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It really makes me wonder what psychological need is there to continually rant about politics? Don't people talk about art, culture, movies, sports, business, the economy, great recipes, new fitness discoveries, or anything else?
I just don't understand it and honestly I have gotten to where I don't want to engage with anyone because I know politics will come up, I will feel like throwing up and I just don't want to go there.
Does anyone else feel this way about political discussions?
I can relate completely.
This is going to sound blasphemous, but I suspect that if more
people were to just disengage from the news-media entirely,
political ranting would decrease significantly. It seems the media
feeds this behavior. I just don't go there with them.
“In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.” ― Mark Twain
Nor your relationships. Thomas Jefferson famously said that he wouldn't end a friendship over a difference of opinion. Now we have whole families that are fractured and estranged because they come down on different sides of the aisle (while one faction sees the other as merely mistaken or misguided, the other sees the opposite as morally deficient and even evil, which is in itself a hysterical view to take). I much preferred it when I, pre-social media, had NO IDEA the political leanings of my coworkers, acquaintances, sports buddies, club members, even close friends and relatives. WE DIDN'T DISCUSS IT. Voting booths: private for a reason.
I remember a time when any political discussion were strongly discouraged in the workplace, and certainly not encouraged by professionals when dealing with the public. My sister was fired for constantly bringing up politics with her coworkers and fights would ensue or it would cause resentments and affect work.
This is going to sound blasphemous, but I suspect that if more
people were to just disengage from the news-media entirely,
political ranting would decrease significantly. It seems the media
feeds this behavior. I just don't go there with them.
-
Disengaging from cable news and talk radio would probably suffice!
Disengaging from cable news and talk radio would probably suffice!
That's exactly what I was going to say! It's the "hate radio" shows, whose entire purpose is to stir the pot, that are at the root of a lot of this, IMO. In my town, an older man physically attacked a Native teen who was on his way home from an after-school job downtown, because (it was later found), there had been a right-wing talk show that afternoon, on the topic of the pipeline controversy in the Dakotas, and the MC had been harping on his opinion, that Native people were "anti-American" and "against society".
Those shows know they're skirting the line between instigating violence, and "merely" exercising freedom of speech. They know exactly what they're doing, and it's not contributing to "civil society".
That's exactly what I was going to say! It's the "hate radio" shows, whose entire purpose is to stir the pot, that are at the root of a lot of this, IMO. In my town, an older man physically attacked a Native teen who was on his way home from an after-school job downtown, because (it was later found), there had been a right-wing talk show that afternoon, on the topic of the pipeline controversy in the Dakotas, and the MC had been harping on his opinion, that Native people were "anti-American" and "against society".
Those shows know they're skirting the line between instigating violence, and "merely" exercising freedom of speech. They know exactly what they're doing, and it's not contributing to "civil society".
The right hardly has the market cornered on promoting hate for the other side.
I much preferred it when I, pre-social media, had NO IDEA the political leanings of my coworkers, acquaintances, sports buddies, club members, even close friends and relatives. WE DIDN'T DISCUSS IT. Voting booths: private for a reason.
Me, too. I really think getting people to be vocal about their political opinions is about dividing people against each other.
We also know from book like "The Big Sort" that since the mid 1960s people of both sides of the aisle have been moving to areas where people think just like themselves. This creates an echo chamber and makes people more extreme in their views.
That's exactly what I was going to say! It's the "hate radio" shows, whose entire purpose is to stir the pot, that are at the root of a lot of this, IMO. In my town, an older man physically attacked a Native teen who was on his way home from an after-school job downtown, because (it was later found), there had been a right-wing talk show that afternoon, on the topic of the pipeline controversy in the Dakotas, and the MC had been harping on his opinion, that Native people were "anti-American" and "against society".
Those shows know they're skirting the line between instigating violence, and "merely" exercising freedom of speech. They know exactly what they're doing, and it's not contributing to "civil society".
If you're only seeing hatred from one side of the political aisle, I think you're being willfully blind.
I love Byron Katie. I think this video is great and would help us all see the mind game that we play on ourselves. Very worthwhile, but the volume is low, so turn it up.
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