Jumping Cars
Photo by Dushawn Jovic on Unsplash
Searching For Truth In A World Of Manipulated Videos
by Eric Elkin
In 2008, Nike released a video showing Kobe Bryant jumping an Aston Martin DB9 Volante. The video became a YouTube sensation. It was not that Kobe Bryant jumped a stationary car. He jumped the Aston Martin as it drove towards him, going 50 mph. While the video was part of a marketing campaign to sell shoes, it looked like it was filmed by Bryant and his friends.
The video opens with Kobe Bryant looking into a camera and saying, “Do not try this at home.” Despite the warning, people did try it at home. No one I know of was dumb enough to try and jump over an actual moving car. What people did at home was try to replicate the video. Clips appeared showing people jumping faster-moving cars, skateboarders jumping cars with their boards, and some even did flips as they jumped.
The one thing all the videos had in common was they were fake. The television show Sport Science tried to test if it was possible to do what Kobe did. While jumping a car speeding towards you is possible, it is almost impossible to get the timing right. The jumper must leave the ground when the car is exactly 25 yds in front of them, going precisely 50 mph. If the jump is off by a fraction of a second, the jumper would most likely be killed.
When I was a child, video evidence was treated as conclusive proof. We were taught a picture is worth a thousand words. When someone said they did something wild, the first response was, “Show me.” So I do tend to believe things where there is video evidence. However, as the Kobe Bryant video proves, you can’t believe everything you see. So, how do we find truth in a world of manipulated video?
Modern technology has unleashed incredible creative powers into the hands of the masses. The cameras on our cell phones are more powerful, clear, and easy to use than the movie industry used in the 1970s. Film editing tools allow people to manipulate real-life images without making them look fake. We can film each other accomplishing tasks not humanly possible. And, while it makes for wonderful movies and images, it does make a person cynical about truth.
What is real, and how can we assess the truth? This question invades our life every day, even when we don’t want it to. Every news story reported has a counter-voice questioning the truth of the report. Scientists often conclude conflicting views on the same research results, and social media is filled with competing opinions. So where can we turn to find the truth?
I like the image Jesus presents in our reading - the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth. The truth we seek is not always easily accessible but is available. Wisdom is flowing all around us; the only question is, will we listen for it and to it? So we pray for the Holy Spirit to open our ears to hear the voice of God speaking. And for the same Spirit to open our minds to accept and believe what is good and right for us and the world. What is good and right for all creation is the truth God desires us to embrace.
Click to read John 16: 12-15
Reflection Questions:
What evidence do you need to prove something as true?
When have you been manipulated into believing something that was not true?
Who is someone you trust to be truthful with you?
How can prayer help us navigate what is true?