Category: Trust

How Does Your Identity Matter?

More than ever before, we have to prove we are who we claim we are. What is the importance of our identity?

Sometimes it seems that we’re constantly being asked to verify our identity.

That might take the form of using a password to access an app or a website. We have to provide documentation to get a drivers license, and then we use that license in dozens of different ways. You may have to supply the last four digits of your social security number to access your utility bill. You’d better remember your PIN if you want to withdraw money from the ATM!

It’s easy to see why — identity theft happens every day. Someone posing as you might open a credit card, or use an existing card to buy things a thousand miles from where you are. Emails supposedly from you are more likely to get your friends to click on a suspicious link.

And it can be complicated and inconvenient to remember or store hundreds of passwords, keep straight all the security questions about which street you grew up on or your childhood dog’s name, and be inputting codes from texts or emails using two-factor authentication.

With all this effort being made to verify your identity, have you given any thought to what that identity is? Is it just a collection of memories and experiences? Is it genetic, like a fingerprint or a DNA sample? Or perhaps it is what you believe or the actions you would take in any given circumstance?

What makes you uniquely you, and how can you demonstrate that to someone else? And how can you verify that same information for others?

Related questions: What makes you you? With which groups do you identify? What makes something a human right?

Are We A Land Of Laws?

As the U.S. judicial system receives increasing scrutiny, it may be time to ask the question: are we a land of laws?

This might seem like an odd question to ask, when the United States has a well-established judicial system. There are countless number of judges and lawyers that help to argue and interpret the various laws that have been passed.

In addition, who among has not been called to serve on a jury? One of the primary civil services one can perform, other than voting in elections, is to sit for a trial.

So at the local, state, regional, and federal level, trials are happening all the time, involving just about any and all people in our society.

And yet, confidence in our judicial system is waning. Some courts deliver seemingly unfair rulings. Others blatantly contradict existing precedence. Some judges seem hopelessly biassed. Other courts reek of corruption.

Finally, and most disturbingly, there is a growing sense that existing laws are not applied evenly to everyone. Different people receive different outcomes, based on their economic background, their race, or even what job title they hold. Conviction and incarceration rates are higher for minorities.

If the laws don’t apply to everyone, can we really say that live in a land of laws? Is the legal system just another way for the powerful in our country to control the less powerful? Or is it that these problems are exaggerated, and the courts, and laws, are in pretty good shape?

Related questions: What direct experience do you have with law enforcement? When should you not follow the law? How would you describe your civic life? Where is society failing?

When Have You Asked For Help?

Life is so complicated that you can’t do everything by yourself. Is there a notable time that you asked for help?

More than any time in history, we live in an integrated world. With the touch of a button, we can speak to someone in real time half a world away. Products or food we consume come from dozens of different countries.

All this interconnectedness makes for a complex existence. The number of variables that might impact you is staggering. Add to that an ever-increasing pace, and you have a recipe for confusion and exhaustion.

With that in mind, it makes sense that we can’t get by as an individual. We need other people to help us in any number of ways.

Sometimes, that help comes automatically. Our society runs more or less on its own. Food shows up at the local grocery store without you having to ask for it. Products are made and services are offered in the normal course of affairs.

However, there are some times when you need to specifically ask for help. If you are overwhelmed, you might need to ask a coworker for assistance. If you just don’t have enough time to accomplish all your necessary tasks, your partner may need to come to your aid. Family, friends, or even complete strangers can be called upon in a variety of ways.

When do you most need help? Is there a particular instance that stands out in some way where you requested assistance from someone? Have you been asked for help? Does your experience being asked for help make it easier for you to, in turn, ask others when you need it? And what happens if you need help and it doesn’t come?

Related questions: How do you need help? How can you help? If you had an assistant, what would you have them do? What makes a good leader?

What Is The Role Of An Independent Media?

With the rise of the Internet, traditional media outlets are facing unprecedented difficulties. As they face these problems, what should their role be?

The last 25 years or so have been a difficult time for media outlets. The demand for print newspapers or magazines has all but vanished. Layoffs have gutted newsrooms everywhere. In many cases, clickbait has replaced actual reporting. Misinformation and disinformation runs rampant. Corporations with an ideological bias are buying up struggling newspapers and local TV channels.

Even in the best of times, it can be challenging to determine just what role the media should play.

For example, who does a reporter actually work for? His or her editor? Or perhaps the person who signs the checks? What about the reading or viewing public? Or the advertisers or sponsors that keep the lights on?

Now, however, under the current conditions, finding a role might seem almost impossible. Should they be a watchdog, keeping powerful people in check? Should reporters focus on being sensationalistic, to compete with the endless entertainment options? How conciliatory should they be, both to retain access to sources as well as to keep the billionaire owner happy? Will news producers turn to artificial intelligence rather than reporters to produce articles and scripts? If so, what would that role be?

And finally, what do we, as consumers of news, do about it? How do we get information we can trust? Can we find alternatives when the local newspaper ceases publication? How can we support the media outlets that we like, if there are any?

Related questions: How much do you trust the media? How does media manipulate you? What role should government play in our lives? Should we pay attention to the news?

How Much Do You Trust The Media?

The role that the media plays in a healthy democracy is a vital one. It keeps the voters informed of various issues that it needs to know in order to make an informed decision. It seeks out corruption and exposes it. And it holds those in power accountable.

Without a strong, functioning media, democracy is not possible.

However, there are several ways in which the media itself can be corrupted or does not serve the interests of the populace.

One way is for a media outlet to become ideologically biased. If stories praising one side and attacking the other are the only ones featured, then journalists are only doing half their job. This is a common complaint today. The right has outlets biased toward them, and so do the left.

Another way is for an owner to become too involved, killing stories about friends, and creating stories about enemies. It concentrates a tremendous amount of power in a human being, one who can be flawed or corrupted.

If a newspaper, TV network, or website depends on advertising to exist, that can create a conflict of interest. If a news story arises that is critical of a sponsor, it may be softened or even shelved altogether. Or to attract readers to ads, media sources can publish content that may be suggestive or even misleading.

Journalists have a difficult job, having to speak the truth against powerful forces, while often facing budget cuts or forces that seek to handicap them in order to protect themselves.

Are there news sources you trust? How do you evaluate media sources for trustworthiness? How can we strengthen the good ones?

Related questions: How do you know who to trust? Should we pay attention to the news? How does media manipulate you?