Believe it. Or Not

Headmaster’s Routh Assembly Address
Monday 29th November 2021

Reading:  (Text of a CNN commercial, showing a photograph of an apple. Reader to produce and hold up an apple while speaking)

“This is an apple.
Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana.
They might scream “Banana, banana, banana” over and over and over again.
They might put BANANA all in capital letters.
You might even start to believe that this is a banana.
But it’s not.
This is an apple.”
 
Good Morning.
I am pretty sure that was an apple that Hanna just showed us. But you never know. Or do you?

Those of you who have read George Orwell’s famous novel 1984 might recall how the totalitarian government controlled its citizens by using “doublethink”, a type of brainwashing that got people to believe things that were contradictory and untrue by relentlessly bombarding them with misinformation.

There is no question that Geroge Orwell invented “fake news” long before Donald Trump did. And that was years before social media was even dreamt of. Back then, during Orwell’s lifetime, the fear was that people would come to believe lies told to them through official news media channels. Today, of course, the internet is awash with a million other places where a reader can be tricked or converted, even radicalized.

The web has also become an incubator for conspiracy theories. And not just the age-old crackpot ones.
• The Moon landing was faked
• 9/11 was actually done by the CIA
• 5G towers cause coronavirus
• The world is run by a powerful group of shape-shifting lizards called the Illuminati

At least they are laughable enough to considered unlikely by most normal people. Perhaps more worryingly though, the echo chambers of the internet can spawn and spread smaller, but equally untrue, myths and misunderstandings. Not so much about grand evil plots. More like urban legends. Stories that sound like they could be true, but actually are not. There are countless sites designed to draw people in with seemingly credible “news”, but which then take them down a rabbit hole to increasingly unhinged notions and theories.

Facebook groups dedicated to sharing those stories that “the authorities don’t want you to know.” Whatsapp and Twitter and Tik Tok posts, all seductive in their proposition that you are hearing or seeing the “actual story” through them, without having to believe more reputable media who rather inconveniently have to be able to prove the things they say. Or worse still, without having to do any proper research yourself.

Case in point. Last year, a man won a large amount of money from a lottery in South Africa. It was a nationwide lottery, just like you see in most countries in the world. Go to a local store, chose six numbers, pay for your ticket, then wait for the live draw on TV next week. So far, so ordinary.

Except that when the numbers were read out, this man won with the numbers: five, six, seven, eight, nine, and – you guessed it – ten. In that order. To which the whole of South Africa said, “You what?”
In fact, thanks to the speed and the reach of the internet, the whole world was soon saying “You what?”. “That’s not possible - it was a set up” they screamed in the blogs. “Conspiracy - the draw was rigged.” the Facebook forums cried. “Impossible - what are the odds?” trended on Twitter. Well, good question.

Thankfully, none of you are dumb enough to fall for the notion that it was a fraud or a conspiracy, because you all paid attention in Maths classes at Bromsgrove. Therefore, you know that, in fact, the odds on that sequence of numbers are no different than any other six numbers being drawn in any other order.

“What are the odds?” asked those outraged keyboard warriors. Well, the chance of any particular number being drawn is one in 40, so the chance of any six specific numbers being drawn is one in 40 to the power of six. Or a little over one in 3.8 million.

Sounds a lot, but in fact it is exactly the same chance as any other set of six numbers coming up. No set is more probable or improbable than any other. The apparent significance of 5,6,7,8,9,10 lies in our perception of those numbers, not in the numbers themselves.

Yet thousands of people were happy to ignore their own common sense and chose to swallow a bit of doublethink instead. “I saw it on the web, so it must be true.”

Even if you aren’t mathematically minded, surely the fact that the numbers were so obvious would have made you a little suspicious about the rigged lottery theory. Which cunning mastermind criminal would have drawn attention to themselves like that? Stopping for a moment to consider the likelihood of that, to perhaps even remember a bit of what you learned in probability classes, would have saved embarrassment.
Here in the UK, the Royal Society is the oldest national scientific institution in the world. Founded in 1660 by King Charles II to promote science and its benefits. It also educates and engages the public in scientific knowledge. The Royal Society’s Latin motto is ‘Nullius in verba’. Meaning, ‘take nobody’s word for it’. Put another way, rely on evidence to make decisions. Preferably evidence that you have uncovered.

I am not anti-internet, of course I’m not. It is arguably the greatest research tool that human beings have ever created. But it is not the only research tool, and it is most certainly NOT filled exclusively with facts and truth. Before he died in 1973, Pablo Picasso was once offered what was then a miraculous invention, a new-fangled device called a computer. But he rejected the offer, saying “Computers are useless - all they can give me is answers.” He meant, I think, that you should learn to question properly before you passively accept what is presented to you as the ‘only’ answer.

