The American Nightmare. How Did We Get Here & How Do We Fix it?
Narratives designed to amplify division, illusion, and diversion happen every day in our current political climate. To make things worse, the government, big tech, and the mainstream media have come together to ban, label, and censor people left and right - often without just cause.
Discourse is becoming discouraged. Free speech is being attacked and maligned as something violent when in truth nothing is more violent to the spirit of mankind than to deny them the right to speak and think for themselves. Every other atrocity imaginable in history came after attacks on free thought and free speech. This is a battle of mind - and our right to define our own conscience is being threatened by those who believe they know what is best for everyone - without allowing everyone a chance to be heard.
In spite of the picture so many are trying to paint of our nation, I know there are millions of people regardless of their party, who are essentially good people who just want to live in peace, survive the challenges we all face, and be happy again. We may not be able to see eye to eye on every issue, but that does not mean we should stop searching for common ground.
I think if we can take a step back from the complexity of current political narratives which are full of intersectionality and false dichotomies that are truly meant to serve one side vs. the other - we can remember the essence of the original American Dream that once united us. We are the melting pot and a beacon of liberty in the world. A country for the people - built by the people. A country where we have the right to be free and the ability to build a better life if we strive for it. Even with all flaws considered our nation is still one of the most diverse and free on earth today.
The two-party system has morphed into hyper-polarization. This duality is killing the American dream. Corruption abounds, but they are busy pushing us to fight with one another so we don't hold them more accountable. They need votes to maintain their own positions of power. In order to do so, they villanize the opposing party while running cover for their own. This happens on both sides of the aisle. In both cases, the public is left with a skewed picture of both parties and of the citizens who might align with those parties.
Republicans are not all Neo-Nazis. Democrats are not all Antifa. Neither side is full of violent extremists. A small minority on either side is, they just get more airtime - because they produce better ratings for the media sharing things that outrage us as clickbait. They have used these very divisive labels and polarizing narratives to drive the wedge between either side into a chasm where the middle ground is all but lost. This only serves the two-party system - it does not serve the people.
They have politicized nearly every aspect of our daily lives - there are things politicized now that frankly don't belong in their realm of control. When I think of the rise of cancel culture and thought policing, I shudder as I remember what I have learned from history. When we seek to destroy what we disagree with rather than reach understanding - we end up with dystopia in the guise of building our own version of utopia.
The idea that how we want to live, think, speak, or act is correct, and that it is also how everyone else should - is misguided and narcissistic. In a time when Egos are amplified by social media and our own perceptions reign supreme within the echo chambers they have made for us, it is easy to see how so many have fallen into this trap.
So often people from either side simply can't believe how those who oppose them hold a different position than they do. It is because we have built our own silos. This happens as we narrow our consumption of media to a select few channels reinforcing the same messages, and as we tend to take part in conversations with those we already agree with - thus confirming our own bias. This is the problem. So how do we attempt to fix it?
Seek out conversations with people who have different views than you do. In that conversation, seek to understand. For discourse to be meaningful it must also be civil - so don't treat the conversation or the other party with contempt. Allowing room for and even allowing respect for a position different from our own - does not diminish our position. You have control of your own opinions - they are not threatened by someone who doesn't agree with them. That is the beauty of free thought and our individual conscience. We alone control our own mind - and it should always be that way. It is EGO that says, we must be right all the time - but that is false. There is no person dead or alive who has never been wrong. Accept this and move past that urge to be the so-called winner. We all lose if all we can do is fight and never compromise.
Seek alternative sources of information. If all you listen to is media that confirms how you already feel about your party you are most likely getting half of the story. Both sides have work to do and are far from perfect. Both are producing slanted narratives to support their own agendas. To have any chance at disseminating the truth of the matters at hand - you need to see both sides of the issues and both perspectives. Only then will you have a clearer picture of what is actually happening.
Take time to evaluate how much of an echo chamber you are in. Google search results and your social news feeds are full of content they believe "you want to see" - ie. things you probably support or agree with already. They tailor these results to keep you engaged longer on their platforms - for their own monetary gain. People are becoming more polarized as a result of these tailored results. Do you really want to be influenced this way? Consider how often you hear the same type of message from one side or the other - What could possibly be the agenda behind that message? Have no doubt that people intend to influence you and consider everything you read, hear, or watch more critically. If you are tired of censorship and corruption speak up. Those who dare not rock the boat when they see something problematic will wake up one day to find the ship is sinking.
Finally, remember that those you disagree with are probably in the same type of echo chamber you are; one that is also tailored according to their own beliefs. Consider the possibility that you have both been exposed to completely different information before assuming they are simply uninformed or less intelligent than you are.
If you want to be taken seriously take some of the sarcasm out of it. I know, I know, snarky comments are all the rage these days. You will probably get more likes that way or even more clout. But if you want to effect real change in a conversation - be respectful. That is the only way the other side is going to truly consider your position without feeling attacked themselves. When we use sarcasm or condescension like a weapon, it kills the conversation or escalates it into an argument.
I hope that we begin to realize we have more to gain by seeking to understand each other than by seeking to silence or fight each other. I hope that more people will speak freely and expand their minds beyond the echo chambers. I hope that we find more common ground - as we move beyond the illusions of division these narratives have created in our lives. I hope that the pursuit of truth triumphs over party loyalty and that the commonalities we share as humanity will unite us once again.
To reclaim the American Dream that has been lost, let us remember where it began:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
- The Declaration of Independence of The United States of America