Every coin has two sides. There are two sides to every story. These are familiar sayings that were meant to inspire open-mindedness when debating someone. They say essentially that things are never simple, so look at both sides of an issue before making up your mind.
These sayings were coined before the information revolution and the pervasiveness of the Internet and social media put the ‘dis’ in front of ‘information,’ and created an industry that has proliferated like crab grass on a suburban lawn.
There used to be a time when the number of news sources was somewhat limited, and while the media could be biased, they at least had credentials that a curious reader or viewer with the inclination to do so could check. Nowadays, anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can push out the most outrageous claims and it takes an effort to tell the wheat from the chaff, or the apple pies from the cow pies (a bit of cowboy slang that last, but I imagine most of you can figure out what a cow pie is).
Here is an example of what I mean. The following verbiage is taken from a very official looking email from an organization with an official sounding name:
Dear Reader,
I did not consent. You did not consent. But on March 9th, 2022, Joe Biden did something that will solidify his legacy as the greatest ‘Peeping Tom’ in history. A despicable act that could give him direct access to you, Your neighbors. And your children. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican — if you aren’t sick after seeing the details of this disturbing order. Then you might as well never stand for the national anthem again. That’s why I am urging you to get the details of this order and take action before it’s too late.
Click here for the shocking details.
The disturbing order, which some social media users alleged would replace cash with cryptocurrency, and allow the US Government to track and control peoples’ finances and spending, does none of what this ‘hair on fire’ email claims. The order in question, Executive Order 14067, dated March 9, 2022, titled, ‘Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets,’ does not replace cash with cryptocurrency, nor does it establish control over bank accounts or spending. What it does do is establish a national policy for digital assets for consumer and investor protection, financial stability, and control of illicit finance.
In other words, the email, which was probably sent to hundreds of thousands if not millions of people, is completely and utterly false. But, one has to wonder how many people receiving that email will do what I did—research to validate the wild claims? Probably not many. And those who are already conditioned by biased media to believe anything negative about anyone who does not follow their political ideology, will swallow this BS hook, line, and sinker.
This is not the only place where lies about this executive order have appeared. There have been others who’ve used this alleged hijacking of the cash in your bank account as a lure to get you to buy gold—from them, of course.
These scam artists are located all over the country but they all have one thing in common—at the end, after splashing a bald-faced lie in bold-face all caps in some case all over the screen and enticing you to watch a long and painfully boring video, ask you to send them that at-risk cash and they’ll see that it’s protected.
This is the internet version of the old ‘wallet-switch’ scam that was popular in bus and train stations in the 50s and early 60s. The world has always been full of con artists, but there was a time that you could mostly avoid them if you avoided certain places. Now, they’re there every time you open your email. And it’s not just attempts to part you from your money. There is more political disinformation on line than ever before. There is disinformation about health issues—which went into hyperdrive during the Covid pandemic. You name it, and there’s a scammer peddling it.
Caveat Emptor. | NWI
