Two Plus Two Equals Five

In the 21st Century, in an age of infotainment and viral media, in a world where the majority of information is delivered through a digital filter, in a time when both corporations and individuals alike posess not only the means to distribute content but also to create, edit and alter it, critical thinking surpasses all other subjects in terms of both importance and usefulness. It is the single most powerful mental tool for resisting thought, opinion and behavioral control. If critical thinking were a required high school course, future American generations would be invaluably more prepared to face the world into which we are currently being thrust.

Take this photograph that's being circulated on the internet, for instance:

People who see this photograph are predisposed to feelings of negativity. Head on over to Facebook and see the responses for yourself. The consensus is that it depicts illegal immigrants rallying to demand additional rights under the Constitution, and they're willing to kill for them. Not only are they foreign, illegal and assertive, but they're potential terrorists.

Almost everyone has an immediate reaction; few stop to consider the idea that the image itself just might be a fake.

Error level analysis can only do but so much to offer an answer. Areas of edited photographs put through this kind of test will generally show up bolder and brighter in the results, but as the site itself says, the color red is also likely to show up brighter, making it difficult to be completely conclusive. It is worth noting that the red text at the bottom of the sign becomes extremely bright while other areas of red - such as the prominent stripes on the American flags - don't glow quite as much. It also becomes evident that in solid black or solid white portions of the image, the results show an even distribution of dark artifacting. The lettering on the top portion of the sign is easily distinguishable from its background, suggesting that it, too, may be Photoshopped.

Does a photograph like this really need to undergo digital scrutiny? The claim, according to the posts on the Snopes forum and on Facebook as well, is that this is from a "pro-illegal immigrant" rally in Arizona held just this past weekend. A quick investigation on recent protests in Arizona yields this article, a story which as been making rounds in the major media. The irony is that the rallies happening in Arizona aren't in favor of illegal immigration, they're against laws which might lead to racial profiling. The majority of protestors aren't illegal immigrants, but rather United States citizens and Mexican-American Arizonans.

Phoenix, Arizona (CNN) -- Hundreds of people gathered outside Arizona's Capitol building on Sunday in a largely peaceful protest against the state's tough new immigration law.

Chanting "Yes we can," waving American flags and holding signs reading "We have rights" and "We are human," demonstrators kept up a festive spirit as they denounced the bill signed Friday by Gov. Jan Brewer.

The new law requires police to determine whether a person is in the United States legally. It also requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally.

All it really takes to begin debunking the image above is a bit of critical thinking. Current events (protests in Arizona by Mexican-American citizens wearing American flags), the contents of the picture (Mexican-looking people draped in American flags holding protest signs), and the claims connecting the photograph with AZ and illegal immigration all suggest that the people depicted here are not "pro-illegal," but rather "anti-discriminatory." The contents of the sign simply don't make sense when put into this context. If the picture was not digitally altered, it almost certainly depicts a "lone nut" with an agenda that does not reflect the spirit of the rally around him. If indeed the image has been Photoshopped, you can be sure that it will not be the last of its kind; Disinformation has a rich, omnipresent history and now projects an even more lucrative future.

We may never learn the truth in this case, but being aware of that - of the idea that absolute truth itself is becoming more and more of a challenge to obtain - is infinitely more pertinent than any opinions culled by the presence of this particular image.