journalism

I believe words mean something. They have power. Words are what give us connection, empathy, passion and power. They help us understand one another.

In my efforts to start back on a blogging schedule and search the vast corners of the earth for more words that move me, I am going to start a Wednesday Word.

I will post a word, quote, phrase or who knows what else that moves me, inspires me, enrages me or more. I may comment on it. Or perhaps I will not. Feel free to share your thoughts on the topic too.

So here goes, the Wednesday Word is: fake.

The word fake has been around for a long time. According to dictionary.com, it was recorded to have been used since 1775.

Word Origin and History for fake

attested in London criminal slang as adjective (1775), verb (1812), and noun (1851, of persons 1888), but probably older. A likely source is feague“to spruce up by artificial means,” from German fegen “polish, sweep,”also “to clear out, plunder” in colloquial use. “Much of our early thieves’slang is Ger. or Du., and dates from the Thirty Years’ War” [Weekley]. Or it may be from Latin facere “to do.” Related: Faked ; fakes ; faking.”

Yet, the term has become quite popular the past few years, and annoyingly so. There is fake news galore. Ironically, some of those who speak about fake news the most are the ones who seem to spread it.

With the proliferation of social media, “news” has taken a hit. Information can be found in just a few clicks. From video clips to pictures to information, anyone can do a quick Internet search for probably any topic possible and results will pop up. The problem is, not everything on the Internet is true, factual or frankly, realistic.

As someone who studied journalism, this is irritating. I recall getting an F on an assignment in the School of Journalism because I rounded a number incorrectly. The bottom line was that I put an error in fact in my article. So, it earned an F.

The world today though, is clearly not receiving or caring about its grade. People can say anything and claim it is fact when it should more appropriately be labeled as commentary, opinion, fantasy or downright propaganda.

Propaganda doesn’t always have to be fake though according to dictionary.com.

noun

1.

information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help orharm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

2.

the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.

3.

the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization ormovement.

4.

Roman Catholic Church.

a committee of cardinals, established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV,having supervision over foreign missions and the training of priestsfor these missions.

a school (College of Propaganda) established by Pope Urban VIIIfor the education of priests for foreign missions.

5.

Archaic. an organization or movement for the spreading of propaganda.

Long ago, it could have just been an organized movement to spread information on doctrines or principles. However, now, at least in my opinion, propaganda is more clearly defined as bad, negative and untrue.

Regardless of your political party, it should be hard to deny that there is a war of propaganda in the world. With a click of a button, fake news can be found everywhere and on every topic, and on both sides folks, it’s on both sides.

Of course, propaganda is not a new thing. Misinformation and deceit have been tools for those with shady goals from the start. It has been used in wars, used by dictators, used by armies and used by countries. It is a dangerous tool to create dissent, confusion and division…and it is working.

The country that I love so dearly is wounded. Our youth are surrounded by misinformation. With the risk of not discerning fact from fiction, our future seems uncertain. Especially when you throw in the multitude of other issues we are already forced to deal with: natural disasters, medical problems, crime, social inequalities….

With all of that going on, I worry that fake news/propaganda will be the straw that broke the camels back. I worry that our youth will be misinformed and led astray. (Heck, I am worried us adults have already been led astray.) I worry that if we do not stop creating division, we will falter.

Unity cannot be grown by division. Love cannot be spread through hate. Growth cannot occur through death. Hope cannot blossom out of despair. And freedom cannot reign under chaos. Even Abraham Lincoln realized that back in the 1800s…

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For my Wednesday Word.

Back in elementary school, I wrote my first two “books.” The assignment for a young author’s day was to complete an illustrated book. I could not choose between topics, so I wrote two. One book was about a girl with telekinesis and the other was about a flying horse. Now, some 30-plus years later, I still do not have a flying horse, super powers or any published books, so I figured; I may as well start chasing my dreams and begin writing.

I am not sure how I could spell telekinesis back then or how I even heard of it, but it (and flying horses) inspired me to begin to write and dream. Through writing, I was free and alive.

As the years passed, I continued to write short stories, journals and poems, but writing was never a full-time affair. It was always pushed the side for things like homework, cheerleading practice, boys and social events.

I completed my journalism degree, but it was on the extended 10-year plan due to a full-time retail job, a hard marriage and wonderful kids. Therefore, yet again, writing took a back seat to life with bills, children and responsibilities.

The only time writing took any kind of lead, was in my decision to join the military. After completing my journalism degree, I could not afford to take an entry-level job. In 2000, my journalism job offers were about $12,000 less than my retail management position. Taking that big of pay cut just to do what I wanted, would have been selfish and irresponsible. Consequently, I signed the dotted line. The way I saw it, joining the Army Reserve was one way for me to actually do any form of journalism and still pay the bills.

Nearly 14 years later, I am still a Soldier, a mom, and happily NOT working in retail nor in an unhappy marriage. Everything in life seems to be pulling me back to where I should have been long ago. I am finding the me that I lost in my 20s when I was trying to hold on to everything that was wrong for me. I suppose stubborn naive youth made me keep clinging to stuff that was slowly killing me (miserable jobs, despondent marriage, unhealthy habits, limited ‘me’ time).

Now older and wiser, I realize that life is short. I need to hurry up and do the things I want to do before I run out of time. I must stop making excuses to live because in doing so I am not really living anyway. I have to release the thoughts in my head as they never cease in bombarding my waking moments. I want to express the passion I feel and yet still crave to find. I should at least attempt the items on that unwritten bucket list so I have no regrets. I am obliged to show my kids that life will not wait for your situation to be perfect.

So ready or not, here I am, on a blog. Blogging is my path to find that little author inside of me. By writing more often, I hope to find my stories, and myself. Frankly, my topics on here will vary. I will write about whatever is on my mind. It may be a story from my past, a make-believe adventure in my head, or vent about a pet peeve. Along the way, I may entertain people or bore them into a blissful nap, but either way, I will not continue to be afraid to start nor make excuses on why I cannot. I will take each day to chase those dreams, and ultimately, find my life.

*This was my first assignment for Blogging 101. It seemed to be a bit harder to write on an assigned topic, but yet, made me realize why I chose the name for my blog in the first place. There’s irony for you.