facts" before we innocently spread lies out of concern for our friends.