#doubt

Deception, Obfuscation & Misdirection

This is a concatenation of posts I originally made in 2016-2017--even more relevant today...

Most are familiar with the concept of #FUD—short for #Fear, #Uncertainty & #Doubt. It summarizes a strategy often used in marketing and political propaganda. Its effects are pernicious, divisive and lead to exploitation. Examples abound. Fear is a strong motivator! To resist FUD one must understand how it is practiced using the principles of #Deception, #Obfuscation and #Misdirection.

https://mdpaths.com/rrr/commentary/deception_obfuscation_misdirection/index.html

#Lies #Liars #TrumpLies #Trump #Authoritarianism #Media #GeorgeOrwell #HannahArendt #Disinformation

"Buried in the messages between National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other cabinet members is a horrible demonstration of narrative engineering.

"While the legacy media fixates on ‘classified information’, the real story is actually not the incompetence of these people but instead how they casually discussed spinning the bombing of Yemen—an already battered and famine-ravaged nation—into a palatable story for the American and global public. Let’s have a look":
https://thespectaclemag.substack.com/p/how-to-sell-a-massacre by Deaglan O'Mulrooney

#storyTelling #counterterrorism #victimBlaming #proZionism #StandWithIsrael #professionalism #Signal #postFactual #bias #news #media #doubt #press #reporting #journalism #war #Yemen #Houthis #warCrimes #allies #PeteHegseth #Hegseth #MikeWaltz #Waltz #OMulrooney #mediaStudy #bombing #narrative

https://brokenhand.substack.com/p/what-do-you-almost-believe-in

#religion #doubt

https://youtu.be/AbTkTRNL_Ec?si=rUmImj1rVbHV7WvH

#tech #addiction #MerchantsofDoubt #science #doubt

I think that it's an honorable thing to change your mind occasionally. I don't think it's a sign of weakness or lack of integrity. I believe men are united by their doubts and separated by their convictions. Therefore, it's a very good thing to have doubts. Doubts are the greatest spur to activity that I know of.
-- Peter Ustinov

#Wisdom #Quotes #PeterUstinov #Doubt

#Photography #Panorama #Sealions #Beach #Galapagos

In Case There Was Any Doubt https://www.inbella.com/949316/in-case-there-was-any-doubt/ #case #doubt #Events&Appearances #Gossip #News #Royal #RoyalFamilies #RoyalGossip #Royals #RoyalsGossip

@ReadingFaithfully_org What a wonderful #simile ! I especially like that #refinement or #purification is a clearly implied possibility without direct mention that that relies on the hearers' (or now more likely, readers') knowledge about gold so that they have to do the rest of the work themselves (and are thereby more likely to remember).

#fiveHindrances #5hindrances #hindrances #hindrance #sensualDesire #illWill #slothAndTorpor #restlessnessAndRemorse #doubt

Will this Lesbian Transoother be able to get through to the mentally ill with words & analogies?

#doubt

Breaking Baz: Viola Davis & Ted Danson Give Masterclasses In Artistry At Special Golden Globe Awards Ceremony
#News #BreakingBaz #CarolBurnett #CarolBurnettAward #CecilBDeMilleAward #Cheers #Doubt #GoldenGlobes2025 #MarySteenburgen #MerylStreep #TedDanson #ViolaDavis

https://deadline.com/2025/01/breaking-baz-viola-davis-ted-danson-masterclasses-artistry-special-golden-globes-awards-ceremony-1236246511/

La mort de Robespierre (2024) [5 min] by Janelle Feng | #USA

CW: Self-harm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsL2tzohn4c

#2D #2DAnimation #AnimatedShort #AnimatedShortOfTheDay #Animation #Revolutionaries #Robespierre #FrenchRevolution #CalArts #Doubt

Feeling unsettled today. I’m trying to make sense of a lot of things. A conversation with a friend about prayer and God seems to have stirred something deep in me, something I can’t fully name. She said that prayer broke something off me last night, that scripture and God’s promises have power if we claim them. She also said that sometimes we cause our own struggles by not trusting those promises. I’m thankful for the love in her words, but they’ve left me wrestling with some questions.

I’ve often been told that my faith isn’t strong enough, that if I just believed more, I’d see healing or change. That narrative weighs heavily, especially when prayer feels hollow. It can feel like a way for people—including myself—to avoid real action. If someone’s struggling, isn’t it more meaningful to do something to help them rather than saying, “I’ll pray for you”? And how do we even discern what’s God’s action versus our own? My friend says she feels things in her spirit, but isn’t that just another word for opinion?

