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DFW

(57,995 posts)
57. Indeed, it is why I haven't changed my signature line in 20 years.
Mon Apr 14, 2025, 05:33 PM
Apr 14

"Croyez ceux qui cherchent la vérité. Doutez ceux qui la trouvent."

Believe those who seek the truth. Doubt those who find it.

Living in Europe, I especially get irked when someone posts a tired (and false) meme by one of our untouchable gurus, such as "education and health care are free in [Denmark-France-Germany-Sweden-Take yer pick]." I live in the EU and speak the languages of all the afore-mentioned countries. Doctors do not work for free in those countries. Teachers do not work for free in those countries. The material to build the hospitals and schools were not donated for free. Medicine is not produced from donated materials, or produced in labs built and run strictly by volunteers or leftover Nubian slaves from the Egyptian pyramids. Go find a pharmacy in Denmark without a cashier. There isn't one. These services and materials are financed differently--often MUCH differently from how they are in the USA. But ask the average working Dane about his tax bracket or the VAT rate in his country, and you'll find out pretty quickly how a country like that can offer such services without charging each resident consumer individually. The last time I needed a band-aid in Denmark, I paid for it in Kroner. I was a visitor, and I paid for what I was buying.

As you said in the OP, "No matter how much you agree with the sentiment in a fake quote..." that still doesn't make it true, and no one is wiser if they believe some misleading "information" just because it proves a point, comes from a favorite guru, or because they want it to be true.

