Trying to Broach the Social Media Void of Indifference, Intolerance and Non-Engagement about our Current Cultural and Political Climate

After seeing how little people engage in much political or cultural discussion and debate over the past 2 years since 2016, I found myself wondering why.  Was it uninteresting banter?  Was it due to a fear of trolls?  Was it an unwillingness to put yourselves at risk of friends or family taking offense to a potential comment?

I don't really KNOW the answer, but I imagine it is some of that and a variety of other issues.  However, I am a believer we have to learn to re-engage one another on a platform of respect, civility and true openness to counter the effects of our divisive media, the divisive culture of intolerance from online forums and sadly college campuses, and make the family discussion around the dinner table a real thing again.  

Anyhow, I have been reading articles, blogs, posts, books and listen to podcasts these past few months looking for those valuable nuggets of truth and ideas for trying to engender the kinds of conversations I want people to have again on the issues of the day. 

So, for this post, I thought I might try a simple exercise to see if this approach might work, maybe some who have been sitting idle would engage if the forum was not so specific in its focus on a specific topic or two.  People seem to love answering questions and taking polls, so if I put a 'Take this quiz and I can tell you what fictional character you are most like' headline here, maybe I can get some engagement. 

Well, I can't quite do that.  It cheapens the idea somewhat and I don't want to reinforce any belief people have that those quizzes are harmless. They are all basically phishing scams designed to get you to spill obscure details which might be used as security questions on a password reset page.

So I decided to try this.  With inspiration from Inside the Actor’s Studio, some from other podcasts and some of my own questions, I thought I would see if this idea would work.  If you don’t want to answer publicly, any FB friends, feel free to send them to me in an email or in Messenger.  Maybe it is privacy people want?   I would just like to see the results if anyone is willing to share.  Without further adieu:

What are your three favorite words?

Faith, love, imagination

What are your three least favorite words?

Entitlement, intolerance, hypocrisy  (like is #4, mainly when used 86 times in a single spoken paragraph)

What do you value most in your friends?

Authenticity/Kindness/Respect for others  (its tough to pick just one thing)

What is something you wish you really understood?

Why people can't communicate better

What do you wish other people understood about you?

I am blunt to a fault, but it also means I am honest just very direct.  Oh and my mind has been changed on issues, just give me some good facts/reasons/ideas.

Is there anyone for whom you just can't feel empathy?

People who harm others violently and take advantage of others

Who are 5 living people with whom you would love to share a meal and conversation?

Mike Rowe, Jonathan Haidt, Ben Watson, John Williams, Any Friend of Mine

What person or group do you wish you had seen perform live, but haven’t or didn’t?

George Carlin, the Eagles, Queen (with Freddy Mercury at his prime)

What issue in the political realm is the most important and fervently held, deep-seated belief you have?

The Constitution is the single greatest governing document in human history.

Balance is the key, be it budgets, rights, protections, or the makeup of our leadership

What 1 or 2 issues do you believe tend to be ignored by most people and politicians which truly needs attention?

Not balancing our budget is the economic equivalent of ignoring the climate, they both can absolutely destroy our chidlren's and our grandchildren's futures

The need to protect privacy in this time of smartphones and social media is more important than ever.

Which issue do you believe has been promoted to an extreme and beyond it's level of importance on the national stage?

Immigration, followed closely by the $15 Minimum wage

Name a leader or two in the OPPOSING party/tribe that you believe you could identify with and possibly support? (Hint: If you can't find even one that is an indicator of how partisan you have become as well)

Howard Schultz (based upon what I have read and heard so far and he could beat Trump!!)

Why do you think most Americans tend to simply return the same people to Washington?

Laziness, name familiarity, lack of self-education on the issues

Do you find it easier to consider opinions which might run contrary to your own in private personal conversations and discussions, or reading them and having time to ponder them? 

I am unlikely to admit thinking I am wrong or being wrong on a topic in person, but it does help to understand a person's context better.  I like to talk, read, think probably in that order.

What are some of the reasons you think are behind the current divide in politics and culture?

The traditional media (pushes drama for ratings), social media (it is deeply impersonal and people can be brutal to one another when they are not literally standing right in front of you), our really substandard education system (lack of diversity, lack of meaningful civics curriculum, intolerance for things the 'collective' values)

What issue do you think we could resolve fairly quickly if there was true bipartisanship again?
Immigration

What 'truth' do you think helps explain the current divide and could be a starting point in understanding where each 'side' is coming from and wants to go?

Fairness to someone in the liberal spectrum typically equates to fairness in equality of results.
Fairness to most in the conservative spectrum typically equates to fairness in terms of opportunity.
We need to create a system with equality in opportunity that can be combined with a floor but no ceiling.