While on my early morning walk today, I was scrolling through the fm radio shows when my attention was caught by one of those generally inane, hosted by two-guys-who-think-they’re-hilarious shows. What they were talking about was interesting to me, but not for the reason they were discussing.
They relayed the news story of a woman who was defrauded out of $6,000.00. Someone pretending to be from her bank called, and told her account was at risk of fraud, and that she needed to okay the transfer of her funds to a new debit card account – which was from another bank. So apparently without asking any questions or becoming suspicious, she does this. Transfers all of her money to this card. Then later, the fraudsters contact her via Facetime and tell her they need to do a full body scan, to verify her identity. She is then instructed to remove all her clothes on camera and spin around, which she does. When she hears them snickering, she finally realizes it’s a scam.
The radio hosts were incredulous, as I’m sure many of the listeners were, as to the extreme gullibility of this person. No one deserves to have their money stolen, obviously, but this level of naiveté is stunning.
I have long thought that the inability to think critically is a dangerous epidemic in our culture. In spite of being able to investigate and fact-check statements, sources, or theories more easily than ever before in history, the problem has only seemed to worsen.
What interested me the most about this incredible tale was the level of compliance here, the unquestioning response to what a person is told by a perceived authority figure of some sort. In this case, a corporate/banking authority, but a perceived authority nonetheless. This woman assumed that the person on the phone was a bank authority figure whose intention was her best interests and protecting her assets. In spite of thousands of dollars at stake, she didn’t ask questions, or ask to talk to a manager, or hang up and call her local bank directly to question what she was being directed to do. (And as a side note, women who demand answers or ask for a manager are vilified in the misogynist media as “Karen”).
When hear stories like this, we tend to shake our heads and feel pleased with ourselves that we would never be this gullible. And in terms of emptying out our bank accounts on request, we’re very likely right.
But it’s worth our time to examine how we’re compliant and unquestioning in other ways. Whether it’s the self-hating concepts we were raised with, entrenched stereotypes about others, the pronouncements from the political party we favor, or the post-modern social theories being perpetuated like gospel on mainstream and social media, many of our assumptions are in fact unexamined, and lacking a reality-based foundation.
How often do we question our attitudes and beliefs? Our go-to thoughts or feelings? Do we assume that a person who is some sort of authority (or socially popular) can be believed because of that authority, or popularity? How often do we assume that because we think something it must be true?
How often do we ask ourselves: Is this true? Who says so? What if it’s not true? What else might be the case? Who benefits from this? Are this group's actions congruent with its claims? With how/where it spends its money?
What other agenda might be operating here? Whose interests are being served by people buying into this? Can this statement/concept/theory be factually confirmed? Why do I believe this? Have I found this to be consistently true in my own life?
Or how about - is this habit, attitude, or behavior helping me function better and enjoy my life, or is it keeping me in a diminished place?
How often do we believe our own bullshit without question?
I’m thinking that being able to see through our own stuff (at least on a regular basis!) is a necessary prerequisite to being able to see through the blizzard of bullshit we’re all inundated with daily, from the human-created world around us.
And as that world continues its crazy onslaught on our brains and senses, that will be an increasingly important skill for discerning what’s actually happening.
Does that make sense to you?
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