Try another example. Ask the average Frenchman to tell you the history of his country in just a few words. All cultures, all peoples of the world are raised on similar stories of themselves. In fact, objective knowledge is just one part of the current of information that nourishes and enriches people's imaginations and behaviour. But this current, in which we swim around like fish, is not homogeneous.
Rumours coexist with facts.
Value judgments are found along with balanced opinions. It is almost impossible to resist the pull of this current that mixes truths, falsehoods and lies in a rather subtle blend. It flows around us, sometimes without us even being aware of it. It is so effective that, over time, the image of something, formed out of a loose collection of information, often replaces the thing itself. The image cloaks or moulds the thing, and what we see is not the thing itself in all its complexities and ambiguities, but rather the thing outside itself, reshaped according to our intentions, classifications and speculations.