“In a free society, we are supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, we are in big trouble.”
– Ron Paul
Truth is a very interesting topic for me, especially with regards to photography, but even more so in a society that seems okay with tossing truth to the wayside. The idea was spurred by a YouTuber I subscribed to that talked about Truth in Photography. David discusses the use of AI bots on Facebook and I even saw a handful on Instagram. It seems the case-study of the Dead Internet Theory, which is a whole other rabbit hole, sure is starting to seem like it is correct.
This was a candid shot, I couldn’t believe it when I developed it.
Film photography and even digital photography take light from your shot and records the data from that event either on a film negative or in a raw data file. In my opinion the shot on film is the most truthful view of what my eye sees. Its probably why I love to take candid shots the most. To me those are the most truthful shots of life. Portraits and perfectly timed shots are great and all. But I prefer showing off what life is like in that moment, unaltered.
David leaves off a great question which is, “If you’ve never met me in real life, how do you know for certain that I am not a super AI recording?” How do you judge whats real or truthful on the internet or even in our news or curated content?
I think I have my answer, but bear with me setting the stage.
I had the opportunity to go see the Lakers play the Mavericks in February 2020, perfect timing in hindsight; I had never seen Lebron James play before and was excited to see him in person because… technically… at a super bare bones level I couldn’t confirm he existed. Sure i’ve seen ESPN highlights, i’ve seen games on television, I’ve seen him in movies, i’ve seen him quoted in press conference articles. But when it comes down to it I have never seen the dude in real life.
… You seriously think that Lebron didn’t exist?
Well no but maybe yes!
This is what led me to my conclusion as to how things can be truthful on the internet or thru other sources.
Consistency.
I consistently saw Lebron in all those previous settings so my mind has a easier pathway to believe that he is indeed real without seeing him firsthand. We walked up the steps to American Airlines and watched from our nose bleeds as he waved everyone off for an iso, crossed up our Maverick defender, and easily scored every freakin’ time. It was fantastic to watch such a talented athlete like that.
Consistency is my barometer to determine how truthful things are, the more eyes that we have on a subject, the more studies, the more data, the more people turn up to look into something helps develop the consistency. We know from consistency that there’s a war in Ukraine, bird flu is spreading, corporate greed is responsible for the rising costs of living, vaccines don’t cause autism, and that firearms are the number on killer of children. There are some things that I do not need to see in person to determine that they are truthful with consistency.
Another fun candid shot
Its funny how my generation was berated constantly when we were younger with: “Don’t believe everything you see or read on the internet”. We were consistently told that everything on the internet can be faked, people lie about who they are, and it can a dangerous space if you’re not cognizant.
Now we can’t stop our friends and family from whole heartedly believing a one-off story from a website that has a URL like “www.freedomlizardking-hotstuff-journalman.net” spouting that public schools are trying to turn your frogs gay or trans or they’re gonna take your children or some other nonsensical bullshit.
… So I wrote this post nearly two weeks ago and decided to give it a once over and determined that it kinda feels a somewhat mean spirited and a litte hopeless, and I don’t want to leave it hanging like that.
We all have to think more critically, and that’s a tall order for lots of folks, but whoever you think is running the show wants you to be split from folks that believe a different truth from you. It is so much easier to cater to the thing you hate; easier to make people into enemies for believing a certain truth or person different from you. Likewise, it is way easier to believe a single source because it matches with your personal beliefs than to do research and develop a coherent thought.
Lately I’ve been making an effort not to berate or belittle those individuals with a differing opinion but search for that common ground, something that we all agree upon. Whether its that public schools and ESAs should be funded equitably in Texas or that there is a health crisis in American and the system is corrupt and sick.
There are way more things that we have in common with one another than against one another. The only way to find them is to communicate with each other, and that’s the last thing those in power want. It frightens them to consider what our world could be like if the rest of us stopped hating and started talking.
Keep an eye out for what they want to use to divide us. There’s a reason they stopped talking about grocery prices, because that’s something all of us can relate to on all sides. Whoever they are, they don’t want us talking about it as one voice.
Cheers Y’all,
Will
W Is For Will 
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