It was about eagles, those bluff, potent birds that are the symbol of american english might and grace. This narrative, as told in the e-mail, outlined how eagles can live to be 70 years old, but only if in the middle of their life they make a “ hard decision. ”
I ’ ll let the slides tell the narrative, as presented in the e-mail .
Reading: True facts about Eagles
The e-mail ended with a courteous completion instruction, along with another incredible “ fact ” about the eagle .
“ When it rains, most birds head for shelter ; the eagle is the only dame that, in order to avoid the rain, soars above the rain obscure .
An amazing choice morsel about the eagle ’ south eyesight : The Eagle can credibly identify a lapin moving about a mile away. That means that an eagle flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet over open nation could spot prey over an area of about 3 public square miles from a sterilize position. No wonder God wants us to spread our wings and soar with eagles. ”
overall, this is a pretty cheer fib about change and adaptation, and how if one is bequeath to shed the accumulate weight and decay of the by, there ’ s an entirely modern animation waiting for us on the early side. The eagle, after all, can remake itself in the in-between of its life and be reborn, in sorts, to live another life full of potential .
Except it ’ s not at all true .
As I read this, I promptly realized some of this information was suspect. I had no idea about an eagle ’ randomness life, but 70 years seemed excessively retentive. According to the Smithsonian, eagle ’ s can live up to 50 years. The average is 30. But furthermore, I suspected that an eagle doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate need to fly to the top of a mountain and isolate itself. I ’ ve seen eagles in Kansas, and I know some of them migrate up and down areas of the central migration route, where there are no mountains on which they can take safety. And the business of beating off it ’ randomness beak, well, that barely seemed absurd .
It didn ’ t take a lot search for me to determine that fair about everything in this e-mail was completely and absolutely delusive .
But hera ’ s the thing – this is fairly innocent. A simple story about an eagle finding a manner to live a newly life. A way to get rid of the old and replace it with something new. We all like that fib, and in some ways it seems screen of barbarous to send back a reply saying that this electronic mail you just sent me is arrant rubbish .
yet, I can ’ t aid to think that allowing a simple electronic mail like this – which on the airfoil doesn ’ metric ton seem to harm anything – contributes to the growing habit in this nation of believing things that are not true – or worse possibly, not questioning them all. surely this fiddling electronic mail floor doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate cave majority rule. It doesn ’ thymine promote an ideology based in falsification. But it does replace scientific fact with a report that is absolute false .
And that, however benign that might seem, is dangerous in my public opinion. Because ultimately this electronic mail has likely created a false truth for a number of people who read it and accept it as fact. They ’ ve forwarded it on to others, and there ’ south immediately a fib out there about how eagle ’ second be – and the truth of how eagles live, the facts, are now in a position of defensive structure. The true, and possibly less romantic, history of the eagle is forced to bear the effect of proof against a report that lacks facts but appeals to our common sense of renewal and lastingness.
not such a big deal, possibly, when we ’ rhenium talking about a history of eagles. But I suspect it helps create an environment in which early, possibly bigger mistruths, can thrive and take rout. The truth becomes buried beneath a false narrative – and it must claw its way back into everyone ’ south presence when it never should ’ ve been buried below in the first gear station .
The double edges of modern communication is that anyone anywhere can spread their truth. And when that allows previously untold stories to be told, that ’ s a very beneficial thing. It allows populations of people to cast their voices in ways that couldn ’ t be done ahead. But the like tools that allow for that besides allow anyone to create a thousand varieties of the truth – option facts, if you will – and throw them into the populace. And when adequate people believe them, they, in their own manner, become a classify of truth – fair not a truth that is based in fact or reality .
Related
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.