Are We Truly That Gullible?

[Teacher Sue]

I was scrolling through Facebook earlier this evening and ran across a headline that someone had posted from Gomerblog, a satirical medical blog. The article was about a nurse losing her license because she gave a patient the wrong sandwich. I clicked on the article, read it, and was amused, I went back to the Facebook posting to read the comments and was shocked by what nurses had commented about this article. Most of them reacted with outrage over how this poor nurse had been treated. Perhaps some of them had only read the headline, and not the entire article, but some of them quoted the article in their comments. These were nurses, people on my friends list that I have worked with in the past. I was dumbfounded that they believed this was true. Are we that gullible that we believe everything we see on the Internet?

[enuf_already]

Obviously, and Pearson Vue is going to be making $200 a pop from people who believe what they read about a new "trick" for NCLEX results ;-).

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I read that awhile back. The way things are going in nursing with all the emphasis on customer service, I think we could be there in another couple of years, but it hasn't gotten quite that bad yet.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

You mean someone CAN'T 'loose' a license over an incorrect sandwich filling? Guess I've been worried all this time for nuttin'.....!

Actually, Teach, I think the problem is people don't really read. They skim, they scan, they THINK they read the page, but don't really know what it said.

We see it a lot on this site: people post some ridiculous things, claiming "it was on the news" but what they REALLY meant was "I read a piece of a blog that had a newsy-looking banner at the top, but I don't know who posted it".

And there you have it. Current events, 2010's style!

[RN403, BSN, RN]

But...but...everything on the internet is true. Didn't you watch the commercial?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_CgPsGY5Mw

Seriously though, it seems that almost every article I come across on Facebook is almost always some sort of hoax. A lot of people believe these stories (or at least it would seem that way from their comments). I suppose some of us really are that gullible.

[tarotale]

I would believe it not because I am gullible, but because I know for fact nurses get treated like crap by admin... sad reality

[Swellz]

Yes, people are that gullible. Love that site though!

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I would believe it not because I am gullible, but because I know for fact nurses get treated like crap by admin... sad reality

Ok...but no has YET to lose their license over the wrong sandwich; perhaps lose their job, but it would be hard wrought to lose a license over this; the BON, at least in my state had yet to be corporatized.

[OhioCCRN, MSN, NP]

I love that site, also i admit the best part of it is the outraged comments from people who never take a moment to see the huge banner that says satire.... or maybe people just do not understand the meaning of satire....hmmm....

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Oh my goodness, I had never heard of that blog! It's like the Onion, but medical!! Now I've got a new time-sucker. :)

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Wait until the students find this one: NCLEX Test Writers Admit to Picking Esoteric and Outlandish Questions - Medical Satire - GomerBlog

[OCNRN63, RN]

People today just live for sound bites; they don't take pause for a moment to think about what they're reading/hearing. I've seen the same thing happen with news stories that don't ring true. After doing a little investigation, the majority of the time the story isn't true, but that doesn't stop people from being outraged. I've even seen people, after being told the story isn't true, say something like, "Yes, but it could happen."