(Originally published May 21, 2021)
We all have our opinions. Sometimes our opinions are formed from knowledge, sometimes from our experiences and observations, and sometimes from our prejudices and upbringing.
Most of us keep our opinions to ourselves. Some of us want to force our opinions on others, some of us want to express our opinions thoughtlessly, and some of us want to share our opinions as a contribution to the general discourse and to engage in a discussion of ideas.
These days, it seems that no one wants to listen to you. Everyone is more interested in listening to themselves.
One watches the mainstream and alternative media, and clearly most commentators are more interested in criticism and branding than in critical thinking. Opinions are presented as facts, facts are based upon assumptions, assumptions are based upon preconceived ideological or political positions. The reality is that your value as a commentator is based more on how much advertising revenue you can bring in than on the merits of what you say. If commentators had to be paid based on their thoughtfulness and intellectual integrity, nearly all of them would be making minimum wage.
One reads the mainstream written media and pretty much the same can be said about them. Selective reporting is practiced with stories written and presented with an ideological slant instead of being reported factually and without bias. The editorial pages are filled with op-ed articles penned by politicians and politically motivated experts that reflect the ideological leanings of the publication. One longs for the point/counterpoint approach where opposing points of view are presented so that readers can reflect on the whole of the issue instead of the preselected half.
Blogging is certainly a means of self-expression, but it is pretty much a one-way conversation. Twitter is pretty much ideological masturbation with a little S & M thrown in for good measure, a pointless exercise in futility if engaging in a discussion of ideas is what you are hoping for.
Podcasting has the advantage of being both visual and spoken communication. Podcasting can be entertaining and enlightening at the same time depending on whose podcast you listen to and whether guests are selected who have something to say and not just something to promote. Unfortunately, much of podcasting now seems to be a primarily revenue-driven business, more of an extension of mainstream and alternative media than any sort of thoughtful expression and examination of ideas.
In a society where entertainment is more profitable than enlightenment, there is little motivation for any media outlet to be fact-based, apolitical, and willing to engage in a balanced discussion of issues, ideas, and events.
One can only hope that the majority of American people will eventually become tired of being mislead by self-serving and self-promoting commentators whose only real expertise is themselves and begin to insist on the truth without preinterpretation.
This is not to say that enlightenment cannot be entertaining, but it generally involves a more active role from the listener.
It is quite easy to be entertained as a listener when commentators belittle people by calling them clever names, or when they insult someone’s intelligence or patriotism or their degree of wokeness, or when they categorize someone into a group that can then in turn be insulted and disparaged. The cleverer the insult and harsher the criticism, the more entertaining the commentary, and very few commentators seem to be able to resist such an easy approach.
But as a listener, what have you gained from this experience? This mindless and mean-spirited entertainment full of negativity leads to a lack of respect for other points of view, and to a willingness to dismiss anyone outright whom the commentators tell you is not worth listening to.
It is quite another thing to be challenged as a listener when commentators focus their comments and criticisms on policies and the thinking behind the policies, and then provide justification for the policies or alternatives to them without resorting to insult-comedy-as-commentary.
As a listener, what have you gained from this last experience? A thoughtful discussion of issues, ideas, and events that presents different points of view gives you the insight necessary to make up your own mind in a reasoned manner, and to thereby become someone who is worth listening to.