There’s one thing that my friends and family can agree on about me— I am opinionated. The fact is that I was raised in an incredibly conservative environment. I remember watching CSPAN when congress voted for the Affordable Care Act in shock and fear. I was a student at the time looking for entry into the medical field. Political polarization has always been around.
The fear was real, like really real. I had a sincerely held belief that passing this act would destroy the healthcare field. Since then there are several lessons I have learned along the way. The first of which is that politics often devolve into an argument that someone with a different view has sinister motivations. This is often a gross generalization that is demonstrably false. It is a narrative that is perpetuated by the polarizing nature of media outlets, how they present news, and how extreme stories are incentivized with greater viewership.
The Problem Of Political Polarization
Social media platforms generally contribute to this narrative as people are incentivized to draw more attention to their posts. The more polarized a statement, story, or comment is, the more attention it gains. Many people are rewarded by the attention their contributions to the community receive, but often dissenting opinions are silenced. A tendency to block those who disagree with your political opinions, as has been suggested ad nauseam, creates an echo chamber where diversity of thought dies.
Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and every news organization have their own political bias. As it would follow, individuals with similar political leanings will tend to watch news that falls in line with their own slant. This is a problem, in my opinion. Beyond the already stated problem with diversity of thought, there is a much broader problem with how these news medias have positioned themselves relating to the actual content of the stories they present.
Context In The News
The ideas, stories, and specifics presented by the varying news organizations often differ, as expected, based on their political views. Different elements of the same event are at the forefront. For instance a review of the horrific events at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas by Fox News and CNN can easily highlight some of these important distinctions.
Both articles highlight news of the same awful event, but one of them, the more conservative Fox News, focuses heavily on systemic failures caused by failures in governmental structure, oversight, and execution. This is a relatively important topic for those on the right. CNN however focuses on the shortcomings of the police officers themselves and their failure to act. This, rather, is a critical review of the behaviors that often contribute to disconnect between communities and police forces.
This is just one example of a recent news event, and it isn’t just this one event. The context of most news stories diverges in a similar fashion.
Why The Difference?
The political underpinnings of these two different news organizations make a big difference in the elements of the story they highlight. This makes a difference in how they present their information. For the average person these distinctions often go unnoticed, given the political polarization discussed above. With the trend in taking sides on these important issues, this means that most people aren’t receiving the whole story.
Even if you have an opinion about which one of these elements is more important, they are both important to the everyday person.
Stop Disconnecting
Someone is paying attention to a different but important part of the story. Since many block them, or avoid this information, the whole picture is being lost in translation. Stop blocking people who simply disagree with you. Look at different opinions as a way to sharpen your own views. It is incredibly likely that a safe, functional, and prosperous society is the desire of both sides.
In my opinion, disconnecting from others has led us to the biggest problems our society faces today. Lack of understanding the problems our fellow humans face has contributed to violence, fear and hate. This doesn’t get better when we silo ourselves into groups and parrot political talking points.
Be well and be safe.
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