Recommendations

2 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Thank you! Too much sloppiness, assumptions that things are true Ocelot II Apr 14 #1
Thanks. I knew immediately it wasn't from Martha. sinkingfeeling Apr 14 #2
me too. mopinko Apr 14 #6
YES!!!! ☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼 Maru Kitteh Apr 14 #3
Please post a list of "reliable sources" gab13by13 Apr 14 #4
Memes from social media are *not* reliable sources. Ocelot II Apr 14 #7
Anything from Social media should be taken with a grain of salt. gab13by13 Apr 14 #10
Agreed, and the way Hartmann, Sanders, AOC etc FoxNewsSucks Apr 14 #17
👏👏👏🤜🤛 Traildogbob Apr 14 #37
i'll take corporate media over a Russian asset any day. Answering to shareholders just isn't as bad as answering to Vlad thebigidea Apr 14 #43
Amazing! And on a thread about authenticating statements. . . . FoxNewsSucks Apr 14 #44
"Anything from Social media should be taken with a grain of salt." OldBaldy1701E Apr 14 #56
Democratic Congressman Sean Casten, murielm99 Apr 14 #53
Go, Sean! ShazzieB Apr 15 #64
It was in response to reply number 10, murielm99 Apr 15 #72
Oh, I see what you mean now! ShazzieB Apr 15 #75
When I first joined DU, just stating an opinion was more enough. The response you would get if you didn't back up your Iris Apr 15 #71
And that's fine, as long as it's clear that it's our opinion. Mister Ed Apr 14 #8
Thank you! Much needed reminder. Ninga Apr 14 #5
+1 - It's gotten so bad everywhere. DU seems to be great in comparison. Oneironaut Apr 14 #9
There's a thing called confirmation bias and everyone is susceptible to it. Ocelot II Apr 14 #21
Yes. It sort of reminds me of a famous fake quote rollin74 Apr 14 #11
You mean I really shouldn't believe COL Mustard Apr 14 #14
But if you don't believe the quote... Shipwack Apr 14 #31
You can agree with it without believing Lincoln said it. soldierant Apr 14 #58
Exactly! ShazzieB Apr 15 #65
The Internet? The only Lincoln quote I ever see is the one about... dchill Apr 14 #35
I've seen that quote, too, but it wasn't attributed to Lincoln. 😁 ShazzieB Apr 15 #67
Actually, they were - invented between 1801 and 1808... dchill Apr 15 #73
Well, for what it's worth... ShazzieB Apr 15 #76
I'll bet she would have said it if she'd thought of it first! FoxNewsSucks Apr 14 #19
She told The Guardian that she wouldn't say that (the quote) in a million years. sl8 Apr 14 #26
Especially if the quote looks sensational. If it is a bit hard to believe absolutely be sure to check it. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Apr 14 #12
True, as an important person once said. . . FoxNewsSucks Apr 14 #13
And it looks like COL Mustard Apr 14 #16
That counts as verification, doesn't it? FoxNewsSucks Apr 14 #18
Damn it, I miss all the fun. William769 Apr 14 #15
Generally double-check source links when they're on a newsfeed like MSN. Go back to the allegorical oracle Apr 14 #20
Can DJT be exempted. The real shit is way worse than one could make up. twodogsbarking Apr 14 #22
I honestly don't like the idea of knowingly attributing things to him that he didn't say. ShazzieB Apr 15 #68
Thank you Mr.Bee Apr 14 #23
I wish they did, but not everyone has put a quote in quotemarks to search. And since some people highplainsdem Apr 14 #32
highplainsdem......... Upthevibe Apr 14 #24
We should hold DU posters to the kind of journalistic standards we all agree are desirable. Martin68 Apr 14 #25
K&R G_j Apr 14 #27
Or note it as satire SheltieLover Apr 14 #28
Here's a quote: AverageOldGuy Apr 14 #29
That is not a quote! BidenRocks Apr 14 #42
. MorbidButterflyTat Apr 14 #60
Google it. There's a lot of argument as to who first said it, and most of the candidates didn't use those exact words.nt eppur_se_muova Apr 14 #59
This message was self-deleted by its author Mosby Apr 14 #30
Is this sarcasm???? If not, what are you saying????? nt LAS14 Apr 14 #47
This message was self-deleted by its author Mosby Apr 14 #48
So we can't disapprove of behavior unless there's a DU rule against it????? LAS14 Apr 14 #49
I'm with you. ShazzieB Apr 15 #69
Owner here EarlG Apr 14 #52
Yes, as Mark Twain said: SCantiGOP Apr 14 #33
It's often attributed to Lincoln. 👍 Dave Bowman Apr 15 #70
Yes Yes Haru Apr 14 #34
Yeah, there are often fake F. Scott Fitzgerald quotes for some reason. LisaM Apr 14 #36
You can correct politely, with understanding about how it could happen. That's... LAS14 Apr 14 #46
Thank you, thank you, thank you. lamp_shade Apr 14 #38
AGREED... DU has been full of delusional doodoo lately. It's sad because DU is as it's best when it's educational. WarGamer Apr 14 #39
Absolutely... johnnyplankton Apr 14 #40
My wife and I were discussing the fall of the United States and agreed that... NNadir Apr 14 #41
DU should be a petrie dish for how to identify fake news. We need to learn and... LAS14 Apr 14 #45
People tend to readily accept that which supports their world view Kaleva Apr 14 #50
Mea Culpa - post deleted jmbar2 Apr 14 #51
I appreciate your deleting it, but I'm confused by your saying you "thought it was a funny joke." highplainsdem Apr 14 #54
Seriously, it's gotten so bad I can't just trust the DU post-titles Hekate Apr 14 #55
Indeed, it is why I haven't changed my signature line in 20 years. DFW Apr 14 #57
One good source about this topic: Dark n Stormy Knight Apr 14 #61
As Benjamin Franklin said, ..... Shoonra Apr 14 #62
It also ForgedCrank Apr 14 #63
Donald Trump: "I like to fuck animals and small children, if I can get it up" Jack Valentino Apr 15 #66
There are times when we are all just being conversational in a thread. Prairie_Seagull Apr 15 #74
Shouldn't that apply to every news story too? MichMan Apr 15 #77
A lot of polls are posted here, gab13by13 Apr 15 #78
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