Earlier this week, I posted a teaser graphic about the
differences between discussions and lectures. I’d like to expand on that post a
bit, since it’s something I struggle with. It’s easy, I think, to become
entrenched in my own personal beliefs and values, unwilling to listen to
another person’s ideas and reconsider my beliefs in light of the discussion.
And, I think that kind of entrenchment is exactly what’s wrong with America
today.
Americans used to be able to discuss the important issues
with respect. We could civilly “agree to disagree,” but we also recognized that
we needed to leave our entrenched positions and meet in the middle to find
solutions to our shared problems. The ideologues at each extreme weren’t ever
happy with that, but each side compromised for the good of all. Today, no one
is willing to compromise, ever. In fact, suggesting that someone “compromise”
has somehow become twisted to mean, “You compromise and give me everything I
want, but I won’t move an inch.”
I personally blame the political entertainers (or
politicotainers as I will call them in this post) like Limbaugh, Maddow, Beck
and Maher. And, I blame their followers, the people who watch those programs or
listen to their radio shows on a regular basis. Fans of politicotainers like to
say that these people serve an important role in politics. But, they don’t.
These people are paid entertainers, and their only job is to make money for
their advertisers. Most aren’t political experts, yet people listen to their
shows and ape their comments and views without giving any of the material
serious study.
We’ve become sheeple (that is, sheep-people) willing to
stampede in whatever direction our favorite politicotainer points. I even lump
Stewart and Colbert into the politicotainer category, since so many people get
their “hard news facts” from those comedy shows. While Stewart and Colbert
usually remember that they’re comedians first, they sometimes slip into the
role of “political analyst” that Maddow and Limbaugh like to claim.
What’s the solution? The first step is easy, but it’s also
hard. TURN. THAT. CRAP. OFF. Really. Turn off all those politicotainer programs
we all listen to or watch on a regular basis. Those people aren’t really
political experts, and they’re not interested in finding solutions to the
country’s problems. They only make money if everything continues to fall apart.
Then, they get paid for gleefully “reporting” on the decline. So, turn them
off. Sure, it means disrupting a daily routine, but like any habit, repetition
will make it easier.
The second step is much, much harder. It requires all of us
to actively seek out information from all sides of a debate, perhaps in
newspapers, magazines and books. Then, we have to read and think about that
material, choosing what to believe and what to discount. The recent decline in
journalism makes this harder. But, I also think that newspapers and magazines
are dying because no one wants to do the hard work of reading widely and
thinking deeply. We could put a lot of skilled journalists back to work here
while also educating ourselves.
The third and final step is the toughest of all. We must
then engage in a respectful discussion of ideas with those who hold the exact
opposite point of view. That’s tough, and the chart I posted earlier this week
has some excellent tips on how a respectful discussion works. (Since no one I
know has practiced that art in at least a decade, including me, I hope the
chart will be useful.) It’s only by entering into respectful discussions that
we’ll be able to find common ground with those who hold opinions that counter
our own. And, until we see what we have in common, we’ll never find the
solution to our country’s problems.
This weekend, I’m going to scout out news sources that I can
use for step two. It will be tough, since my attention will be on the Olympics
and seeing “The Dark Knight Rises” with friends. But, I’m committing myself to
this new course of action so I’m ready to cast an informed vote in November.
Who will join me?
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