The Danger of Ignorance

I may have stumbled upon Colin Barnett's environmental advisor at the beach yesterday.  Take a minute to watch the below video which is simultaneously funny and disturbing. 

While filming part 1 of The Price of Existence I've become aware of a trend in people, myself included, to stubbornly hold onto ideals we have already adopted as truth.  Two of the most extreme examples are OCEARCH supporters followed by shark cull supporters such as the man in this video.  One of the reasons miseducation is so dangerous is the difficulty of reeducating those who have been led astray.  The lyrics "Hearing only what you want to hear...knowing only what you've heard" come to mind each time I encounter someone on the street who tells me that the shark cull "had to be done", quickly followed by admitting that they don't know what it is, but they heard on the radio or the TV that the prime minister said it was going to make them safer and preserve the economy.  Those are both lies by the way, and I, unlike the WA government, have the evidence to support my claims (revealed in the film).
The fact remains that most people will continue to believe what they choose to believe despite the fact that we live in the "age of information".  Global warming is a myth, SPOT tags don't damage fins, the war in Iraq wasn't about oil, the world is flat, and baited hooks at beaches will make us safe from sharks.  I'm accepting donations for my shark school, by the way, so we can teach them which beaches they are allowed to swim past.