Everyone keeps saying we need to come together, move away from tribalism, focus on what unites us. Instead, we continue to fail, at every level, to communicate effectively and respectfully.
I believe that we will begin to actually communicate only when we all climb out of our sound-bite burrows and start dealing with complexity.
Certainly, agreeing with a 280-character statement is a whole lot easier than digging through multiple sources for the history, context and ramifications of an issue.
It’s so simple to hear “Democrats want to make this a communist country,” or “Stronger gun control would save lives,” and think, “That’s right!” just because we want it to be right. But deciding that one internet post constitutes some kind of truth means, at best, that we’re ignoring details, subtleties, and the multiple perspectives we know should be part of every discussion. At worst, it means we’re ignoring the facts.
Over-simplification allows a 30-second rant to substitute for actual information. It is one of the major causes of our current political mess because it keeps us operating on an emotional level — the ideal tool for those who want to self-righteously demonize the “others” without examining any worthwhile points the others might have, regardless of how uncomfortable. Indulging in tunnel vision and over-simplification will always leave us divided and angry.
We don’t have to settle for being deceived by somebody’s clever turn of phrase. We must ask questions and invest a little more time. To become a community again, it’s imperative to acknowledge that the world is complicated, and repairing it will be complicated. Sound bites only deafen our ability to hear our neighbors.
Hydee Clayton, Millcreek