It’s depressing how much the nation is divided. To be sure I am on the side of a conservative world view. I vote that way. But it is nonetheless divisive. People in America today seem overly invested in their ideological views. So much so that relationships between family and friends are on the rocks. That’s not good. It’s actually terrible. In some ways it’s sickening.
It causes a deep divide. Moreover, that crevasse is hard to bridge by opposed parties who are standing firmly if not precariously on their side of the cliff staring menacingly across the void of separation. It’s really a standoff. One side seems to wait hopefully for the other to lose their footing and fall to their ideological death. This is really depressing to write. But the embittered news and commentary we hear and read in contemporary America highlights the animosity.
No longer is “I disagree” sufficient. Now we hear “you’re a bigot;” “you’re a white supremacist;” “you hate poor people;” “you love rich people” and of course, “you’re a communist” or a “nazi.” There are no limits to the insults, no boundaries to the castigation. Why should there be? The other side does not simply disagree; they are evil. Better to call them names than to actually engage them in conversations.
Imagine today if someone opposed to large government would ask the question “what harm does a large federal government create?” Or maybe this. “Is there an argument for a smaller public sector and larger private sector?” How about this? “What percentage of our income should be subjected to taxation?” Or this. “Should the government tax only what is needed to effectively run it?”
Questions like that seem to be almost absent in the current public discourse. Besides, why be civil when the news is more hyped with insults, yelling, and assertions that one side wants to destroy the other. Respect and courtesy don’t sell, I suppose. And in the process, we are sold a heap of hatred that is to substitute for respectful debate.
There is no respect. Indeed, there is no debate, but rather people talking past each other without regard to a single solitary fact. And when facts are introduced, they are disregarded as opinion.
- It’s a fact that we have a have a debt of $36.5 trillion.
- It’s a fact that American households carry a total of $17.943 trillion of debt, with an average of $104,215 per household. The largest sources of debt are mortgages, vehicle loans, student loans, and credit cards.
- It’s a fact that more than 771,800 people lived without housing in 2024.
- It’s a fact that obesity is a chronic health crisis in America.
- It’s a fact that in 2023, reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crimes rose to 1,832 incidents, a sharp increase of 63 percent from 2022, and the highest number ever recorded by the FBI since it began collecting data in 1991.
- It’s a fact that 70% of Americans oppose men competing in women’s sports, and
- It’s a fact that 36% of Americans have no trust at all in the media with 33% expressing “not very much” confidence in journalism.
And the point? If we stick to facts as opposed to throwing accusations at one another, we might just have a basis for discussion. Of course, that would require that we put down the cudgels and take up a resolve to talk. Civilly. Listening. Reflecting. Maybe even pausing before tossing another insult in the direction of those we disagree with. Indeed, imagine someone saying to someone else, “Gee, I’ve never thought of it that way.” Or this. “Maybe I’m mistaken.”
Imagine that. Imaging discourse. Imagine enlightenment. Imagine the truth. Ah yes, truth. Even objective truth that is indisputable truth. Truth that is true for everyone no matter what they think but rather what is seen clearly with one’s own eyes. Fundamental truths. Like if you put your hand on a hot stove, it will burn you. Or if you don’t have food, you will starve.
That’s a lot different from subjective truth, whereby a person believes something is true until they learn it isn’t. Amazing as it might be, a person’s judgment is limited to the information they have on any given topic. And when additional facts come to light, that judgment may shift. You may be disappointed that Aunt Sally didn’t call you on your birthday, but less so when you learn she was in the hospital with pneumonia.
So, what’s the point? Maybe it’s time that we address our divide by setting aside our divisiveness and spending more time listening to one another. The debate in Washington DC today is as harsh and hateful as I’ve seen. It’s time to stop.
My fond hope in the future is that we will seek truth over bile.
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