What every one of these people sitting behind me is trying to teach you while you are here, is to think for yourselves. Of course your opinions and beliefs will be influenced by what you read online. But be judicious. ‘Nullius in verba’. Take no one person’s word for it. Especially if they tell you again and again and again, with All CAPS and lots of exclamation marks. Allow your intelligence, your intuition and your common sense, to assess what you are being told, before you accept it.

The next time the internet tells you something is a banana, don’t assume it so just because it is online. Instead, use your excellent Bromsgrove education and do a little taste test of your own. Generously

Food for thought.
 
Presentations
Goldsmith’s Community Engagement Award
Last Tuesday, four pupils travelled to London to compete in the national final of the Goldsmiths’ Community Engagement Awards, following their outstanding performance in the regional finals. They presented to a large group of VIPs about the superb work that many of you have been doing as part of Bromsgrove Service. Despite a strong performance, they missed out on the top prize, however the judges commended them for their excellent presentation, and all have returned inspired by other initiatives they saw.
I would like to invite the team of: Lucy McLoughlin, Chantal Wong, Joelle Koh, Toni Gavriiska  to receive our congratulations and framed certificates.

Girls’ Junior House Swimming
It was great to see so many girls taking part in the Junior House Swimming competition. All performed well and there was an excellent encouraging atmosphere on the poolside. The results were as follows:
3rd- Hazeldene
2nd- Thomas Cookes
1st- Ottilie Hild
I invite their captain to receive the trophy.

Junior House Hockey results
B team tournament
3rd Oakley 2nd Ottilie Hild 1st Thomas Cookes
A team tournament
3rd Oakley 2nd Hazeldene 1st Thomas Cookes
I invite the captains from both Thomas Cookes teams to come forward and receive their trophies.

Netball
In the U18 County Netball tournament, the School beat North Bromsgrove, Heybridge and RGS Worcester in the group stages, Malvern College in the semi-final, and then went on play RGS again in the final, winning 17-14. The start of another great year in Netball for Bromsgrove and I invite the captain forward to receive the trophy on behalf of the team.

Review
History lectures
Last week our Sixth Form Historians enjoyed a series of lectures on Tudor and German History, listening to views from prominent historians on topics related to their studies that were extremely interesting and informative.

Fencing
Our fencers competed in the Individual Epee competition at King Edwards School.
In the Senior competition there were good finishes from Dariush Modaressi (7th place) and Kamilla Katashina (8th place).
In the Junior event, George Ascough claimed 5th place, Oliver Gowan 4th place, but special praise for Leo Boonnak, who won the competition.

Hockey
Well done to the U18 Indoor Hockey boys’ team, who qualified for the Midlands finals last week. Further successes with the 1st XI Boys beating Olton HC club 4-1, drawing 2-2 against Trent College in the national league drew 2-2.
And not to be outdone, the girls U16 team beat Solihull 2nd XI 1-0.

Fixtures
As to Saturday’s fixtures, although the weather conditions meant some sports were cancelled, the senior Badminton teams had good wins against Cheltenham College and the junior team drew 8-8 against Wellingborough School.

In the 9 rugby matches that were played against Marlborough College, there were good wins for the 16A, U15A, U14A,B and C teams.

The junior Squash team lost a competitive fixture against Tettenhall College, whilst the Table Tennis team won their National Junior League fixtures.

 
Preview
Today you have the opportunity to discuss your recent AEO grades with your tutor.

Tomorrow we have the L4th Parents Consultation evening.

And we wish the Senior Girls’ Cross Country team all the best as they travel to Cornwall for the national finals this weekend.

One final thing from me, in relation to the emergence over the weekend of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Obviously not the news that we particularly wanted to hear, but no need for panic either. As has consistently been the case throughout the whole of the pandemic, the School will be sticking to its policy of staying calm and following official Government guidance.

We don’t over-react, and we don’t under-react. Given what I have just spoken about this morning, that is particularly important. It can get confusing, as rules and regulations seem to change with each new outbreak, but that is because our knowledge of how the virus spreads is constantly improving. Our job is to respect the science. To listen to those who have sought the evidence, not to those who post conspiracy theories, all in capitals. Bromsgrove has done a remarkable job in keeping infection rates down this term, due to a sensible and informed response. We won’t stop now. Our aim is to keep you all safe, especially those boarders who need to get home to their families without incident this Christmas, while still ensuring that your education is uninterrupted. We will do that by following the science, not the scaremongering. So, keep your masks on in communal areas, follow any special measures for your year groups, but don’t be afraid to continue to seize all the opportunities that School life offers.

Please now stand as we say the Grace together.