Memes made of misinformation make me mad.

          Memes, we've all seen them. We've all fallen for at least one, when it's contents could have easily been disproven by a simple web search. Whether they're true memes, infographics, or just a random picture with some phrase that may or may not be in quotes, they are usually easily believable to some even if they were intended to be comical upon creation.

          Zero mass shootings were stopped? That's some political spin if I ever heard it. That's because armed citizens ended the threat before it reached "mass shooting" levels. The rest is a mixture of simple logic (owning a gun increases the chance of gun related violence? Yes. And owning a house with a roof increases the chances you'll stay dry during a rain shower) and irresponsible people not treating that firearm correctly. I mentioned a simple solution in an earlier post, teach proper firearm handling and safety in grade school. 

          The next type of info graphic is one that really gets under my skin. The whole "life was simpler and better when I was young" thing is just wearing really thin. Every generation has to put up with the previous one telling them that their lives were so much better. Music was good, and now it's devil worshiping and/or overly sexual "noise". Television shows are unwatchable. Dancing is obscene. And most of all, if they had spoken to their parents the way you speak to yours, they wouldn't be here today. It's overplayed, it's cliché, and most of all everyone knows it's a bunch of crap. Go back and listen to the music you grew up to, re-watch those TV shows, and play those games again. They're just as sexual, offensive, and violent as kids today. As a popular movie from this new generation so eloquently put it... "let it go." 

          And while we're at it, quit your griping about the kids today spending too much time on their phones or other devices. You great up sitting in front of a computer, TV, or radio, and you're just jealous. Kids still go outside to play. There's still little league teams, and parks and playgrounds filled with young kids running around playing and having fun. So get off your high horse. Kids still learn about reading,  writing, and arithmetic in school. And every teacher I've spoken to still has their class start the day with pledge of allegiance.
          Let's not even get into the political ones that get passed around. Liberal, Conservative, and everything in-between passing around half-truths, out-of-context quotes, stats that have been padded or even made of, and some of the most vicious hate speech that is not race, gender, or sexual orientation related so that somehow makes it ok. I would ask that we all take a minute to vet those sources, really think about and reflect on something before you reshare it... but I know even I will see something completely believable that I will fall for, and so will you probably. Just don't have an open mind when someone disagrees, disputes, or disproves (as impossible as it may seem) that little image of knowledge on your Facebook wall.