STOP BELIEVING RUMORS AND CONSPIRACIES UNLESS THEY ARE VALIDATED BY FACTS
A rumor circulated among my first grade classmates that our teacher was a wicked witch.?I was convinced the rumor was true because she seem to be just like the wicked witch I saw on TV:?rigid, strict, grouchy, never smiled, and hated children.?A dire rumor circulated one day that my teacher was conspiring to turn any kid who annoyed her into a frog. When I overheard this, I kept exceptionally quiet and lived in terrible fear of becoming a frog.?First grade was not my best year.?
Since that frightful first grade, I have spent the next seven decades of my life being easily hoodwinked by rumors or conspiracy claims.?Even when the media publishes rumor after rumor, conspiracy after conspiracy, and I absolutely know they are not true, I still have a strong compulsion to believe them.?
Be ever-alert.?Challenge any rumor or conspiracy claim to produce facts supporting appeals.?Refuse to accept any of the rumors or conspiracies until you have validated the claim with supporting facts.