If you've ever had the (dis)pleasure of being present while someone clicks on their favorite cable news station, you've seen the self congratulatory air wash over them as they slip into that comfortable place of judgement. You can almost hear them say, "aaaaaaaahhhh" as they slump comfortably down into their chair. They have re-joined their tribe.
How is it that Americans can so conveniently fit into one of two areas of thinking? How is it that liberals all feel the same exact way about all issues and conservatives conveniently have their differing view?
For example, how did all liberals suddenly all fall into the "stay at home" category? And how did all conservatives fall into the keep working category? Interesting. Before we were ordered to stay home, I watched as the population made fun of the whole thing and it wasn't cool to be concerned or to take precautions. Literally overnight, Liberals were now spouting at everyone to stay home waiting with a watchful eye for anyone breaking any social distancing rules so they could call out their irresponsible behavior. I marvel at how quickly the tides turned. It was like someone had waved a magic wand and the next morning when I woke up Liberals were in the stay at home camp.
Do you know of a conservative who thinks people should stay home or a liberal who honors people's decisions to keep running their businesses? Hmm. How does this happen?
Welcome to #opinionculture where if you want to return to your business and you want to see that America continues to have its food needs met and our economy stays strong, you're irresponsible, stupid, ignorant, and you want old people to die, and if Liberals stay home it's because they want the government to take care of them. And there's a black and white cut and dry way to explain every issue known to man. To liberals, conservatives are evil. To conservatives, liberals are childish. And mainstream America's pass time is to get their jollies off as their preferred opinionated and argumentative figurehead argues the opinions of the other tribe's evil or childish loser who's ruining their world and ability to live peacefully. They revel as they watch their tribe's figurehead rail the other loser into the ground.
These opinions tear apart families. I know people who won't be around family members who aren't of the liberal tribe.
American news capitalizes off of humans' tribal tendencies and expands them. All of our worst qualities: mainstream media pushes those buttons. It perpetuates gross black and white thinking. If you come to America or tune into American mainstream news, you can completely forget about nuance. It's this or that.
CNN and Fox News create the framework through which people see the world around them. They create the story. It's the story of this or that. People visibly shake their heads at their neighbors. Humans are tyrants over one another. Follow their rules! Get into the box they want you in! Respect is absolutely gone. Humans regard one another with absolute disrespect and disdain unless you're a protected class among your tribe.
It's the age of opinions. And you'd better have the right one, or prepare to be disrespected and ostracized by the other tribe.
People's opinions have reached epic proportions. In our past, we would simply kill people over them. At least we've evolved enough not to do that. Now shame is the name of the game. But that's not quite solving anything. All it's doing is making the tribes hate each other even more. So where are we going to go with all these opinions that are simply blowing up inside of people? People are about to blow! You can just see it in their faces.
Over the last few years these opinions have become bigger.... and bigger.... and bigger. There's nowhere else for them to go!
Remember tact? Remember human relationships being the most important thing? Remember being there for your neighbors? Remember the 90s when it was rude to discuss politics?
We're disgusted with each other! And I think American news is to blame. It's ruining our population. Your worldview is everything. And for most people, CNN and Fox News are shaping that for you.
Free your mind, yall.
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