I read this book in first grade. Petunia. A book by Roger Duvoisin about a goose named Petunia who finds an book. She never reads it, but always carries it under her wing as she walks around the farm. She does so under the belief that from simply having the book, she is wise. And in that mindset, proceeds to give advice to the other animals on the farm. With no actual knowledge derived from the book she has.

I enjoyed the book as a child. In adulthood, I’m more disturbed to see this trend playing out in our modern time. The Constitution and the Bible come to mind as the first of many examples. Now, I am not critizing the either document or the ideas behind them. But because most of us know them well, they make quickly recognizable examples in which to point out instances where I’ve seen people evangelically waiving documents for others to use as guidance and advice, only to find out, the advocate hasn’t read them (closely) or understand them themselves. The fact that they have been held up as guidance is creates the impression of proof that those same people know them and believe what’s inside those documents. In my book Does This News Make Me Look Fat?, I call this phenomena “Prop Proof.” The visual creates the illusion of proof, expertise or informed advocacy. But like a gun with no bullets, the impact of the visuals don’t match the reality or support the argument.

I’m sure you’ve seen cases like Steven Colbert’s “Better Know a District” segment where the Georgia Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, who was proposing The Ten Commandments should be put courthouses, couldn’t himself name all the commandments (He barely scraped six). Or this stat I cite in my book Does This News Make Me Look Fat that many people who identify as Christian think Sodom and Gommorrah, two cities in the Bible, were married. Or the when Christine O’Donnell, who claims to want to govern by the Constitution as the litmus test, said in a Delaware debate “Where in the Constitution is the separation of Church and State? (Most reputatble constitutional scholars say the 1st Amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” more than covers this.

Again my point is not to make fun of these documents. This phenomena happens on smaller levels (saying you like a band and not know songs or song members )but like Petunia, people can sometimes gather more identify by choosing to associate themselves with certain media and documents, than actually using them to gain understanding or abilty to defend or support that viewpoint. One of the factors that leads to the mental malnutrition I talk about in my book.

For more on this I invite you to read Does This News Make Me Look Fat? Available now at fine places like Amazon or go to www.junkfoodmedianation.com