The False Power of Authority
In the sixties, there was a black and white TV show about a talking horse. Recently, a friend told me she read that the horse – Mr. Ed – was really played by a zebra.
I told my friend it couldn’t possibly be true. I pointed out to her that unless they covered the horse in makeup, the stripes would still show up on black and white TV.
Her reply: “But I read it on Snopes, so it must be true!”
Uh-oh.
I love Snopes as much as the next person, but I recognize a dangerous statement when I hear one. If you don’t know, Snopes.com is a site that debunks myths and popular legends. Because of its stance as a truth-seeking resource, it is fact-based and considered trustworthy.
I thanked my friend for the call, and said I’d get back to her later. I had to get online and see for myself.
At the Snopes site, I found the “Mr. Ed was a zebra” story under “Popular Myths.” As I read it, I started to get a cold chill. Had Snopes been untrustworthy all along? Because this story was definitely bogus.
At the end of the story, there was a link to “Additional Information About This Page.” And there I got a big surprise … and breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems Snopes published an entire section of false stories to prove a point. They all link to an article explaining the False Power of Authority. In other words, just because Snopes is a “trusted” news source, you still shouldn’t blindly trust the information they provide. You should always be thinking critically. And that goes for everything you hear or read in the media.
As Michael Masterson says: “When the rational answers are in, you must compare them to your gut instinct.”
Hi Michael,
I’m sure when you’ve traveled France you’ve enjoyed some real french croissants.
I once talked with a Doctor of Physics who specialized in aerodynamics and sound design. We talked about this and that, and this guy really was kind of a “Leonardo DaVinci”. He knew stuff on all kinds of subjects.
As I put some butter on my croissant and took a hearty bite, he looked me in the eye and said:
“Joe, I’m not sure if I should tell you this, but maybe you want to put your croissant aside for a moment.”
I did, a bit flustered at what he was about to say.
“What is it?” I asked.
His expression got a little worrysome. “Do you see that shiny gloss on the croissant?”
“Yes, why?”
“Do you know how it’s done?”, he inquired.
“The shinyness? Well, I suppose they put some kind of gloss thing on it to make it shine”, I responded.
“Yes, that’s correct. And do you know what that gloss thing is?”
“No, what is it?” I asked.
“You know, when you go to a barber shop and they cut hair, and then they sweep it all together and put it in a bag? They don’t just throw that hair away. They sell it. Hair is a certain kind of protein that can be used in various industries. Including the food industry. They dissolve the hair in a certain chemical solution and then sell it to the big commercial bakeries who use it to create that gloss effect like a ‘real’ french croissant. What you’re eating there is basically human hair.”
“What? No, that can’t be. I never heard of that. They wouldn’t do that… that would be illegal, right? I mean, that would almost be kind of a cannibalism?”
He looked at me, very calm and said: “Joe, I know this because a good friend of mine is in the business of selling this stuff to bakeries. Of course they don’t publicize that – who would still buy these croissants? But it’s perfectly legal – the stuff is produced in the Netherlands and from there it get’s exported all over Europe.”
I resisted the urge to vomit, but I could literally feel a hairball in my throat and felt like a cat about to throw up…
Well, later that day I called a friend and told him about that. “No, no, it’s true, this guys friend is SELLING that stuff!” (I wonder whom he told…)
The next day, me and the doctor met again. He had a funny smile on his face and said: “See, when you have some fancy titles and build up enough credibility, you can get away with almost anything.”
So, that was a big lesson for me when it comes to authority.
And I always thought I was “immune” because I made fun of the people who actually bought a certain toothpaste because of the actors in the white lab coats from the advertisements…
All the best,
Joe Paz, the Memory Improvement Man