I still think back on the time I convinced my very right-wing father to read @alfranken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. Didn't get very far before he took issue with a claim in the book some right-wing media clown wrote in a book. I want to say it was Ann Coulter. 1/10

So he goes to his bookshelf, finds the page Franken claimed the offending quote was on, but doesn't find the quote. He was so proud of himself. He'd found a lie in a book calling out his heroes as liars. Told me he'd read all he needed to read and was done with the book. 2/10

Now, this was years ago. I don't think the book was a new release, but it wasn't an old one either, so we're talking 2005 at the latest. The internet was a thing. Google, specifically, was a thing. 3/10

It took me all of 30 seconds to find that the author of the book Franken was calling out had removed the offending quote after like, the 2nd edition. My dad had, like, the 3rd edition. He refused to believe it, even with irrefutable proof presented to him. 4/10

"Books don't change in substance from edition to edition," he claimed. The version he held in his hand didn't include the quote, so that meant the quote never existed in his world. 5/10

He didn't even try to make the point that when the author realized their mistake, they did the right thing and removed it. No, he just kept denying it existed and claiming Franken was a liar because of it. He never did try to finish the book I'd passed to him after that. 6/10

I don't know what the point of this thread is, exactly. It's not to drag my dad, I promise. I think it just speaks to the desire for some to have what they already believe to be the truth instead of finding what is actually true. 7/10

As we stumble through this election season, try to find the truth. Don't seek opinions. Don't block them out either, but focus on the truth. See a quote that looks suspect? Look it up. Find a news story that seems too crazy to be true? Check the source. 8/10

A lot has been said about "fake news" and while it's true legitimate news outlets make mistakes from time to time, the ones who publicly offer retractions and apologies are generally more reliable than those that claim to always be right. 9/10

But most of all, if someone constantly makes "unverified claims" *cough* lies *cough*, and they never accept responsibility for them when proven wrong *cough* @realDonaldTrump *cough*, STOP FUCKING BELIEVING WHAT THEY SAY. THEY ARE LIES BEING TOLD BY LYING LIARS. 10/10