The truth
does not require
your participation
to exist.
Bullshit does.
Fortifying myself with coffee, hot tea, oatmeal, vegetables, great music, Steely Dan's "Countdown the Ecstasy" (1973) on the CD player this moment. Exquisite. Life-affirming.
Fact: The United States has been a backsliding democracy.
The invention of the printing press created the same havoc as the Internet: Suddenly people were bombarded with information in quantities they were not accustomed to, and they didn't know how to evaluate written sources.
Rage-inducing simplifications take 30 seconds to toss off.
I came across this Teri Kanefield tweet-storm this morning. It seems so on-target, something I have been noticing myself too.
Fact: We are in an information disruption.
Because democracy requires facts and an educated population, the question is whether enough people will develop the media literacy needed quickly enough.
That's when blood libel took off.
Laying out the explanation can take hours. People turn on the TV, get riled, and then want me to take the time to explain the reality and "talk them off the ledge."
No more. Learn to stay off the ledge.
Yes. Staying off the ledge seems like a civic duty. Also a good strategy for staying sane. Keep your head. Keep your feet on the ground. Keep calm and carry on. Take note of the rage-inducing beast, but refuse to be consumed by it. Find some space in your head. Lean to the light. Swim towards a diamond-hard clarity. Buck up. Damn the torpedoes. Oh yeah, be sure to keep warm and cozy. It's a fucking cold world out there.
