My daughter is a very passionate liberal. Though we do not share a lot of political viewpoints, I do admire her idealism. It seems my job is to temper some of that idealism with a lesson in questioning anything you read on Tumblr or one of the other faux news and fauxtire sites where she gets her news. I don’t want her perpetuating the misinformation, which she tends to do with such conviction that I find myself starting to believe some of the outlandish news she shares. I know I exasperate her when I question her reporting, just as much as she exasperates me with the blind faith she shows in some of the reports she reads. These exchanges result in some pretty heated debates. And she seldom backs down.
This week’s “news” was the introduction of a new bill that would mandate the attire worn by Sasha and Malia Obama. How could there be such a bill, I asked her. Why would Congress spend time on such meaningless tripe? Allie was very convincing in her assertion that this was a real news story, and was proud that she could actually name the Congressman responsible for introducing the bill – Richard Head, Republican from Utah. Really, Allie? For once, she admitted that perhaps her source was wrong.