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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nI feel frustrated and weary from this. When it affects me\ndirectly, I feel angry. When it means horrible government and governing, I\nsometimes feel helpless. I know that my ability to affect positive change is\nrelated to the size of my platform and the amount of time and energy I\u2019m\nwilling to devote to my message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I have very real time and energy limits. I have priorities that sometimes supersede my public policy concerns. And increasingly, I am choosing to change the flow of my days to a kinder, gentler flow. I can only combat so much hornswoggle in one day. But I can flag it when I see or hear it. And you can too. Perhaps \u201cOh, hornswoggle!\u201d can become a battle cry to combat misinformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, misinformation sometimes comes from seemingly\ncredible sources. Or it\u2019s delivered without full context. This creates loopholes\nthat make it easy to argue with science. I hate this. We need evidence-based\ninformation! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also hate the role that credentialed professionals sometimes\nplay in dissemination of hornswoggle. This is often done with good intentions,\nbut it\u2019s harmful and ultimately creates distrust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most prevalent themes in hornswoggle is that there\u2019s an\nimmediate fix for everything. Have a pain? Take a pill. Need to lose 10 lbs? Eat\nonly protein. Have PTSD? Try psychedelics. Want to be stronger? Use steroids. Can\u2019t\nsit still? Take a pill. Annoyed by your kids? Give them a pill. You know the\nroutine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And many of these solutions work short term. The question is\nwhether they actually promote healing of the underlying problem or just lead to\ndependence on repeated short-term solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond that, I\u2019ve begun to wonder whether frustration over widespread failure to address underlying problems is contributing to the increase in violence we see playing out at grocery stores, hospitals, and on airplanes. The stats on airplane violence are sobering. Forbes Magazine<\/a> reports that \u201cThrough May, about 2,500 such incidents have been recorded, and those categorized as \u201cunruly\u201d reached 394, compared with well under 200 for each full year of 2019 and 2020.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n And we\u2019re confronted with mass shootings every week. I\u2019m hearing an increase in gunfire in my neighborhood recently. If you\u2019re interested in tracking this particular type of violence, visit the Gun Violence Archive<\/a>. They\u2019ve been doing evidence-based research since 2013 and the site offers detailed charts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to glossing over underlying conditions, hornswoggle\u2019s demand\nfor immediacy can impede due process, in-depth conversation, and carefully\nconsidered consequences. I can\u2019t see the positive gain from immediacy if those\nare things we give up. The cost is simply too great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I think we\u2019re feeling all of this under the surface. When we try\nto express it, we may be dismissed or demeaned or canceled or bullied or shamed\nor, very possibly, never acknowledged at all. And then we\u2019re faced with the\nchoice of how to respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to avoid feeling dismissed, humiliated, shamed, or unheard,\nsome of us suppress how we\u2019re feeling. But at some point, we may not be able to\ndo it any longer. And if anger is the first emotion to reach the surface, it\nmay explode into violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not going to tell you that hornswoggle is the cause of all violence or that removing it tomorrow will solve our problems immediately, but seeing it for what it is and refusing to perpetuate the narrative can help raise awareness. Calling hornswoggle when you see it can put a pin in topics that require thorough examination and thoughtful consideration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And maybe if we slow down a moment, we\u2019ll come to our senses and realize no one should have to repeatedly swallow hornswoggle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n