Information Warfare (Part 2 of 2)

So, as I was saying, we've got this big division in our country. And though there are many issues that we're just not going to agree on, I think there's a lot of room for improvement in us being more effective at wading through the information septic tank (i.e - the media). Before we can even begin to hammer out solutions, we need to have at least a half decent picture of what exactly it is that we're disagreeing over to begin with. Too often we have dogmatic stances on issues that we don't even have a clear understanding of. I'm convinced that is a large contributor to the "us versus them" mentality that I am determined to defeat.

Now, to be fair, clearly most of us aren't experts, but here's at least my attempt at a practical solution to start promoting unity in this country. First......verify, verify, verify. See, we have this tendency to think that the sources of information that WE agree with are the true and "objective" sources, while we view anything outside of that as "biased". When it comes to the media, how ridiculous it is for us to think that we're getting the REAL inside scoop, while everyone else is just "drinking the Kool-Aid". Unfortunately, all our media is saturated with Kool-Aid, Sunny D, and yes, even "the purple stuff". And though it's not fun admitting our faults, it's important that we recognize this in ourselves if we're to be effective at separating the garbage from the truth.

When we don't guard against this, the result is a distorted understanding. Though we know we shouldn't, we tend not to question information that we already suspect is true. I mean, If I told you that Kanye West interrupted Obama's State of the Union address to say that Beyonce had the best music video of 2009, you'd probably believe me without questioning it, wouldn't you? (ha) The opposite is true as well. If you already question the validity of something to begin with, then you will tend to not accept any information that challenges your current stance.

So, we've got to be cross-checking this stuff that gets shoved down our throats with other sources (that do not share the same point of view). And if you can find the same info in 3 different places, it still doesn't make it completely accurate, but at least you have a much better shot at getting the whole story. As a side note, I'm not opposed to using snopes.com or truthorfiction.com, or any other fact-checking site for that matter. But, you still have to remember that those sites are run by humans, not God. No matter how convincing a site like that is, it is still just one source that also needs to be cross-checked. Even Wikipedia (NOOO!) has been found to have errors on it from time to time. So when it comes to verifying, don't be a one-stop shopper. After all, let's not forget the PRIMARY mission of all news media....to make money. And whenever you mix an incentive (be it making money, getting votes, getting famous, etc.) with information, manipulation ensues. It's just human nature.

Now, if you don't have the time to verify something, that's perfectly okay! I just encourage you not to spread what you read or heard as if it's gospel. Email forwards are a big offender in this area. It too often leads back to the problem I mentioned in the first paragraph of stirring up debates on issues that are about as clear as mud, or worse, don't even exist.

My second and last encouragement is to give consideration to occasionally getting your news from sources you tend to disagree with. Why? Beacause it gives you more perspective (but still, don't forget to verify). Let's say you've decided to buy a new car. You've done all your homework regarding the specs of the car, and you settle on a Toyota Camry. You're absolutely convinced this is the best car for the value. But just for peace of mind, you decide to read some consumer reviews before heading in to the dealership. Well, you run a search and find a site with a thousand individual reviews on the Camry. Which reviews do you think are going to be most helpful in making a good decision: the reviews that say what you already believe?..... "This is the greatest car since sliced bread, it can drive on water, and even has a feature that activates your window wipers everytime you hit the blinker!" (a little inside joke for those that remember my first car). OR, reviews that tell you potential problems with the vehicle? I'm going with the latter.

It's usually not fun when we hear that maybe our ideas and perspectives aren't exactly as "right on" as we'd like. But I think this kind of strategy when applied to receiving information can, at the very least, help guard against intellectual laziness, and at best, help us think more critically and objectively. If we can do that, I think we stand the best chance of winning the information war, and getting our country back.