July 11, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: A group of six blind men once encountered an elephant. They each thought they’d be able to get an idea of what the animal looked like by touching it:
• The first blind man touched the trunk of the elephant and declared that the creature looked like a thick snake.
• The second blind man felt one of the elephant’s tusks, and said the animal looked like it felt - hard, smooth and sharp.
• The third blind man felt one of its ears, and opined that the elephant was like a thin fan!
• The fourth blind man rubbed his hands on the elephant’s side and was sure it was a rough wall.
• The fifth blind man was able to pull on the elephant’s tail; to him, the elephant resembled some kind of rope.
• And the sixth blind man felt something soft and warm, and not smelling too good, fall on his head, and imagined that the elephant was a malodorous and squishy creature.
So each man thought he knew what the elephant looked like, from his “point of view,” without knowing about how the others saw the animal.
The takeaway? The news media and commentators on politics and current events come at things through their own experiences, cultural backgrounds and biases, and will describe the same facts in myriads of different ways or not mention them at all. History, and who is “good” or “bad,” is usually decided and written from the viewpoint of the “winners.” Can you always believe them? Think about it, before forming your own opinions. ANGELA WATKINS Natural Bridge Station
