I grew up watching news anchors who exuded a trustworthy and knowledgeable aura which filled me with confidence that what I was being told was the gospel truth.  The news anchors who were usually men, reminded me of a favorite uncle, or a trusted teacher. They seemed like people who I could count on to give me the straight goods, without spin or the ugly taint of personal bias. 

But eventually…sadly, I grew up.

Every major network that I can name has repeatedly discredited themselves. Biased opinions have often been purported to be “facts”, and actual facts have been presented as conspiracy theories. “Journalists” will deflect their obvious malfeasance with feigned contrition saying, “Sure, sometimes we get it wrong, but when we make a mistake, we correct it.”  If that were true, I’d be happy to forgive the mistakes, but it’s not.  The truth is, every major news outlet is in whole, or in part…nothing more than a propaganda machine.  

So, who are we supposed to trust?

Don’t fully trust anyone…ever.  None of us actually know what is going on for sure, but the concept of us not knowing is far too uncomfortable for most people to tolerate. A sense of knowing seems to foster a sense of control. So, instead of doing the hard work of critical thinking, most people pick a team, and allow that team to create their reality for them. If your team is CNN, you’ll hate FOX.  If your team is FOX, you’ll hate all the other teams equally. Not only will you hate the opposing team, but you’ll hate anyone who roots for that team…and not in a “friendly rivalry” kind of way..it will be actual visceral disdain. 

What’s the solution?

Find a Unicorn, and ride it down a rainbow.  The Unicorn you are looking for is someone who doesn’t pick teams. The rare beast who can compliment an enemy, and admonish a friend is the only type of political commentator that I’m willing to listen too. There will still be bias, as there will be with any human being, but when someone is a true critical thinker, the bias is mitigated as best as it can be. 

I’ve found a few Unicorns over the last few years, but none are as interesting to me as Jimmy Dore.  Jimmy self identifies as a progressive liberal. Although I’m a devout centrist with conservative leanings, I enjoy listening to Jimmy because he’s honest. I strongly disagree with him on some major points, but my disagreement doesn’t translate to disdain.  Mr. Dore’s viewpoints are not only authentic and heartfelt, but they are based on considerable research and critical thought.  As such, I find it very easy to respect his opinions regardless of my personal feelings towards the topics at hand.  

It is possible to respect someones’ opinion without agreeing with it, however rare the skill may be. 

In today’s world, disagreement equals disdain.  We seem to have lost the ability to have a thoughtful, and civil conversation with opposing viewpoints. Instead we are labeling each other according to our perceived teams, and closing our minds to any information which is provided by the “other side”.  The more we identify with our teams, the greater the divide between the teams. The greater the divide, the lower the levels of civility and mutual respect. The lower the mutual respect, the higher the likelihood for violent conflict. 

There has never been a time in my life where mutual respect and civil conversation has been more important. Without the free exchange of opposing ideas civil unrest will only increase.  We must listen to each other with open minds, and open hearts before we start fighting each other with closed fists. We must do our best to consider the other teams point of view, and learn to empathise with it instead of condemning it.  If we don’t, the fabric of our civil society will continue to unravel into chaos.

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