On Michelle‘s new blog, I just stumbled over a very neat art (or rather: protest?) project, all sticker-based. [citation needed] questions the factoid and claims we encounter in everyday life – ads, for example, are full of them.
Wikipedia has a simple way of asking contributers to validate their statements: The ubiquitous [citation needed] tag that inspired this particular flavor of street art.
Notes the artist:
One of my favorite quirks about [Wikipedia] are the little [citation needed] tags that users can place in an article, indicating that a dubious claim needs a reference. One day an idea struck – what statements are more dubious or outright ridiculous than those in advertisements? Thus, an OM project was born. I had 250 8×2 inch stickers printed, which I handed out to friends, who circulated them further. In true wiki fashion, the final placement of the stickers is a collaborative effort, now distributed and anonymous.
(Photo by mmechtley)
So, as Michelle points out, we shouldn’t take this kind of statement for a fact. Instead, we need to double-check the sources to confirm truth, not just truthiness. [citation needed] can help remind us to do so.
Just sayin’.