Throughout the Coen brothers’ illustrious filmography, they’ve instilled countless themes and pearls of wisdom with masterful subtlety. I celebrate them now because, while giving “The Man Who Wasn’t There” a repeat viewing, I mused over one of the observations made by the slippery defense lawyer played by Tony Shalhoub. “The more you look at something, the less you know,” he insisted as he strategized against an unsuspecting jury in a dark holding cell. This theory explains how, the more you learn about a particular situation, the less it adheres to your original point of view. As the next election nears amidst a flurry of protesters and global unrest, we’re urged to simply know more about these events, rather than take a first glance and begin spewing rally cries from the top of the capitol steps.
If the recent GOP debates have shown us anything, it’s that some of these “candidates” have had trouble balancing their waving and baby-kissing with studying the actual issues they represent. The GOP isn’t the only camp to blame, however. Nearly every media figurehead has less than a day to consume and regurgitate all this vital information, leaving us wondering why we hold them to such a high standard. When it comes to any kind of thorough research, it must be done singularly in an unbiased manner, and without any foreseeable end. In science, entertainment, the media, and almost every other field of study, we are forced to tell ourselves to never stop erasing precedent. Otherwise, we’re left with a laughably ignorant final product, sure to be ridiculed by the rest of us who kept on moving.
Many people try to push me into reading less reviews and reports, implying that the more I know, the less my opinion belongs to me. Again, my retort requires a bit of concerted thought. The truth is, the more stories and opinions you experience, the easier it becomes to sort your own ideals. Sometimes I’ll find myself basking in what I consider the truth, only to tear it all down and be left groping around in the dark. It’s an exercise in humility and grace, and I can’t even claim to have this theory of figuring things out all figured out. So far, no one has discredited the declaration that knowledge truly is power. Unfortunately, it’s not the only method of acquiring power.
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