Think31 has been saying this for a long time, and has been called partisan, even losing readers because of it. No matter. The mandate for the existence of Think31 is to present views that are as non-partisan as possible. In the quest to accomplish this, there is an appearance that Think31 is in the “tank” for President Trump. This is not the case. What is the case is that there is much disinformation that is either hyper-partisan or just plain wrong, and Think31 seeks to present the facts. 

Unfortunately, consumers of information look only for that which is little more than comfort food. They search for the morsels that feed their political need. Many never venture further than the headline itself, never bothering to delve into the story to read what it actually says, and almost never bothering to find out the truth. A longtime friend “unfriended” me when I countered their patently partisan trope with fact. There was no counter, just – disappearing into the night. Oh well. 

This is the story of our politics or what has become of it. As long as the headline fits our agenda, and the story behind the headline is close to what we want to believe, we will. Nevermind that much of said story is based on innuendo, anonymous sources, or the ever-present “unnamed sources”. Forget that the story is written by an outlet obviously biased in its reporting. Disregard actual proof. As long as the narrative fits what you want it to fit, it will be accepted as truth. 

What’s more disturbing is that people willingly buy into it, whatever it is, willingly, as though in some kind of religious cult. They will believe whatever is put in front of them no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. They will find ways to defend the lie, massaging it so that it resembles a truth. Parse words, distort meaning, ignore evidence, make excuses…whatever. Those are the out cards…as long as it seems close to the truth, even possesses a kernel of it, the entire thing may then be considered honest. Like the jacket one finds at the store. It fits, doesn’t it? Don’t worry if the sleeve is a little bit long, I like how it feels so I’ll take it. No one will notice anyway.

We lose friends, associates, co-workers all because we cling to a notion of truth that fits our personal narrative. We will accept no compromise, and agree to always disagree. We will die on this hill because this hill contains my feels. 

Unless we overcome this fascination with “our side” and begin to concern ourselves with OUR SIDE…we will continue to degrade what has been built over generations. It is time to recall what this nation has stood for for many generations. It is time to hold all of our elected officials accountable for their action, or better stated, their inaction. It is time we stopped being so one sided and only looking for the dark, to begin again to look for the light. Find reasons to compromise. Admit when one side is right and yours is wrong. Understand each other and work toward common ground. Remember who we are…Americans… or we will render truth to what Merlin the Magician told Arthur and his knights – ”for it is the doom of men that they forget.”