In its most basic sense, politics is not limited to the issues that surround whatever government a select group of people have chosen (or been forced into). Politics, rather, is a lens through which we view how individuals interact in a given society. Politics is how people come together to make decisions. It is an ongoing discussion and an infinite debate between various groups of people regarding every conceivable question in any society.
Discourse is its most important feature.
This is why America’s politics have been and are the most interesting in the world. Our constitution, the tangible symbol of our politics, guarantees the right to open debate and speech. These freedoms are the grease to democracy’s wheels. Without free expression, democratic states stagnate, regress and implode. It is the freedoms guaranteed in our constitution that led to waves of immigration throughout history (and liberation for those already here). Masses of people from all parts of the globe have settled in the United States, which has led to the creation of the most diverse society in the world. It is also the most open.
And yet these two things, openness and diversity, have formed a symbiotic relationship, seemingly against common intuition. How can they coexist?
The answer to this question, in the past, has been that cooler heads have prevailed. Through civil discourse and debate, people have agreed to at least listen to each other, to hear each other’s ideas and genuinely think about what the other person is saying instead of letting it wash over them.
The benefits of this type of open conversation are immense. We see issues from another view point; we enrich our own perspective; and we end up making better decisions for the long term. It takes a certain willingness, however, on the part of everyone involved. It isn’t always easy to really listen to someone you disagree with. It is much easier to shout, to yell, to belittle.
It seems like Americans are getting tired of listening.
The sources of this are varied. The issues we find ourselves facing are polarizing — immigration, gay rights, military missions abroad, a volatile economy. And yet Americans have always dealt with these issues. They are, in fact, without exception, as old as our country itself. America has been dealing with immigration issues since its birth. Gay rights are the newest form of a civil rights struggle. America’s military presence overseas is a constant struggle. And the ups and downs of the economy are nothing new.
Nothing about the American people themselves has changed drastically. What has changed, however, is technology, and the way we get information, as well as how we engage in debate.
Technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows the United States to engage in information-sharing that would have been impossible without it. Television and the Internet are opening new channels between various people. But the downsides of these mediums are becoming more apparent.
People watch news programs that follow their own ideological standpoint. Conservatives watch Fox News, liberals watch MSNBC. There is little mixing involved. What happens is that debate is stifled. MSNBC may have a conservative guest on a show, or even a full-time analyst with conservative leanings, but what results is a bashing session where the preponderance of liberal analysts shoot down every dissenting opinion. The same goes for Fox News. Never mind the fact that all we are ever shown is the same old tired Republican-Democrat divide, never fresh with insights from those who don’t fit into that particular narrow spectrum.
The Internet is so much more of the same. Yes, there is a lot of information out there. But interactions online lack everything that makes civilized discourse a great thing. Posting 100-word comments on a blog or news article is not communication. It is a mere façade of conversation, because it is all one way. You might read the article, but you have the power to ignore whatever anyone else is saying on the issue. It becomes easy to sift through opposing viewpoints and read only those that conform to your own.
In short, technology has made it easy to do less work, which, at some level, is the point of technology. But it is doing so in the wrong way. Whatever time is now free because of our ability to communicate should be used to explore each other’s viewpoints, to read a variety of articles and expand our own knowledge base. In some ways, technology has made things harder. People need to check themselves constantly to see if there might be more sides to a certain issue and to make sure they are allowing themselves the opportunity to understand a viewpoint they might at first glance view as wrong. Easy access to communication must lead to greater temperance in order to keep discourse alive and healthy.
And perhaps this is only temporary. Perhaps we are still adjusting to the technology now available to us. But it is never too early to start to try.
Open your ears and open your minds. Put in the time to listen.
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Tellam: Technology stifles democracy’s necessary political debate
Daily Emerald
January 31, 2011
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