This site has been in the making for many years. Almost starts. Different visions. Refined over time.
Here’s what we aim to do: challenge your thinking and bring sanity back to the conversation.
This world continuously yells at the top of it’s lungs – channeling it’s best Col. Nathan R. Jessep – “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”
We are here to say you can. We are also here to say that no matter where on the political, societal, or theological spectrum you fall, you likely are not currently consuming the truth.
Steve Jobs once famously said, “Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it… Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
He, of course, was talking about invention and innovation. We’ll take it a step further and say: the sooner you come to realize that everyone is wrong about everything, you’ll never be the same again.
So what’s with the image at the top you may ask? Glad you asked.
The image at the top is a perfected example of how you are currently being fed the news you want, not the news that is real. It’s a subtle, consistent baseline that just keeps feeding you non-truth.
Notice we didn’t say the “mainstream media.” Notice we didn’t say the “lamestream media.” Notice we didn’t say print media. Or newspaper media. Or TV media. Or talk radio media. Or Conservative media. Or Liberal media. Or Socialist media. Or Social media. Or…
Just. Media.
This isn’t just a slam on CNN. Or FoxNews. Or MSBNC. Or Politico. Or Breitbart.
This is a slam on all. Media.
Take the headline above as example: “Several grads test positive for coronavirus after prep school’s drive-thru ceremony.” Scary stuff right?
I mean we were told we were safe in our cars. *Clutch my pearls* we can get corona even in the drive-thru, in our cars!
Turns out even if you read the story that is a horrendously misleading headline.
But this isn’t just a hasty headline playing loose with the facts. It’s the exact desired affect the “News” wants.
Which of these decreasingly factually accurate headlines are you most likely to click on (especially if you are a parent who is about to go through a drive-thru graduation):
- Teens get coronavirus at under-age beer pong party after graduation
- Four students get coronavirus after attending the same graduation party
- Young adults not practicing social distancing get coronavirus
- Several grads test positive for coronavirus after prep school’s drive-thru ceremony
But this isn’t just a “luck of the draw” headline. CNN – and just about every sophisticated news agency – submits multiple headlines per story. Then the algorithms take it from there. Those with higher click ratios in the early launch then become more prevalent as time goes on. Thus the headline that we want to see – the one that feeds our fears and hatred and darkest parts of who we are – becomes the headline. This isn’t journalism. This is entertainment.
Therein lies the problem.
Unfortunately we have come to believe there are only three sources of true journalism left: the Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
FoxNews is no better or worse than MSNBC. Politico is no different than Breitbart. CNN used to be a true journalistic establishment, but it hasn’t been for at least six years.
Everything else. Everything else, is entertainment.
Now it is at this point that you are probably wondering, where do we stand? Are we a Republican (or Repbug, or Facist, or Teabagger if your prefer)? Or are we a Liberal (or Libtard, or Communist, or Pinko if you prefer)?
We are neither. Almost passionately neither. Dare we say aggressively neither.
If needing to know where this site stands is your primary question right now, you should a) probably keep coming back, and b) prepared to be challenged.
AOC is no different than Trump. Both are awful elected officials. Same coin, just different side.
Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are no different than Rachel Maddow or John Stewart. All are poor commentators.
This isn’t just flamebait. It’s the truth. Don’t worry, you can handle it.
So hello world. You Can Handle the Truth (YCHT) is here. We look forward to the dialogue.
PS: This article clocked in at 743 words. Our usual goal will be 500 or less.