It is events that change everything which show who we truly are. After Grenfell, many claimed to be experts on housing policy and cladding. Similarly, during the coronavirus pandemic, there is an increasing precedence of individuals holding knowledge regarding how viruses spread, the financial implications and how society will be damaged. In reality, they don’t know. There are housing and medical experts who have the correct information and knowledge. The rest of us, well, we’re just guessing.
This desire for speculation and the truth can led to many holding a ‘hot take’ on the matter. A term inevitably invented online, it refers to individuals taking a stance simply for the sake of it, often to cause controversy and be provocative. From the factually incorrect to the downright rude, hot takes have flourished in this modern age. In a place where no fact checker exists, someone’s desire for attention, whatever the reason, means the internet can be awash with inaccurate, misguided information. You would expect me to be against this. While I am highly opinionated, I endeavour to base these musings on the facts and evidence. Despite the tide of postmodernism, I still believe in the notion of the truth and reject with every fibre of my being this ‘post-truth’ society. I will always be on the side of rationalism and science, not least when it comes to a pandemic on this scale. However, I can understand why people want to spread their opinions. One of the beauties of the internet was opening up a space where all could speak and converse, however accurate the information. Instead of governments being involved, internet freedom gave individuals the opportunity to speak as they wished. Understandably, with this freedom came a desire to receive attention among the rush of opinions that existed elsewhere. I would question, however, whether the hot take started online. For decades, newspapers have contained opinion pages, where columnists write about a topic of the day in a (hopefully) articulate and thought provoking manner. But they will not necessarily be experts on the subject they are discussing. Part of their job is to be able to form an opinion, craft a thought on any topic whatsoever. Whether by their own choice or in discussion with their editors, opinion columnists - many of whom are among the best writers in the UK - are paid to deliver a hot take on a news story. This doesn’t mean their thoughts are inaccurate. Part of being a columnist is making the reader think about the news in a different manner, even if one doesn’t change their mind. But every story gathers so much noise. From the moment a story is released, millions of thoughts, tweets and opinions will have already been formed. Once someone has a view on a topic, it is tricky for them to change their mind. That is a reason what it is so important the facts individuals base their decisions on are accurate. People need to be informed of the correct information. However, so much of life is based on holding little or minimal information. In daily decisions that we take, there is no reassurance that the actions will be correct or that we have all the correct knowledge. Part of life will always be a gamble, a speculation for what could either be right or misleading. This is certainly the case when the average citizen goes to vote. What is reflected in the newspapers is an accurate examination of the risks and challenges of daily life. Uncertainty is the new certainty. What is the truth , and what's going to happen next, isn't always known. How does change take place? It is by someone deviating from the conventional wisdom and offering a new perspective. Simply sticking to the same new ideas, offering the awful 'conventional wisdom', doesn’t allow for alternative solutions or a new examination of a policy. A hot take can sometimes be misleading or something that doesn’t offer a realistic approach. But it can lead to development of new ideas and prevent the status quo remaining in place. If ideas keep being repeated, that will mean the level of discussion is unclear and the development of new thoughts doesn’t take place. Sometimes a controversial view is necessary. It may be misguided, but it is the way for new ideas and thoughts to flourish. I’ve written before about the uncertainty of what life will be like after the coronavirus outbreak. There will be other stories that would be otherwise receiving attention that had fallen off the radar. Broadcasters have rightly decided to prioritise and devote their full attention towards this issue. With it, a whole host of different views will be released into the public sphere. Whether about coronavirus, religion or a defining issue of politics, inevitably some of those ‘hot takes’ will be incorrect. In the aim of becoming famous or notorious, there will always be attention seeking individuals who make stupid remarks. They do not deserve anyone's time. Instead, look to the people going beyond the perceived wisdom and accepted views. It is they who are offering something new. They’re the ones who contribute to the debate and develop the thoughts and future of humankind. We should thank and celebrate those kind of hot takers. They are the ones, after coronavirus, who will ensure humankind flourishes well into the 21st century.
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