The Political Rose-Colored Glasses

Discussion in 'Politics' started by JoeNation, Nov 22, 2019.

  1. JoeNation
    No Mood

    JoeNation The ReichWing Abuser

    It is an unfortunate fact these days, that the opinions of the American electorate are tainted or colored by the party they support and objective facts are the real causality. If you support Republicans, they can do no wrong and Democrats are guilty of everything they are accused of and the same goes for Democrats supporters accusing Republicans. You've seen this dynamic over and over or you are willfully ignorant of your own partisanship.

    But fear not. There is a cure and it isn't all that difficult. Put your opinions aside and deal in provable facts. Your opinions are NOT facts no matter how passionately you believe them. In other words, if you can't back something up with a credible source, you are just spewing your opinions as facts. We have even reached the point where we no longer trust the sources that disagree with our opinions regardless of the validity of the sources in question. We live in an age where opinion is king.

    I rarely see people dealing in factual realities these days. I'm sure that I have been guilty from time-to-time just like everyone else. In my case, I figure why waste my time on people that will either not read or will dismiss my sources as biased but never counter with their own source that they trust either. An opinion is much, much easier crank out than an exhaustively researched fact. After all, it only takes a few seconds to say what's on your mind. That should inform you that you might be tapping into your own biases and not dealing with factual substantive arguments but that would require self-contemplation and who comes to places like this for self-contemplation?

    The crux of the problem is that we are living in a double-blind augmented reality. The first blind is the biases of our own opinions. We blind ourselves to everything else but what we already believe. The second blind is what used to be the cure for the first blind, objective, verifiable, sourced facts, but these days they have become another layer of self-deception. The dismissal of valid factual resources further masks the truth in a complex dynamic that hides any and all objective facts. This dynamic is so insidious that any behavior researcher on the planet would get heart palpitations just thinking about it.
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2019
    Mopar Dude and CoinBlazer like this.
  2. CoinBlazer

    CoinBlazer de omnibus dubitandum

    This is the best thing you've said yet Joe, I'm starting to like you alot more, compared to when it was only you and me for a few weeks, cussing each other out and being painfully insulting...
     
    Mopar Dude and JoeNation like this.
  3. JoeNation
    No Mood

    JoeNation The ReichWing Abuser

    I've gained respect for you and your generation. Please push people to get involved. It's the best thing you can do to insure a better future. Thanks.
     
    CoinBlazer and Mopar Dude like this.
  4. Recusant
    Spaced

    Recusant Member

    Well said, and I appreciate your attempt to be even-handed. However, for those who dismiss everything outside the right wing media bubble as "lamestream media," objective reality when it comes to political and some cultural issues has no relevance. I think that the author of the article linked below is too optimistic, but I also think he does an excellent job of diagnosing what is going on.

    "With impeachment, America’s epistemic crisis has arrived" | Vox

     
    Mopar Dude likes this.
  5. JoeNation
    No Mood

    JoeNation The ReichWing Abuser

    Great read. Thanks for posting.
     
  6. Mopar Dude

    Mopar Dude Well-Known Member

    You are so completely on target, Joe. I often think to previous generations. The 1940's and 1950's come specifically to mind. I have mentioned before that I was a nuclear missile crewman in the Army.... I think of the general populace of the 40's-50's generations being of a different mindset in general. Folks tended to have more of an unwavering trust in their government. As a result many thousands in Nevada and Arizona suffered from diseases brought on by nuclear fallout from the nuclear testing that prevailed in the deserts in those days.

    I believe that as a civilized people we have grown more educated and as a result are correct to question actions like nuclear bomb testing and the lasting results those actions may have. I think we are better off for that. However in some small way I do believe there is some merit in supporting and standing up for your government, regardless of the current figurehead. Its really as simple as supporting the "home team" in my view. While that is simplistically stated when you think about it, its as American as apple pie. We do support our teams in winning seasons as well as losing. We love our kids when they are on less than honorable paths. We should in the same way support our nation in the good times as well as the bad.
     
    JoeNation likes this.
  7. JoeNation
    No Mood

    JoeNation The ReichWing Abuser

    I have always, always been a fair-weather sports fan. I don't follow a lot of team sports but if any of them I do follow are doing poorly, I pay zero attention to them. I kind of feel the same way about the country or even an ally of this country.
     
    Mopar Dude likes this.

Share This Page