I love being able to check out different news sources, research, and fact-check at any point in the day with little to no problems. It's nice having so much information at one's fingertips. Yet with this bundle of information comes a bundle of misinformation and eye-grabbing headlines of yet concluded stories, which has seemed to lead to progressively more people judging others too quickly.
Just in the past couple days or so, I've seen these headlines: "FBI raids Jared Fogle's home in child porn case," "Florida State quarterback punches woman at a bar," "Phil Mickelson won't talk gambling case," "Is Tiger Woods having an affair with another golfer's ex-wife?," "Paula Deen's brownface flub," etc.
Sure, we can all have opinions regarding these stories, but isn't it a little early to conclude about such headlines before the investigations are completed and all the facts are known?
If Jared Fogle is ultimately found guilty, his image and reputation will be forever tarnished by this case. However, to this point, reports have it that he has fully cooperated with the authorities and has yet to be charged with anything, so I still think we should hold off judgment until more details come to light.
After video was released of (former) Florida State quarterback De'Andre Johnson punching a woman in the face at a bar, he was immediately kicked off the team. Additional reports, however, paint the situation in a grayer shade, as Johnson's attorney claims the woman started the confrontation, took a swing at him, kneed him in the groin, and hurled racial epithets his way. So, while I think Johnson should definitely have (re)acted differently, further reporting appears to show both individuals being in the wrong.
Just because golfer Phil Mickelson refused to comment on the gambling case, many will take that no comment as a sign of guilt. Yes, it's possible that he's guilty, but he shouldn't be judged for not commenting about the matter while an investigation is taking place. Any and every lawyer will tell their client, "Don't talk about this with anybody while the investigation is ongoing."
The last two headlines are a bit trickier, because there's some rather significant history attached to each. Tiger Woods drew headlines regarding the hundreds of women he slept with back in 2009-2010, including cases of infidelity. Paula Deen was branded as a racist in 2012 when reports came out that she used the n-word. Granted, while Deen wasn't the one who painted her face brown (it was her son), she should have known better than to have contributed to that picture. However, is it fair to claim Deen was, still is, and has always been a racist based on this photograph, which was taken in 2011 for the show's Halloween special? ...and is it fair to conclude that since Tiger Woods has had affairs in the past, he had one again more recently while dating skier Lindsey Vonn?
I personally have no ties to any of these people or organizations. I don't eat at Subway very often; am originally from Nebraska, so Florida State definitely wasn't one of my favorite teams growing up; am anything but an avid golf fan; and personally don't care for a large majority of Paula Deen's dishes, which make me feel as if I've put on 10 lbs. just looking at them. So, while I may hold opinions on each individual case (and others), I try not to fully conclude on matters until all the details are known. For the time being, though, it appears Jared Fogle had at least had one incredibly bad association; 19-year-old De'Andre Johnson should have thought better than to go into a bar and react in the manner he did; many questions surround some of Phil Mickelson's business decisions; the dark shadow cast about Tiger Woods a few years ago hasn't completely left his side; and at the very least, Paula Deen is quite ignorant about racism. Like with anyone else, though, I hope they all admit their past (and present) mistakes, learn from them, and are able to better themselves in the future. I also hope that an increasing number of people start reading more than just eye-grabbing headlines and concluding on stories before all the facts are known, for as I've learned, it's much more difficult to believe a person is innocent, even if they're proven to be such, if they were thought to be guilty from the start.
UPDATE: The Feds have announced that Jared Fogle is guilty of paying minors for sex, as well as having a hand in child pornography, and it's believed he will plead guilty to the charges bestowed upon him. (8/19/15)
http://fox59.com/2015/08/18/former-subway-spokesman-jared-fogle-to-plead-guilty-to-child-pornography-charges/
http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1088734/paula-deen-accused-of-racism-again-brownface-photo
Just in the past couple days or so, I've seen these headlines: "FBI raids Jared Fogle's home in child porn case," "Florida State quarterback punches woman at a bar," "Phil Mickelson won't talk gambling case," "Is Tiger Woods having an affair with another golfer's ex-wife?," "Paula Deen's brownface flub," etc.
Sure, we can all have opinions regarding these stories, but isn't it a little early to conclude about such headlines before the investigations are completed and all the facts are known?
If Jared Fogle is ultimately found guilty, his image and reputation will be forever tarnished by this case. However, to this point, reports have it that he has fully cooperated with the authorities and has yet to be charged with anything, so I still think we should hold off judgment until more details come to light.
After video was released of (former) Florida State quarterback De'Andre Johnson punching a woman in the face at a bar, he was immediately kicked off the team. Additional reports, however, paint the situation in a grayer shade, as Johnson's attorney claims the woman started the confrontation, took a swing at him, kneed him in the groin, and hurled racial epithets his way. So, while I think Johnson should definitely have (re)acted differently, further reporting appears to show both individuals being in the wrong.
Just because golfer Phil Mickelson refused to comment on the gambling case, many will take that no comment as a sign of guilt. Yes, it's possible that he's guilty, but he shouldn't be judged for not commenting about the matter while an investigation is taking place. Any and every lawyer will tell their client, "Don't talk about this with anybody while the investigation is ongoing."
The last two headlines are a bit trickier, because there's some rather significant history attached to each. Tiger Woods drew headlines regarding the hundreds of women he slept with back in 2009-2010, including cases of infidelity. Paula Deen was branded as a racist in 2012 when reports came out that she used the n-word. Granted, while Deen wasn't the one who painted her face brown (it was her son), she should have known better than to have contributed to that picture. However, is it fair to claim Deen was, still is, and has always been a racist based on this photograph, which was taken in 2011 for the show's Halloween special? ...and is it fair to conclude that since Tiger Woods has had affairs in the past, he had one again more recently while dating skier Lindsey Vonn?
I personally have no ties to any of these people or organizations. I don't eat at Subway very often; am originally from Nebraska, so Florida State definitely wasn't one of my favorite teams growing up; am anything but an avid golf fan; and personally don't care for a large majority of Paula Deen's dishes, which make me feel as if I've put on 10 lbs. just looking at them. So, while I may hold opinions on each individual case (and others), I try not to fully conclude on matters until all the details are known. For the time being, though, it appears Jared Fogle had at least had one incredibly bad association; 19-year-old De'Andre Johnson should have thought better than to go into a bar and react in the manner he did; many questions surround some of Phil Mickelson's business decisions; the dark shadow cast about Tiger Woods a few years ago hasn't completely left his side; and at the very least, Paula Deen is quite ignorant about racism. Like with anyone else, though, I hope they all admit their past (and present) mistakes, learn from them, and are able to better themselves in the future. I also hope that an increasing number of people start reading more than just eye-grabbing headlines and concluding on stories before all the facts are known, for as I've learned, it's much more difficult to believe a person is innocent, even if they're proven to be such, if they were thought to be guilty from the start.
UPDATE: The Feds have announced that Jared Fogle is guilty of paying minors for sex, as well as having a hand in child pornography, and it's believed he will plead guilty to the charges bestowed upon him. (8/19/15)
http://fox59.com/2015/08/18/former-subway-spokesman-jared-fogle-to-plead-guilty-to-child-pornography-charges/
http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1088734/paula-deen-accused-of-racism-again-brownface-photo
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