Episode 237

Do Your Own Research with James

People have been realizing for many years that mainstream media and states are not wholly reliable. Things that we’ve learnt in public schools turn out to be false, or at least one-sided when we scratch the surface with our own research.

People turn to independent media, or decide to put some facts together for themselves, trying to take educated guesses on which facts might line up with other facts.

If you’ve been schooled for many years, you might believe that it’s somehow risky to explore diverse ideas, and it can be. Some get lost, coming up with theories and seeing links where there just aren’t any. But many emerge from this process and learn to be truly independently-minded.

In this episode, James tells us the story of how he noticed a smart, successful friend using cannabis, and as he looked into the subject, he found that much of what he had been told was a lie. That led him to a humbling realization – that perhaps most of the data he had was incorrect.

James also tells the story of researching the law, coming to the conclusion that perhaps police and statutes were not what he thought they were – in some sense they are a scam. Then his own experience even confirmed the bizarre concept that the police need your consent to enforce a statute.

Content warning: Drug use