During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, there was a bombing in Centennial Olympic Park. Security guard Richard Jewell discovered a backpack with pipe bombs inside and helped evacuate the area.
Initially, Jewell was hailed as a hero, but soon after, it was leaked that the law enforcement was treating Jewell as a suspect, although Jewell was never officially charged.
A popular theory was that Jewell might have secretly planted the device so he could find it and be seen as a hero.
A lot of people thought that they JUST KNEW that he did it.
One news anchor said speculation was that the FBI was close to making a case.
After about three months, Jewell was cleared as a suspect.
Another man later confessed.
Later Jewell filed a handful of libel cases against news outlets. Some of the lawsuits were settled, others were dismissed.
In January 2019, Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann and other students were involved in a confrontation with a Native American man during political demonstrations near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Various short snippets of video were posted on social media claiming that the Catholic school students were the aggressors during the incident. It went viral.
Sandmann and his fellow students were initially vilified on social media, as well as by some in the main stream media, with people ranging from politicians to actors weighing in on the incident.
A lot of people JUST KNEW what had taken place and that the teenagers in the MAGA hats were the villains of the story.
However, attitudes from many changed after longer versions of video were released offering more context to the situation. It was also revealed that a third group was involved in the incident.
Sandmann said that he was trying to defuse the situation by smiling at the Native American elder.
Various lawsuits were filed over the incident.
Some were dismissed. Others were settled.
Sometimes when you JUST KNOW that you know all of the facts about a particular situation, you are proven correct.
Other times though, what you thought you JUST KNEW doesn’t turn out to be correct once all of the facts are known.
I am not saying that people shouldn’t get upset over certain situations that happen nationally, statewide or even locally.
It is alright to get outraged over things.
However, it’s also important to maintain perspective too, and realize that everything you think you know might not prove to be true.
Many people, who post on social media, do so presuming that there aren’t any consequences for their actions.
This may not necessarily be the case, especially if what you JUST KNEW doesn’t prove to be entirely true at the end of the day.
Not that they will listen, but I would advise people to be careful with what they write on social media, especially with words like execution and murder. This is particularly true when no one has been charged with a crime and might never be even if you think they should be.
Yes, the Constitution guarantees free speech, but this doesn’t mean you can yell “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater. There can sometimes be consequences for your actions. Think before you post.
