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What Are We So Afraid Of?
It’s a question we really need to ask ourselves. What are we so afraid of?’
I’m not saying there is nothing to fear.
The world is in a state of uproar and corruption so obvious it has to make us think.
But was it Donald Trump, the pandemic, obvious lying from our leaders or a mixture of all three and more?
What if it’s none of those things and the problem is us….
What frightens me the most is how quickly we write each other off.
Whether its assumptions or our beliefs it seems we have no room for diversity of thought and rather than civil discussion we cancel each other.
I’m starting to do it.
I feel hemmed in and like i’ve had to shut up for so/too long, I’m done pretending and finished playing the game.
Perhaps we need new ground rules?
I fear if this doesn’t turn around we’re in huge trouble.
Let me explain something.
From my point of view, as someone who’s watched this start years ago, to go against the grain of thought didn’t used to be worth the hassle.
You ignored what you couldn’t change, bit your tongue and kept your head low.
What changed was people saw that change might be possible. It was okay to offer ideas and challenge the status quo. The pandemic pushed that even more by showing us why we could no longer be silent which drew and darker, thicker, longer line between ideologies.
Question: (especially with new studies) Why can’t we question handling of the pandemic, motivation of politicians and presidents, handling of the homeless? Why is to question so damn dangerous?
Now it seems we are so far apart “coming together” is impossible but I don’t believe it. The more I talk with folks around the country I think we can discuss things without canceling people. I believe we can stop calling names, all of us, and start looking for real solutions. But in order for this to happen politics needs to be brought under our control. The media needs to stop taking sides and instead present information, not indoctrination.
But to begin we need to identify our fears.
What are you afraid of?
I agree with you that media needs to be brought back to a place of being neutral, presenting information - all sides - without taking any side. Most of those who read the news and/or listen to it just happen to be "adults" - enough to make up their OWN minds and decide which camp they will participate in. When I was in gradeschool, for instance, we were taught that JOURNALISM meant telling who, what, when, where, why, and sometimes how; and the articles written were never bylined UNLESS they were OPINION PIECES. Television and radio journalism were simply presentation of events, again without opinions given by those presenting. (You were one of those guys, and did a GOOD…
Yes, it WAS mainly Donald Trump. He confirmed it was alright to be bigoted, homophobic, racist, divisive and just plain vile...