A man spent years in a legal battle after false accusations were made about him. A retraction was eventually offered but the damage to his career really can't be measured.
A student sued several news outlets after being mischaracterized in a video clip which was found to be taken out of context. He won a financial settlement but his name and face will forever be associated with something that simply wasn't true.
Unfortunately, while there is a ton of coverage when accusations are levelled; the retractions and apologies rarely get the same attention. Once a name is attached to an event or incident, it remains connected to that regardless of how true it may or may not be.
This has been the case throughout all of history. Separating fact from fiction from folktale when it comes to St. Patrick, for example, is not the easiest thing to do. Countless stories have circulated and when something gets repeated often enough it becomes part of a shared narrative that people assume is authentic. St. Patrick did a lot of remarkable things, conversely he is credited for doing things he simply didn't do. He's not the only one. Such is often the case with notable figures. Some legends have become so ingrained in people’s minds they overshadow the facts of a historical figure's life.
Historians remind us there is little evidence to suggest Nero fiddled while Rome burned, it is unlikely Lady Godiva ever took that infamous ride on horseback through Coventry, and no, St. Patrick didn't drive snakes out of Ireland. Each of these individuals had an unmistakable impact on history, but then the artists, poets and powerful people of the day had their say in shaping how the events would be perceived. The descriptions are refined and moulded as they are passed down, and in the process some of the details may be lost as the storytelling takes over. Often it is the ones in power that determine its telling. Another gentleman hailing from the Emerald Isle summed it up nicely. Frank Harte, an Irish singer, song collector architect and lecturer said, "Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs."
This isn't just a reality that exists with celebrated or noteworthy individuals in history, but also with the people we interact with here and now. Once something is said, shared or posted it is really hard to walk it back, no matter how untrue it may be.
A wildly untrue rumor circulated about my best friend in high school, and while the truth had serious health implications for her, the falsehood spread quickly. The gossip took off like wildfire, while the truth filtered through at a snail's pace.
The consequences are not only personal and painful, there can be much bigger ramifications when it takes place on a larger scale. In the book "A Colorful History of Popular Delusions" authors Bartholomew and Hassall researched some of the real-world consequences of stories that were disseminated quickly but lacked evidence.
In the 1750's an appalling rumor spread that a King was kidnapping children so he could bathe in their blood to treat his leprosy. It sent parents into a panic and riots broke out in the streets. In 1998 an Asian country experienced several killings after rumors circulated of becoming sick after contact with certain individuals. Suspicions of sorcery lead to their deaths. False reports of Barack Obama getting hurt in an explosion caused the stock market to plummet briefly. On it goes. Think about some of the stories you heard about COVID. The campaign. The trucker convoy. What needs to be remembered is that there are real people behind these stories. Misinformation can cause tremendous pain and heartache, damage to one's reputation, family and friend breakdowns, and even end careers.
We have no way of knowing how many misconceptions or outright untruths people have of the circumstances we are in. We don't know what may be said about us today, next week or, like St. Patrick, 1500 years from now. It is something over which we have no control because kind or otherwise, history will have its say.
And since I don't expect to have folk ballads sung about me, or banners hung with my name in block letters like a Saint being remembered, I need to focus today on living with character, integrity and in truth. As importantly, I need to offer that to those around me. The best way to let the future have its say is doing our best to ensure the present has the correct information. That's my outlook.
