Several years ago, on a cold January day not unlike some that we have seen recently, I played with a few of our farm pictures and tried a few of the "effects" that are provided by Adobe Photoshop. Like so many creative endeavors, it became rapidly obvious this could be a giant, time-eating rabbit hole I could get stuck in. But, again, it was the kind of day that practically gives a person permission to go down that rabbit hole, as long as it is warmer than it is outside.
I came across one of the files I actually saved the other day and my response went something like this:
"Hey, that's kind of cool."
Followed by: "If a person didn't know what this is a picture of and have an idea of the actual surroundings, what conclusions would they draw from it?"
Then I started thinking, which is a very dangerous pastime!
I came to the conclusion that people would fall into three categories.
First, there is the group that won't take the time to even look at it. Or if they do glance at it, they'll discard it as something they don't care about. It doesn't matter which one you choose in this case - so we'll just come back to these folks later.
Second, there are the people that will look at it with curiosity and wonder what sorts of details might be obscured. Whether they decide to work to find those details or not, what matters is that they are aware that there are things you can't learn from the picture as it is. There are others who know more or there are ways to learn more. Whatever the case may be, these people tend to reserve judgement until there is more information. After all, the "Big Eraser" has been at work here and there are some things you just can't quite figure out without inside information. Is the door on the building open or closed? What kind of building is this? Are there any animals in the picture? Which direction are we facing?
The third group decides that they have seen enough to declare answers to any of the above questions AND MORE with as much authority as they can muster by raising the volume of their voice. And, of course, the members of these groups use their preconceived notions to color their answers. Sadly, a portion of group one finds these declarations of 'truth' far more enticing than the facts surrounding the actual picture - so they happily pile on - citing these so-called experts without checking on the veracity of what has been said.
My guess is that the second group of people is actually pretty large when it comes to something mundane like a Photoshop-styled picture. The third group is pretty small.
But, what if it is something like this:
"Certified Organic"
Now, be honest. How much do you REALLY know about Certified Organic? Not much in most cases, I bet. But, I am pretty certain you already have a strong opinion about it. Maybe strong enough to blindly cite an article that is pro or con regarding the subject without really reading it or checking the facts? Do you realize that by pushing an uninformed agenda, you are actually hurting the cause more than helping it?
The label is the "Big Eraser" that seems to make it okay to ignore the facts and details so that everyone is an 'expert' except the people who really are. So, here is a challenge for you. Read the following posts on our blog. They've been there for a while, but remain fairly accurate. I could update them a bit to reflect some recent changes in standards, but you'll still walk away knowing at least a little more.
Be a member of the group of people who recognize the Big Eraser and work to accurately fill in the voids that other people want to fill with incorrect statements. Don't just do this for this topic, do this for every other topic you are tempted to take a side on.
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