The God I’ve known and trusted has shaped my life, but the version of God I hear about in church—the one who demands worship or threatens hell—feels hard to reconcile. Love, at least as I understand it, shouldn’t be conditional. Why would a loving God need belief to extend love? Why would God punish someone for walking a different path? I know the “free will” argument, but I still can’t make it sit comfortably.

What resonates with me is the beauty and grounding of liturgy. Chant, structure, moments of stillness—these connect me to something bigger. I’ve also been drawn to traditions that embrace the inner work of faith—the slow, unspoken transformations that happen not through dramatic moments but through small, persistent acts of love and reflection. Faith that allows space for honesty and questions feels truer to me than faith that demands answers.

I’ve come to realise that some struggles aren’t meant to be fixed overnight, and no amount of pressure or prayer will force them to disappear. Instead, maybe the work of faith is to make space for all of it—the questions, the doubts, the pain—and allow something to shift in its own time.

I don’t have all the answers, but maybe faith isn’t about that. It’s about showing up, even in uncertainty. The God I’ve experienced is still there, even if the constructs around him feel shaky. Perhaps faith is less about certainty and more about seeking truth and meaning in the complexity of it all.

#Faith #Doubt #Questions #Christianity #Prayer #Liturgy #Spirituality #ContemplativeFaith

#doubt for #mastodon and #fediverse ..
I was told that the formatting of the posts here is markdown but I tried to make them bold using **word** and other markings and it didn't work.Can anyone #help?#computer science #mastodonsuporte #fediverseajuda #mastodonajuda #beginners

 
Exploding the Big Bang

❛❛ It was thought that #science could tell us about the #origins of the #Universe. Today that great endeavour is in serious #doubt. ❜❜
Cameron Allan McKean for Aeon.co

https://Aeon.co/essays/scientists-are-no-longer-sure-the-universe-began-with-a-bang 2024 Dec 09
https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang … #BigBang

#Community #TimeTravel #Research #Kronodon

“He wanted to convince the Virgin of San Juan, a doll-sized image of the Virgin Mary made from corn paste, to dole out a miracle.”

In this week's new Longreads essay, Kayla Aletha Welch writes about a journey of #marriage, #faith, and #doubt in the Jaliscan highlands: https://longreads.com/2024/11/19/miracles-pilgrimage-mexico-faith-doubt/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

#Longreads #Religion #Pilgrimage #Mexico #Jalisco #Miracles

Chalked outside my church this morning. Sermon was on #doubt and post ressurection #christian #streetArt #art @christianartists

I chalked the church stairs this morning. The sermon was on #doubt #christian @christianartists #art #streetArt

When a growth mindset environment emerges, “equality happens”.

Carol Dweck tells a story of a Chicago high school that distributed “Not Yet” grades instead of failing grades.
Carol Dweck relates the power of “yet”: When students see the word "yet", they build confidence to continue and persist with their learning, making mistakes and working from them.
Here is the TED talk by Carol Dweck on "the power of believing that you can improve": https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve

@jonan_gallas @RFancio

#teaching #mindSets #DEI #societalEquality #socialJustice #TEDtalk #believe #success #learning #growthMindset #talent #joy #willingness #control #merit #success #doubt #personalDevelopment #school #assignments #assessments #education #imagination #performance #ranking #grades #meritocracy #practice #training #diversityOfPractice #science #believe #CarolDweck

[…]
"What makes the ‘#growth mentality’ so appealing, Carol Dweck discovered, is that it creates a passion for learning rather than this thirst for approval. Its hallmark is the belief that human qualities like intelligence and creativity, and even relational capacities like love and friendship, can be cultivated through effort and practice. Not only are people with this mindset not discouraged by failure, they don't actually see themselves as failures in these situations, they see themselves as learners."

Samah Karaki, doctor in #neuroscience, wrote in her book "Le talent est une fiction"

@edutooters @psychology

#learning #raceMaking #adultDomination #patriarchy #growth #talent #teaching #joy #willingness #antiPsych #psychology #control #merit #success #doubt #personalDevelopment #school #assignments #assessments #education #imagination #performance #ranking #SamahKaraki #meritocracy #practice #training #diversityOfPractice #institutionsDeceive #science #believe