Subjective Truth I - Please shut up.
It's been a while since I've posted. Finals and life have kept me busy, and I haven't been able to maintain my schedule of posting twice a week. I've been taking some of my free time out to think about the state of the world today. The state of my country, my state, my friends.
I read an article today (Read here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/14/opinion/sunday/trump-lies-obama-who-is-worse.html?emc=edit_ty_20171214&nl=opinion-today&nlid=66806393&te=1&_r=1) about the differences between Barack Obama's lie count and Trump's. Now, I know what you're thinking- "great, another President bashing post!" but it's actually not. It's about the reality of statistics like these and the comments that followed. See, directly after posting this on Facebook, the people who posted it received thousands of comments. Trolling through them, as I do in my down time, I noticed how many people said "Well, this is a left wing newspaper! I bet if you read a right leaning one, the stats would be the opposite!". It's a common path for people to take- a systemic relation of truth to "Whataboutism", where you deny the validity of a fact by comparing it to previous muddy mis-truths.
It's worried me, honesty. It's part of this strange flow coming not just out of this administration, but out of people in general. This "everything should be questioned" attitude that seems to permiate society since the election. It's always been there, I think, under the surface of many people. Disbelieving that the government doesn't hide everything, doesn't constantly lie. People are prone to believe that those they vote for, know, trust or love are less likely to lie, cheat, steal or cast doubt on things that matter. It's given voice to a sense of frustration people have had for forty years. Problems start to arise when we can no longer see friend from enemy, simply based on their views or on the truth they present or discover.
What makes you think that those you view as the "enemy" are somehow dumber than you? Are more prone to mistakes or telling lies? That just because the youth of today wants to change the world from one that's all about me me me to one that's more inclusive, that they must be childish and a moocher? That fighting against forms of racism, sexism and elitism is somehow a "snowflake" movement made up of those who can't handle the truth of the world around them?
More than once in the last few days, people have taken to saying "If they don't like it they can leave" to various arms of social issues. People who have said that seem to hold to the belief that the age of 1931-1963 was the golden age of mankind, the heart of this "Make America Great Again" mentality. Without passing labels, I would ask- do you see women as less than you? Subserviant? If so, you're right, that age is golden. What about African Americans? Then you're right again. Do you think taxes on the rich should be 90%? Golden age. These people cherry pick their values and ideals based on information present in their own little universe, and of that they only choose the information to believe as true which aligns with their ideals and upbringing.
I wish I could put into words, sometimes, what is needed in a fair and balanced way. But I can't, so I'll say it like it is.
If you're too old and lazy, or unwilling/unable/incapable of understand or processing new information, if you're against progression of mankind and the shift of humanity from a "Man is an island" to a "Humanity is a collective" reality, then please, shut up. Stop talking. Stop getting involved in issues you barely understand simply because you spoke with a few friends at a bar about your opinion on North Korea and you suddenly feel like an expert. Stop taking forty year old information and opinions and blanket spreading them as "Great America" when nothing could be further from the truth.
Having to constantly disprove your claims and actually refute them with the truth is exhausting me.
I read an article today (Read here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/14/opinion/sunday/trump-lies-obama-who-is-worse.html?emc=edit_ty_20171214&nl=opinion-today&nlid=66806393&te=1&_r=1) about the differences between Barack Obama's lie count and Trump's. Now, I know what you're thinking- "great, another President bashing post!" but it's actually not. It's about the reality of statistics like these and the comments that followed. See, directly after posting this on Facebook, the people who posted it received thousands of comments. Trolling through them, as I do in my down time, I noticed how many people said "Well, this is a left wing newspaper! I bet if you read a right leaning one, the stats would be the opposite!". It's a common path for people to take- a systemic relation of truth to "Whataboutism", where you deny the validity of a fact by comparing it to previous muddy mis-truths.
It's worried me, honesty. It's part of this strange flow coming not just out of this administration, but out of people in general. This "everything should be questioned" attitude that seems to permiate society since the election. It's always been there, I think, under the surface of many people. Disbelieving that the government doesn't hide everything, doesn't constantly lie. People are prone to believe that those they vote for, know, trust or love are less likely to lie, cheat, steal or cast doubt on things that matter. It's given voice to a sense of frustration people have had for forty years. Problems start to arise when we can no longer see friend from enemy, simply based on their views or on the truth they present or discover.
What makes you think that those you view as the "enemy" are somehow dumber than you? Are more prone to mistakes or telling lies? That just because the youth of today wants to change the world from one that's all about me me me to one that's more inclusive, that they must be childish and a moocher? That fighting against forms of racism, sexism and elitism is somehow a "snowflake" movement made up of those who can't handle the truth of the world around them?
More than once in the last few days, people have taken to saying "If they don't like it they can leave" to various arms of social issues. People who have said that seem to hold to the belief that the age of 1931-1963 was the golden age of mankind, the heart of this "Make America Great Again" mentality. Without passing labels, I would ask- do you see women as less than you? Subserviant? If so, you're right, that age is golden. What about African Americans? Then you're right again. Do you think taxes on the rich should be 90%? Golden age. These people cherry pick their values and ideals based on information present in their own little universe, and of that they only choose the information to believe as true which aligns with their ideals and upbringing.
I wish I could put into words, sometimes, what is needed in a fair and balanced way. But I can't, so I'll say it like it is.
If you're too old and lazy, or unwilling/unable/incapable of understand or processing new information, if you're against progression of mankind and the shift of humanity from a "Man is an island" to a "Humanity is a collective" reality, then please, shut up. Stop talking. Stop getting involved in issues you barely understand simply because you spoke with a few friends at a bar about your opinion on North Korea and you suddenly feel like an expert. Stop taking forty year old information and opinions and blanket spreading them as "Great America" when nothing could be further from the truth.
Having to constantly disprove your claims and actually refute them with the truth is exhausting me.
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