Election day has passed, but the results are still being tallied. In 2022, I believe we are more divided than ever before. That may be a “Sherlock” moment if there ever was one, but the obvious must be stated. And why wouldn’t we be divided? The two-party system has placed us in camps, and many of us rarely stray from the camp’s stances on the vast array of issues we face. Well, at least many of us. And why wouldn’t we? Views are shaped by the news networks we watch and read, the (R) or the (D) behind an individual’s name, and/or our personal experiences.
I know what you may be thinking already. This article doesn’t apply to you. I often ask myself if I’m influenced by any of these shapeshifters. The answer is yes, I’m human. How do we facilitate independent thought that leads to progress? Let’s also make it tougher by adding many core issues trending in America at any given time. Exponential Independent thought. The goal of this article is not to say that you don’t think for yourself. Nor is it suggesting we change the way our democracy functions. The goal is to open minds and facilitate even more independent thought.
Let’s start with the major news sources. The networks have found their camps, haven’t they? It’s hard to find a moderate news channel these days. They lean one way or the other, Republican or Democrat. The stances on the trending topics follow suit. We are fed this information 24 hours per day. If we curate our news from one main source, the information gets tattooed into our brains at a very fast pace, especially when we sleep at night (read “Why We Sleep”). Independent thought is minimized whether we realize it or not.
The major network stories on key issues often steer towards “Republican vs. Democrat” as opposed to outlining facts, potential solutions, and the reasons for said solutions. Some articles do explain the reasons, but they are usually in small snippets. To make things worse, the quoted source may not outline the fundamental reason. Take a look at this example article from Fox News Channel and answer the following questions:
- How many readers stop at “the president signed this executive order, and I don’t care for him, therefore I don’t like it?”
- How many readers stop at “This article is on a republican news site that I prefer, and they don’t care for the president, therefore I do not agree with the order?”
- How many readers check another news source for the story?
- How many readers will then go on to review the full text of the executive order to truly understand the contents?
- How many readers will finally go on to review hard facts related to energy sources and climate change?
Now, assume that same article was published on MSNBC and answer the questions based (re-wording the first two) on your perception of their political affiliation.
For both sets of questions and based on my perception of the state of our nation, the media, and the user comments on the articles, my answers are as follows… a lot, a lot, a few, a few, less than a few. I could be wrong, but it’s my perception, and perception is reality. Plus, flipping the answers takes a lot of our precious time. But, if we are expected to vote on and/or discuss a topic that we don’t fully understand to the root of the issue, how can we be so sure that our view aligns? My advice is simple… if you personally answered based upon my perception, change one of your answers. Obtain news from multiple sites with different political leanings. Who knows, you may still agree or disagree in total, but maybe you have different ideas for the best solution. And if you are passionate about a subject, dig deeper. You may even contact your congressperson and suggest the newfound solutions for them to consider. Afterall, they do work for we the people.
R and D. If only that stood for research and development, maybe we would progress at a swifter pace. Instead, when we see one of these letters behind an individual’s name, we may agree or disagree solely based on our party affiliation. I’ve been guilty of this in the past. Sometimes we take things for granted when they come from someone we like and trust, or someone who we dislike and distrust. My simple advice… listen to everyone, even those with whom you disagree, and form your own thoughts. Could you imagine if news sources removed (R) and (D) from the end of a politician’s name? We all may listen a little closer to all sides. Instead, we are often biased and side with someone on all issues.
How is it possible that there is an agreed upon solution, or agenda, for all trending issues for the same party? To put into perspective, let’s say there are 10 trending topics at the time of an election: the economy, abortion, Covid-19, energy, education, the war in Ukraine, police, healthcare, gun control, and immigration. Democrats and Republicans each have a different agenda for each of these items and they agree in total to all 10 agendas. If my math is correct, there are 1024 possible combinations of stances on these 10 topics (2 stances ^ 10 issues). Democrats and Republicans generally account for two possible combinations, i.e., the party agenda. I find it hard to believe that all of us agree in total. We may agree with one Democrat on an issue and agree with Republicans on the other 9. Or maybe we agree with one party for half of the issues and the other party on the other half. You get the point.
And what choice do we have? Mostly, one party’s candidate or the other. How many times have you heard someone say they are voting for the lesser of two evils? I think we need more choice, and I would love to see more independents get involved. Sadly, there are too few that run. The big political machines (money, news coverage, etc.) for both parties are a mountain to climb. Perhaps listening more to the two available sides will begin shaping our political thoughts and possibly paving the way to more candidates.
In conclusion, listen to everyone, understand the issues, and have an open mind. Think independently and respect others. It’s really that simple. You may have the same thoughts and opinions as today, but some portion (e.g., new solutions) of the political scale will ultimately shift. You may also be thinking that this article does not apply to you because you are an independent or think completely independently. I think it will apply even more so once we have more choices. But if not, and there is no need for improvement, share this article with your staunch Democrat and Republican friends.
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